Human Supremacy
I was taken to a shopping place that had actual taxidermied animals as decor. The "Great American Hunting Tradition" store where human males and females with great balls (whether figurative or actual) go to satiate their subconscious need to feel potent and in charge of something and spend money on inventory which is 95% made of plastic and is for one time use. (*big self satisfying grin*)
I was taken in there and felt utmost disgust for the fact that there is actually a whole cultural identity connected to our skill to murder an animal for the sake of decor. Man want, man take, man destroy.
The only other moment I can compare with feeling of being inside this shopping place is the moment when I was a young teen and my mother dragged me to her seamstress studio in order to revamp her real fox fur coat. I remember watching her explain what she wanted when a light switch came on in my head and I realized there was absolutely no other need for mother to have a fox fur coat other than to identify herself with whatever imaginary class-of-human she was convinced this dead animal fur would assign to her. She had plenty of nice woolen coats to keep warm and stay fashionable. What was with this? To her defense, though, the coat was 3rd generation and she was probably given this thing by her mother and could not say 'no'. Anyway- watching my mothers eyes as she was trying to create beauty symbol out of what has flipped to be a symbol of savagery to me- and I couldn't stop myself from running outside to the parking lot to cry and vomit. As I tell this story, I have real Australian sheep skin boots on my feet and they are keeping me warm. So please don't feel alone in this criticism. I acknowledge my share of guilt.
I can say wearing clothes made out of animal skin is somewhat justified. Not a happy thought - but canvas sneakers in Wisconsin winter just would not cut it. Eating soybeans for protein instead of meat, same thing - I'd go crazy. But for f*** sake - taxidermy? Hanging a dead deer head on your wall to make decor?
Building a social identity around the cowardice of modern human super-technological ways of affordable, available, pre-packaged "assemble your inner hunter in our MART for a quick killing start"? In 2010?
Taxidermy your damn grandma and decorate your wall with her!
Needless to say - the shoppers in that place could not command their kids that were there, less a hunting dog, nor could they run after any of the murdered animals on display.
To top it off, a friend of mine said that animals are not to be pitied because "they are too dumb to move out of our way" and "animals don' t have free will"....
Shame Shame Shame Shame......
I was taken in there and felt utmost disgust for the fact that there is actually a whole cultural identity connected to our skill to murder an animal for the sake of decor. Man want, man take, man destroy.
The only other moment I can compare with feeling of being inside this shopping place is the moment when I was a young teen and my mother dragged me to her seamstress studio in order to revamp her real fox fur coat. I remember watching her explain what she wanted when a light switch came on in my head and I realized there was absolutely no other need for mother to have a fox fur coat other than to identify herself with whatever imaginary class-of-human she was convinced this dead animal fur would assign to her. She had plenty of nice woolen coats to keep warm and stay fashionable. What was with this? To her defense, though, the coat was 3rd generation and she was probably given this thing by her mother and could not say 'no'. Anyway- watching my mothers eyes as she was trying to create beauty symbol out of what has flipped to be a symbol of savagery to me- and I couldn't stop myself from running outside to the parking lot to cry and vomit. As I tell this story, I have real Australian sheep skin boots on my feet and they are keeping me warm. So please don't feel alone in this criticism. I acknowledge my share of guilt.
I can say wearing clothes made out of animal skin is somewhat justified. Not a happy thought - but canvas sneakers in Wisconsin winter just would not cut it. Eating soybeans for protein instead of meat, same thing - I'd go crazy. But for f*** sake - taxidermy? Hanging a dead deer head on your wall to make decor?
Building a social identity around the cowardice of modern human super-technological ways of affordable, available, pre-packaged "assemble your inner hunter in our MART for a quick killing start"? In 2010?
Taxidermy your damn grandma and decorate your wall with her!
Needless to say - the shoppers in that place could not command their kids that were there, less a hunting dog, nor could they run after any of the murdered animals on display.
To top it off, a friend of mine said that animals are not to be pitied because "they are too dumb to move out of our way" and "animals don' t have free will"....
Shame Shame Shame Shame......
Posted by Irena Mandic
