Animals live outside, in the wilderness. They are 100% independent. They feed themselves, they protect themselves, and they've been doing it for years.
Humans live indoors, and have long abandoned the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. We have, in many ways, isolated ourselves from nature and the environment as a whole. For many of us, the 'outside world' is not only exotic, but a place to fear.
Remember going out into the forest as a kid and playing? No. If you even had the privilege to near a wooded area, you probably didn't go frolicking around in it out of fear that a bear would eat you (or some other type of creature). You're always careful at beaches too, just in case a shark decides to pay a visit.
And if a wild animal came prancing through your front door, you'd probably either chase it out, or, if it was small enough, kill it. We don't like outsiders, especially wild ones, invading our homes. As humans, we protect our territory.
So why is it that when humans go into the homes of animals they are utterly shocked and surprised when they are attacked?
A few days ago, a young boy was killed in British Columbia while camping with his family. He was attacked by a hungry cougar and died.
Yes, this a terrible, awful thing to have happened. No one should come to such a fate while vacationing with their family, and especially not at a young age.
To me, though, an attack on a human by a wild animal, while in such a setting, does not seem obscene. You are entering THEIR home and THEIR territory. Do you really expect to go unnoticed? Because you won't.
A young cougar such as this was doing the only thing it knew how to do: fend for itself in order to stay alive. If it couldn't find any smaller game to eat, I can completely understand why it attacked a human. Again, I cannot stress enough that this attack is extremely unfortunate, but it's also certainly not abnormal.
People need to stop freaking out about animals acting like animals. They aren't going to be civilized snobs like humans are. They don't understand our views on life and behaviour, they only understand their natural instincts. It's time society took a step back and thought about this.
Monday, 20 August 2012
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
War & Memory
You know that awkward moment when the media attempts to address History and make it comprehensible for the general public, but instead they just end up being disgustingly patriotic and twisting facts?
If you live in Canada and watch television you've probably seen one of those bullshit propaganda commercials glorifying the Canadian victory over the Americans in the War of 1812. If you haven't seen it, you can watch it here. But don't say I didn't warn you about the blatant inaccuracies presented.
Now, before I begin explaining why I despise this video so much, you will need some background information. Last October I wrote this article for my school's newspaper.
Basically, I attended a lecture by Professor Terry Copp who stated that until this year (2012) no one in Canada even cared about the War of 1812, but since it's now the bicentennial, everyone all of a sudden does. However, they are caring about all the wrong things. The Canadian government has pin-pointed certain 'war heros' and latched onto their 'stories' to show Canadians how great we were: how we stood up and valiantly defended our lands (despite invading America, killing their people, and burning down the White House, because, you know, violent actions such as those are totally acceptable when you're doing it for a just cause) and how we allied with our Native neighbours (and then pushed them all onto reserves afterwards and took away virtually all their rights).
As Copp pointed out in his lecture, and as this video illustrates, society latches onto idealized versions of supposed war heros, and in doing so, forgets about the common women and men who fought and died for our country. No one is remembering the people who were slaughtered and left to die in the mud. We only remember people who acted like 'heros' in the face of danger.
We allow ourselves to give into myths about war because we are unable to comprehend the violently brutal truth about reality. No one wants to remember how their grandfather was slain in battle and left to die, so instead of remembering the truth surrounding his actions and story, they latch on to the idea that he was only fighting for the good of his people - that he was helping combat against an external force that was hell-bent on destroying the pure society we live in.
Now, I'm not saying that soldiers didn't/don't have good intentions, because they do. I know plenty of people currently serving in the armed forces, and the love they have for their country is unbelievable. What I'm saying is that we glorify them so much that it obstructs the truth.
In the War of 1812, as in any war, we do not go and fight against barbarians that are trying to destroy our society. We are fighting against other humans who are also trying to protect their own people. Think about it.
If you don't think we glorify war stories, please read the first sentence of this article.
"The men who helped save the world from Nazi terror." Oh really?
Yes, we now know that Hitler wanted to take over the world, and he also wanted to exterminate all Jewish peoples, gypsies, the disabled, and anyone who generally disagreed with his plans. But guess what? Not every single Nazi in Germany knew this. Only a select few of his men knew about his Final Solution - the rest were just out there fighting to protect their country (Germany) because, to the best of their knowledge, the rest of the world was out to get them.
Yes, it's a good thing Hitler stopped slaughtering millions of innocent people, but we didn't save the entire world. (And side note: there are other dictators who did worse actions, and killed thousands more people than Hitler, but no one ever talks about them.)
And the Second World War wasn't actually the glorified battle society wants it to be. Thousands upon thousands of people died extremely brutal deaths and experienced things the average person could not even begin to understand. But that doesn't mean we should ignore these stories.
In this article, the veteran's daughter states that she has never, nor will ever, want to see photographs or experience in any way what her father went through because it contained "some of the worst evils of the murderous Nazi regime."
First off, you can't only identify the Nazis as murderers. Were Canadian, American, British (etc.) soldiers not also murders? They killed people too, but no one wants to recognize that because it makes us look bad. No. We were doing 'what was right.'
Secondly, by not recognizing what veterans did, we are only giving into the stereotypical, idealized stories of warfare. By ignoring the truth we are accepting a version of war that was created for us. Instead of educating ourselves about factual events, we are accepting a lie. Why? Because it's easier to cope with? Or because we are extremely biased and have been bred to only see the good in our country?
Well sorry to be the one to tell you, but Canada is not any better off than any other country. We have gone to war overseas and murdered people there, as well as isolating and murdering our own indigenous peoples here. We really have nothing to boast about, and it agitates me to see the media, and our society as a whole, twisting facts.
It's time we face the truth and understand our history for what it really is.
If you live in Canada and watch television you've probably seen one of those bullshit propaganda commercials glorifying the Canadian victory over the Americans in the War of 1812. If you haven't seen it, you can watch it here. But don't say I didn't warn you about the blatant inaccuracies presented.
Now, before I begin explaining why I despise this video so much, you will need some background information. Last October I wrote this article for my school's newspaper.
Basically, I attended a lecture by Professor Terry Copp who stated that until this year (2012) no one in Canada even cared about the War of 1812, but since it's now the bicentennial, everyone all of a sudden does. However, they are caring about all the wrong things. The Canadian government has pin-pointed certain 'war heros' and latched onto their 'stories' to show Canadians how great we were: how we stood up and valiantly defended our lands (despite invading America, killing their people, and burning down the White House, because, you know, violent actions such as those are totally acceptable when you're doing it for a just cause) and how we allied with our Native neighbours (and then pushed them all onto reserves afterwards and took away virtually all their rights).
As Copp pointed out in his lecture, and as this video illustrates, society latches onto idealized versions of supposed war heros, and in doing so, forgets about the common women and men who fought and died for our country. No one is remembering the people who were slaughtered and left to die in the mud. We only remember people who acted like 'heros' in the face of danger.
We allow ourselves to give into myths about war because we are unable to comprehend the violently brutal truth about reality. No one wants to remember how their grandfather was slain in battle and left to die, so instead of remembering the truth surrounding his actions and story, they latch on to the idea that he was only fighting for the good of his people - that he was helping combat against an external force that was hell-bent on destroying the pure society we live in.
Now, I'm not saying that soldiers didn't/don't have good intentions, because they do. I know plenty of people currently serving in the armed forces, and the love they have for their country is unbelievable. What I'm saying is that we glorify them so much that it obstructs the truth.
In the War of 1812, as in any war, we do not go and fight against barbarians that are trying to destroy our society. We are fighting against other humans who are also trying to protect their own people. Think about it.
If you don't think we glorify war stories, please read the first sentence of this article.
"The men who helped save the world from Nazi terror." Oh really?
Yes, we now know that Hitler wanted to take over the world, and he also wanted to exterminate all Jewish peoples, gypsies, the disabled, and anyone who generally disagreed with his plans. But guess what? Not every single Nazi in Germany knew this. Only a select few of his men knew about his Final Solution - the rest were just out there fighting to protect their country (Germany) because, to the best of their knowledge, the rest of the world was out to get them.
Yes, it's a good thing Hitler stopped slaughtering millions of innocent people, but we didn't save the entire world. (And side note: there are other dictators who did worse actions, and killed thousands more people than Hitler, but no one ever talks about them.)
And the Second World War wasn't actually the glorified battle society wants it to be. Thousands upon thousands of people died extremely brutal deaths and experienced things the average person could not even begin to understand. But that doesn't mean we should ignore these stories.
In this article, the veteran's daughter states that she has never, nor will ever, want to see photographs or experience in any way what her father went through because it contained "some of the worst evils of the murderous Nazi regime."
First off, you can't only identify the Nazis as murderers. Were Canadian, American, British (etc.) soldiers not also murders? They killed people too, but no one wants to recognize that because it makes us look bad. No. We were doing 'what was right.'
Secondly, by not recognizing what veterans did, we are only giving into the stereotypical, idealized stories of warfare. By ignoring the truth we are accepting a version of war that was created for us. Instead of educating ourselves about factual events, we are accepting a lie. Why? Because it's easier to cope with? Or because we are extremely biased and have been bred to only see the good in our country?
Well sorry to be the one to tell you, but Canada is not any better off than any other country. We have gone to war overseas and murdered people there, as well as isolating and murdering our own indigenous peoples here. We really have nothing to boast about, and it agitates me to see the media, and our society as a whole, twisting facts.
It's time we face the truth and understand our history for what it really is.
Sunday, 5 August 2012
Parallel Youths
Kids can be hilarious. No really, they can. At work we got in a new shipment of stuffed dinosaur toys. Adorable T-Rex and Triceratops stuffies have invaded the gift shop. So this kid, he couldn't have been over 10, came in today for his birthday, and his mum said he could get ONE toy. He then proceeded to take both a T-Rex and Triceratops, which clearly wasn't allowed, so he stood by my desk for a solid 15 minutes and weighed the pros and cons of each toy.
"The T-Rex is brown, but the Triceratops is blue!"
"This one eats vegetables, which are good, but this one eats meat, which is better!"
"He has tiny arms that are funny, but this one has four legs!!"
Seriously, he had the most brilliant reasoning I have heard in a while, and I read Voltaire for fun. After some intense real-life decision making, he finally picked his toy and went on his way. Perfect example of a hilarious, adorable child.
Too bad not all kids are like this. The rest are just like me when I was younger: bratty to the core. I'm talking flailing around on the ground, temper tantrum to the max, screaming until their parent's ears bleed crazy. Yep, that was me.
I hate these kids. I want to shake them and tell them to shut up.
No, you can't have that candy. No, you can't run around with no shoes on. No, you can't throw toys at that other kid you don't know, and you can't try to steal them either.
Yes, you can call me a hypocrite for acting like this as a child, but you know what? I don't act like that anymore, because I had what many children refer to as "the meanest mum in the world!" She had so many rules, and I never had any fun. And you know what else? It made me a better person.
I may have hated my parents growing up, but man, do I ever appreciate them for it now. I can't tell you how happy I am that I didn't turn out to be some spoiled rotten bratty 20-something-year old. I hate those kids too. No, having mean parents was awesome. So for all those new parents out there with bratty kids, be mean to them! Restrict their sugar intake, make them watch age appropriate shows and don't let them out of your sight. You will thank yourself now, and they will thank you one day.
Sunday, 22 July 2012
Dinos Destroyed
So I'm really into dinosaurs right now. The museum that I work at has an animatronic dinosaur exhibit right now, and everyday when I go into work I feel like I'm in Jurassic Park. No joke, it's awesome. Most people who come in, however, comment on how much cooler it would be if there were actual skeletal displays to go along with our robotic pals. I agree it would be awesome, but also understand how much difficult and expensive that would be.
And now I'm also starting to understand just how difficult it is to even discover prehistoric fossils. The Globe & Mail recently published this article which explains various acts of vandalism towards fossil sites. While this team of paleontologists was out digging in the middle of nowhere (Alberta) they were lucky enough to come across a perfectly preserved skeleton of a Hadrosaur (think Ducky from The Land Before Time; they're similar). So they got all excited - naturally - went home for the night, and when they got back the next day they found that someone actually went to their dig site and smashed the skeleton to pieces!
Words cannot explain how confounded I am that someone would do this.
How did anyone find out about their discovery when it hadn't even been officially announced? What made them think it would be a good idea to go smash it to bits? Why are they stopping people from being able to properly preserve fossils for future generations to enjoy them?
The skeleton was supposed to be the centre-piece of a newly opening museum, but nope, some jerk had to go smash it to pieces. Seriously, who does that?! Were they insanely religious and didn't want people knowing the earth is millions of years old? Were they an employee of another museum that wanted to see their competition fail? Were they a fellow paleontologist who was jealous of their friend's discovery? It doesn't even matter who they were, what they did was disgusting and wrong.
The past is just as important as the present, but if people keep destroying valuable objects such as this, there will be nothing left for us to learn about. Paleontology is already under-valued and under-funded, and actions such as this only make the situation worse. People need to stop being so stupidly inconsiderate and allow the past to prosper throughout the present.
Plus, dinosaurs are just plain awesome, and everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy them.
And now I'm also starting to understand just how difficult it is to even discover prehistoric fossils. The Globe & Mail recently published this article which explains various acts of vandalism towards fossil sites. While this team of paleontologists was out digging in the middle of nowhere (Alberta) they were lucky enough to come across a perfectly preserved skeleton of a Hadrosaur (think Ducky from The Land Before Time; they're similar). So they got all excited - naturally - went home for the night, and when they got back the next day they found that someone actually went to their dig site and smashed the skeleton to pieces!
Words cannot explain how confounded I am that someone would do this.
How did anyone find out about their discovery when it hadn't even been officially announced? What made them think it would be a good idea to go smash it to bits? Why are they stopping people from being able to properly preserve fossils for future generations to enjoy them?
The skeleton was supposed to be the centre-piece of a newly opening museum, but nope, some jerk had to go smash it to pieces. Seriously, who does that?! Were they insanely religious and didn't want people knowing the earth is millions of years old? Were they an employee of another museum that wanted to see their competition fail? Were they a fellow paleontologist who was jealous of their friend's discovery? It doesn't even matter who they were, what they did was disgusting and wrong.
The past is just as important as the present, but if people keep destroying valuable objects such as this, there will be nothing left for us to learn about. Paleontology is already under-valued and under-funded, and actions such as this only make the situation worse. People need to stop being so stupidly inconsiderate and allow the past to prosper throughout the present.
Plus, dinosaurs are just plain awesome, and everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy them.
Friday, 20 July 2012
Violent Society
Everyone hails that we live in a modern, civilized society; but do we? Earlier this morning, reports began to trickle in regarding a mass shooting late last night that occurred during the premiere of Batman: The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado. So far, 12 victims have been declared dead, and up to 40 injured. The youngest victim was only 3 months old. The gunman has been identified and arrested, and while he is being held, police are continuing to search his apartment, where various explosives are believed to be held.
More information can be read here, here and here.
No one understand why such an atrocity was able to occur, and apparently no one remembers other mass shootings that have been able to occur due to the gun laws in America. Remember watching Bowling for Columbine? Remember when Michael Moore walked into all those gun stores and was told he could make a purchase right there? Yes, that was years ago, but things haven't really changed much. The gunman this morning actually purchased all of his weapons legally from sport stores (article above). If you want, you read can American firearm legislation here.
Compared to other countries, America's gun laws are quite passive. In Australia, for example, citizens are prohibited to own any form of firearm, with the exception of licensed hunting and employment. Chinese citizens can face the death penalty for owning a firearm without a proper (and extremely difficult to acquire) licence.
So, as terrible as the shooting this morning was, and as terrible as this sounds, I'm not completely flabbergasted that this unfortunate event occurred. In fact, the only reason it is getting so much attention is because it was a mass shooting. If 12 people were killed over a series of multiple days, I highly doubt it would be getting as much attention. Don't believe me? Let's take a look at Chicago.
You can view how many homicides occur in Chicago by simply going onto Redeye's website. July 17, homicide via gunshot. July 15, homicide via gunshot. July 14, homicide via gunshot. The list goes on. It also includes homicides via stabbing. According to the article, July has seen more than half the amount of homicides than what occurred altogether in 2011. But no one is paying attention to these. Chicago has seen fifteen more murders this month than what occurred late last night.
I'm not trying to say that the shooting last night wasn't a big deal, because it was. None of those lives should have been taken, and it was horrendous. I'm only trying to make people aware of atrocities that are occurring across America as a whole. People need to stop and realize that terrible things don't just happen all at once in one isolated area. Innocent people are losing their lives every day, and if these problems are going to get fixed, they all need to receive equal attention. So continue to mourn the events of last night, but don't ignore other issues. And don't think this is a problem only in America, because it is affecting countries all around the world, including Canada.
More information can be read here, here and here.
No one understand why such an atrocity was able to occur, and apparently no one remembers other mass shootings that have been able to occur due to the gun laws in America. Remember watching Bowling for Columbine? Remember when Michael Moore walked into all those gun stores and was told he could make a purchase right there? Yes, that was years ago, but things haven't really changed much. The gunman this morning actually purchased all of his weapons legally from sport stores (article above). If you want, you read can American firearm legislation here.
Compared to other countries, America's gun laws are quite passive. In Australia, for example, citizens are prohibited to own any form of firearm, with the exception of licensed hunting and employment. Chinese citizens can face the death penalty for owning a firearm without a proper (and extremely difficult to acquire) licence.
So, as terrible as the shooting this morning was, and as terrible as this sounds, I'm not completely flabbergasted that this unfortunate event occurred. In fact, the only reason it is getting so much attention is because it was a mass shooting. If 12 people were killed over a series of multiple days, I highly doubt it would be getting as much attention. Don't believe me? Let's take a look at Chicago.
You can view how many homicides occur in Chicago by simply going onto Redeye's website. July 17, homicide via gunshot. July 15, homicide via gunshot. July 14, homicide via gunshot. The list goes on. It also includes homicides via stabbing. According to the article, July has seen more than half the amount of homicides than what occurred altogether in 2011. But no one is paying attention to these. Chicago has seen fifteen more murders this month than what occurred late last night.
I'm not trying to say that the shooting last night wasn't a big deal, because it was. None of those lives should have been taken, and it was horrendous. I'm only trying to make people aware of atrocities that are occurring across America as a whole. People need to stop and realize that terrible things don't just happen all at once in one isolated area. Innocent people are losing their lives every day, and if these problems are going to get fixed, they all need to receive equal attention. So continue to mourn the events of last night, but don't ignore other issues. And don't think this is a problem only in America, because it is affecting countries all around the world, including Canada.
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