Something that never fails to amaze me is the general perceptions that normal people have when it comes to animal rights and green issues. I realise that not everyone feels as strongly about issues as some do, and that even if people do care, they don’t always know how to use that concern to make a difference, but some people just seem so blatantly uninterested and clueless, I just don’t get it at all.
Prime case in point are some of the comments on the live shark fin protest demonstration the other day at a Lush store in London. Most of the people commenting on the post at new favourite sharky blog Swim At Your Own Risk were supportive and somewhat awed by Alice Newstead’s live suspension act for Sea Shepherd and Lush Cosmetic’s shark finning campaign, but one or two readers totally missed the point…
‘That’s stupid. I LOVE shark’s fin soup and I consider it a new form of cultural imperialism that these campaigners are butting their noses into my culinary preferences. I wish to see Hindus picketing English farms against beef consumption. Don’t go on about cruelty too, because it’s simply untrue that fishermen cut off the fins and throw the sharks back into the water.’
‘I could care but no. Sharks scare the crap out of me. I still fear swimming in the ocean.’
No MSG, just pure shark
The sad thing is that this is how many average people think – despite seeing pictures and campaigns and being ‘aware’, they just don’t see the problem. Fear of course has a big part in people’s ability to feel compassion, and ignorance is much easier than action, but still…
At what point do people start to care, and how bad do things need to be before we sit up and start trying to make a difference? Or are we going to continue to ignore the state of the planet until it gets to the point where our ecosystem is near to collapse?
I don’t know any shark fin soup lovers, and I hope that it stays that way, but if anyone actually does like that junk, please take a moment to ask yourself if the prestige and novelty is actually worth the cost of destroying the oceans. If you don’t really care, then there’s no hope for you, but if it’s a bit hard to swallow then put the soup down and back away slowly.
P.S. Every time I try and write shark fin ’soup’ I keep writing ’soap’ instead, I just can’t get that ‘shark fin soap‘ off my mind!
P.S.S. Sea Shepherd have a South African division, pretty interesting stuff… they have quite a few ways to get involved, given me a lot to ponder indeed.
