A beloved lion was murdered, a "trusted provider of reproductive health care" was caught selling aborted fetal tissue, and a 17 year old girl wore a shirt promoting a sexual act.
And the internet lost it's shit. I, on the other hand, made some popcorn and watched the debates begin. I've always enjoyed a good debate. I find them relaxing. Seeing people completely irate at the different opinions that others have over something that has absolutely no impact on their lives gives me a sense of gratitude.
Like any respectful spectator, I've learned to distinguish the appropriate time to dip my toe into the mud. I assure you, dear reader, that I am not attempting to start a fight. I am merely stating my opinion, which isn't any better or worse or right or wrong. You can call it stirring the pot if you'd like.
The Lion
Cecil was a beloved 13 year old lion with a beautiful black mane who lived in the quaint Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. Until one gruesome day in July, the gentle giant was lured from his home into unprotected territory and shot. Wounded, the animal managed to evade the murder hungry men until they finally caught him, shot him and beheaded him. All in the name of sport.
Damn. That was intense. I should have been a journalist. Is Fox News hiring?
Alright, before I get carried way (too late?), I just want to state a few things for the record:
1) I support hunting.
2) I do not support game hunting, in which the only purpose is to kill an animal. Real hunting is the killing of an animal in order to use it for survival.
Let's take a little test. Let's say that instead of a lion, Cecil was a cow. Yep. Your regular black and white Holstein dairy cow. Let's say Cecil the Cow was lured off the farm land, shot and beheaded, all in the name of sport.
Do you feel differently? If the answer is yes, then you need to leave and all of your opinions about said lion are hereby null and void.
There is a lot of debate about ethics with this one. Was the kill illegal? Did the owner of the land on which Cecil was killed give permission for the hunt to occur? Dr. Walter J. Palmer, the man who killed Cecil, is blaming ignorance and stating he "had no idea that the lion [he] took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt" and that he "relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.”
On one side, conservation groups are outraged that exotic animals can be hunted for sport if given the right price. Dr. Palmer is a known game hunter who has had brushes with the law over illegal hunting practices.
On the other side, hunting advocates argue that the money these big game hunters pay go back to protecting endangered species. These groups are not condoning illegal hunting, of course, focusing on the hunt being handled "responsibly."
Personally, I'm not sure I understand the concept of accepting money to protect endangered species from the same people that want to kill them for fun. Okay, maybe they don't kill endangered species. That's not the part that bothers me. What bothers me is the hunting, tracking and killing of an animal for fun. Isn't killing something for the sheer joy of it a sign of mental illness?
Legal or not, I don't like it. I don't like the act of hunting for sport. When big game hunters book trips like the one Palmer was on, it is the responsibility of the guide to know the rules and regulations. Can you image if some rich bastard paid that much money and didn't get to shoot a lion? I bet the hunter would be upset. As a guide, you'd probably do whatever you could to ensure your customer was happy. Not to say that's what happened in this case...
It is also common practice to bait the animal just to shoot it. Honestly. That's not hunting. That's killing. If you're alone in the woods and starving or you need the hide or meat to survive, then yes, you do what you have to do. If you simply want to take your picture with a dead beast to make yourself feel like king of the foodchain, then I hope there is a special place in hell for you.
I think it's a complete waste and I don't understand it. The backlash that Dr. Palmer has received has been enormous. The names and words being thrown at him from all angles is harsh, to say the least. There is a memorial of stuffed lions outside his now closed business. His business was abruptly closed, meaning his means of making a living has been cut off. He has a wife and two children that he can no longer support. Of course, this is the same man that paid $54,000 to kill a lion. So yeah, it's a little hard to feel sorry for him.
Do I think he should face charges? No, actually, as long as the hunt was legal. Even if it wasn't, unless it is proven without a doubt that Palmer knew the kill would be illegal, there is no way to prosecute him. What I do hope is that big game hunting can stop altogether. Yes, I understand that the money can fund protection for endangered species. Find another way. There is always another way.
The Witch
Just when you thought the abortion debate couldn't get any more political, Planned Parenthood gets accused of selling aborted fetal tissues on the black market.
Yep. I'll just take a brief pause to let those images and shock factor sink into your mushy brain.
In case you missed it, let's rewind a little bit.
The Center for Medical Progress uploaded a video to YouTube with the title "Planned Parenthood Uses Partial-Birth Abortions to Sell Baby Parts." In this video, investigators posed as a Fetal Tissue Procurement Company and met with the Senior Director of Medical Services for Planned Parenthood. The video firsts showcases them... wait... you know what? Just watch it yourself here.
First, let's talk about the source. The Center for Medical Progress is a "group of citizen journalists" with concerns about "contemporary bioethical issues." Or, in blatant terms, a group of people acting as journalists that "investigate" things they either don't agree with or understand. I have no doubt they are intelligent people. So intelligent, actually, that they have the power to spin their good will any way they want.
Next, let's talk about this video. Applause. Wow. Bravo. Here is the fucking Academy Award. The drama portrayed in the almost 9 minutes through the flashbacks and music is just.. wow. However, I did notice that it was actually just a conversation. Not the most riveting lunch conversation as I'm not sure how well talking about body parts goes with a Cesar salad, but a conversation nonetheless.
The Dr. in the video believes she is talking to people interested in fetal tissue procurement. She explains to them how an abortion can be done to ensure all the most wanted organs come out unscathed. Again, a cringe worthy topic of conversation, but she's also a dr. who does abortions. She knows these things. She is offering information. I find it interesting that they don't provide or record any information on how the meeting was set up. Did they contact her and say "Hey! We want to buy fetal tissue from you. Let's do lunch?" Or was it more like "We have questions about this practice and would like your take on it."
The Dr. then talks about procuring what she needed according to a list she had. She does not specifically say that what she is procuring is for sale. It is legal to donate fetal tissue after an abortion. She then mentions working directly with StemExpress but that the legal team and organization decided against it for the time being since it was such a hot issue. Just to let you know, StemExpress supplies human tissues for research. They don't buy and sell body parts. For example, if someone donates the fetal tissue of the child they aborted because it had medical problems and wouldn't survive, that tissue can go to StemExpress.
Not once in the video do they ask "Can we buy baby parts from you?" nor does she say "Yeah, I sold this many baby parts for this much money and I'll cut you a deal."
They have a conversation about the practices that, unfortunately, do happen out there. Or maybe it was all about tissue donation. Everything was eluded to but nothing was specifically stated.
One interesting thing I noticed, according to the date and time stamp in the bottom left corner, this was taken a year ago. If this organization that is so desperately passionate about medical ethics had this juicy of a whistle, why blow it a year later?
Two words: Presidential Campaign. Yep. This is all political, my friends. You didn't catch that the Republican contenders jumped on this right away? Yeah, they're quick little buggers like that. This, my friends, is one giant political circus stunt, aimed at causing you to oooh and ahhh at the trapeze artists above your heads so you won't notice the stage changes happening on the floor.
Not only that, but they uploaded the video to YouTube. The didn't contact CNN or law enforcement. They uploaded a year old, heavily edited video to a video-sharing website. So much for that dedication to reporting, huh.
Oooh, on an interesting side note, if you don't think this video is heavily edited, pay attention to the time stamps I pointed out earlier. Around the 7:17 mark, something brilliant happens.
What do I think needs to happen? I think there needs to be an investigation. I think Planned Parenthood should be investigated to make sure they aren't, in fact, selling baby parts as the video so hellishly states at the end. I think we need to start talking about fetal tissue donation and research on human tissues. I think we need to seize this opportunity to talk about abortion and how it's not all the same and how the government shouldn't be involved in my uterus.
But first, we need to unwad our silk panties and use the brains that evolution gave us...
The (NSFW) Wardrobe
Ah, the Kardashian/Jenner clan. Such a favorite of mine. As someone that likes to sarcastially state their opinion on all things socially and politically enticing, this band of only-good-for-reality-TV is a goldmine.
This week it was little Kylie Jenner who caused a ruckus. Oh, and her big sis Khloe had an amazing pictorial spread and interview with Complex. Check it out.
Still, despite Khloe's oiled to perfection glutes, Kylie - or rather, Kylie's sexual tension - stole the show.
There she was, all 17 underage bliss, posing with a fishnet shirt draped over her displaying the words "Eat-Me-Out."
Screeeeeeeech! Yep. That was the internet coming to a jaw dropping halt. I can only assume it was like driving my a car accident in where you verbally express hope that everyone is okay but internally hope, for some morbid reason, to witness some carnage.
Oh, we saw it Kylie. And we did not like it.
Because if there's anyone that America loves to hate, it's a reality TV star.
Ugh, okay. Let's take a step back. For one second, let's pretend that there aren't people out there whose sole goal in life is to hate on people. Honestly, she could have been wearing a garbage bag and the criticism would have been the same.
The first problem the internet has with her attire is that she's 17. Only 17, a wee little lamb and much too innocent to know of such things. This is bull. She is 17, the proper age for sexual curiosity and exposure. And yes, this is coming from a Midwestern housewife with two daughters. If I can wrap my pretty little head around it, so can you. Teenagers have sex. They explore. Are you seriously trying to tell me that you never tried the lick and dip before graduating college?
But there are laws! She is a minor! Yes. And she wore a shirt. A shirt. She was not performing any act other than the art of egotistical selfies.
Okay, but as one person in Twitter said, money clearly can't buy class. Yes, because she is rich and was raised in a posh environment, she should be held to higher standards than the rest of us peasants. Do I really have to go farther on why this statement is absurd?
Or, my favorite, the lack of parental love and supervision. Now this one I can understand. I mean, her mother let her dress herself. She's letting her live her own life, make her own mistakes, stake her own ground as the person she is and letting her face those consequences. Let's just call the CPS and get that taken care of right now. As a parent, I will be the first to get up in someone's face and let them know they have no rights to judge another parent's ability to raise a child, much less a teenager. Would my mom have let me wear something like that when I was 17? Hell no! Would that have stopped me from shoving it in my bag and changing the second I was out of the driveway? Ha!
Bottom line, if you're biggest concern this week was Kylie Jenner's sexual innuendo, you need to do some soul searching. Unplug for a minute, read an actual book, strike up a conversation with a stranger or help out at a soup kitchen. There are much more important things out there than what some teenager is wearing on the internet.
And if you can't say anything nice, then shut the hell up. Think it in your head with a scowl on your face like the rest of us. Or tell it to your therapist. They get paid to care.
Whew. Well, I feel better. Until next time, hats off to another fantastic week. Can't wait to see what us humans can conjure up with the internet next. Whatever it is, you can sleep sound knowing that I'll have an opinion laced with satirical humor to keep you in check.
trusted provider of reproductive health care
trusted provider of reproductive health care
