Go run repeatedly into a tree

No, not you. You. Oh wait, I have to mention something before I clarify this.

Today's photo? Off of my other nerdstick, which doesn't get daily use. Or weekly use. Or... blog use, usually, since it mostly has family photos on it and (you might have noticed) I don't generally blog family photos. This particular squirrel action shot (which I don't think I've blogged before, but sorry if I have) is in a folder marked "round file". Obviously things I cherish highly.

And that's what you're going to be seeing on the blog until I get my act together and take some new photos.

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Now then. Today's post title -- which, admittedly, is highly influenced by the fact that I STILL FEEL LIKE CRAP -- is addressed to the protesters who, no doubt, are currently celebrating their "success" in disrupting the frigging torch relay just before the cenotaph.

Yeah, a lot of class there. And you know what? No matter what you were protesting, I'm officially not on your side.

There's a reason for this, and it might not be the one that you're thinking of. It's not that I'm in favour of the Olympics, or where the Olympics are being held, or how much the Olympics are costing, or... anything, really. At best, as I've said before, I'm ambivalent about the Olympics. I don't understand why any country wants the expense and trouble, I don't care much about most sports, I can find many other things to be more genuinely patriotic about, and (let's face it) until the Men's Eights starts ice rowing I'm always going to prefer the Summer Games. No, it's not any of the predictable reasons that has me a bit pissed off right now.

It's the hypocrisy.

You see, these people who are supposedly protesting on behalf of the little/forgotten people of the area (who disrupted things just before a recovered drug addict was meant to be taking his part in the relay, apparently) or the environmental cost (and did you travel by foot to get to Vancouver, then?) or whatever else are as much a corporation as the evil corporations that they think they're protecting us from. They have an umbrella organisation, for Whomever's sake. They have an entire structure that they take from place to place to get their banners on television in whatever situation they think will get the most face time (or banner time), and when the Olympics are done they'll move on to the next summit or wherever else they can find something to scream about.

And the worst thing about it? Wherever these professional protesters go, they'll create another whole group of people who don't give a flying rat's bum about their causes.

Ah yes. There we have it. This is what ticks me off. Big shows of pro protesting don't get average joes involved in causes, no matter how good the causes may be. They get people thinking that anyone involved in the any of the causes must be a nut job, they make people stop listening to any good points that might be made, and they make sure that people only remember that they were inconvenienced by the hippie army.

And, obviously, it's not just the big event protests that get people feeling that way.

Have I mentioned in the past few weeks how much I loathe PETA and other organisations of its ilk? I do. I mean, look. I work in natural history interpretation. I'm an environmental educator. I'm trying to get people to care about the planet they live on; to recognise that their actions make a difference. Occasionally I even share opinions (dammit) with some of the more activist groups out there. BUT. Every time some jackass (and it's even worse if it's a famous jackass) throws paint at someone wearing a fur coat, for example, I lose a chance to talk to someone else about why fur might not be the best option. Or, maybe more surprisingly, to talk to someone about why sustainable trapping may be an important way to protect a resource.

Screaming in groups prevents reasonable discourse.

And it pisses me off besides.

So to all you idiots out there who live to protest: Know your causes. Know your facts. Know that things may not be as black and white as you'd like them to be. And above all, know that continued loud noise only creates hearing loss.

And...

Geez this was a lot of typing brought on by an event that I don't really care much about. Thanks a lot, stupid protesters.






Now I'll have to hope for some pointlessly pointless games coverage to get my snit to go in a different direction.