A Sport Too Far?

I suppose I should stop reading Reuters because I keep getting fodder for silly posts. Well this one once again allows me to be politically incorrect and rail against some activists.

There is a traditional event in Lyme Regis, Dorset, England called conger cuddling. This event was started in the early 1970's by Richard Fox, a retired publican. Conger cuddling is an event in which a dead conger eel is thrown at members of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). This is part of the town's "Lifeboat Week". The eel is attached to a rope and thrown at nine people standing on flowerpots. There are two teams that involved in a last man standing competition.

This event attracts around 3000 people annually and is used to raise funds for the RNLI.Specifically for the local lifeboat. It has been called the

most fun a person could have with a dead fish

Well, in 2006, the idylic town of Lyme Regis and their annual event became the focus of animal rights activists. They complained to the RNLI and threatened to film the event and start a national compaign. Their main complaint was that conger cuddling is "disrepectful" to the dead fish.

Things is, animal activists in Britain have a reputation for radical action. So Rob Michael, chairman of the Lyme Lifeboat Guild, told Reuters:

The RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) were worried that it might show them up in a bad light.

In this day and age, and with health and safety, you have to be that little bit more careful. But some people are extremely upset.

The mayor of Lyme Regis, Ken Whetlor, told the Daily Telegraph, that the complaint was from a:

gutless troublemaker with nothing better to do than stop people enjoying an innocent event that helps raise money to save lives

He added:

I cannot see how using a dead conger eel landed by a local fisherman is unethical

The above picture and image I have in my mind made me think of the fish slapping dance of Monty Python and the absurd situation this is. I know we are all God's creatures but don't these activists have anything better to do?

I understand going after puppy mills and the disgusting condition in many of the slaughterhouses and farms. But this, for me, has hit a new low.

For me, I am really bothered about the idea the conger cuddling is "disrespectful". First of all, respect is given to another human being. Second, it is, for me, something that has to be earned. An eel cannot earn my respect by just swimming around or being tasty. An eel doesn't volunteer to feed more disadvantaged eels. An eel doesn't investigate viruses and bacteria to find cures of eel diseases. An eel cannot write that great novel which moves other eels.

And they cannot use the point that this is harming the eel. It is already dead before the cuddling starts. The codger eel is not being beaten to death because of the cuddling. It is brought in dead by a local fisherman.

But I can see the dilemna of the RNLI. Some of the activists can go extremes. In the end, it wasn't worth the grief so they are replacing the eel, by 2007, with a plastic eel most likely.

What pisses me off is two fold. First of all, this was a fundraising event. Yeah, it might be a little distasteful to some, but it brought in money for the local lifeboat. It ain't going to be the same with a plastic eel. Conger eels can grow up to 10 feet (3 meters) long and can be around 100 kgs. A hefty piece of meat.

But for me, it is the second point. Our world is going to hell in a handbasket. And it just isn't the mess in the Middle East or other countries. People in our local neighbourhoods need help. Be it food to feed kids or other people to helping people to fight addictions. More and more people are crumbling under the stress of their lives. They could use someone to listen to them, give them a hand. Kids need mentors to help with their studies and dreams.

If these animal activists put half the energy they use to fight their causes into helping their fellow man, we might see some changes in neighbourhoods and communities. Yeah, I've babbled this litany before but these people seem to have more compassion and respect for a dead eel than they do for the people around them.

And they cannot hide behind the banter that the homeless, etc. have their own advocates while animals don't. The more people who help in soup kitchens or are advocates in the seats of power, the more change we can affect.

But these animal rights activists are wrapped in their own rhetoric and dogma. And they are addicted to the power they yield. They are intoxicated by the change they can affect because of the politically correct society we are currently living in.

The problems of latch-key kids or the homeless cannot be solved right away. But stopping a small town in England from "disrespecting" a dead eel gets results immediately. It validates their little sense of worth. Yet it amounts to nothing in the long term. What has this action achieved? Nothing. Except their little egos are stroked.

This bring me back to the word "respect". People like Penny, who runs the Verdun soup kitchen called Oasis on a shoe string budget I respect. People who take time in groups like Big Brothers/Sisters I respect. People who are trying to make the government respond to helping people in need I respect. People who think dead eels are more important I don't.

As I said, respect is earned. Every single one of us can affect change, albeit it on a small scale. But each small change compounded with other small changes can bring about big change. For me, these animal right activists aren't helping us, let alone the planet. If you want the average person to start to respect the animals around them, maybe it is time we instill respecting each other first. If a person cannot respect their fellow human, there is no chance in hell they will respect an animal, let alone a dead eel. But to get this into action requires work. Something I believe most of these activists don't want to do.