Common Sensibilities

Our pal @sidfernando tweeted out a link to a New York Times column today about how we all look at animals in this day and age.

I know what you may be saying: "Ugh, The New York Times and animals....... gee I wonder where this is going". You may be right, but I thought the writer made some excellent points.

• Greater scrutiny of food production has prompted keener disgust over the fate of many farm animals, along with state legislation to spare them florid suffering. This is only going to build, because at the same time that scientific advances force us to gaze upon the animal kingdom with more respect, the proliferation of big and little cameras — of eyes everywhere — permits us to eavesdrop not just on animal play but also on animal persecution. 

One might think this is just an urban or left of center thing, but I disagree. This behavior is being noticed almost everywhere, and anywhere, with just about everyone nowadays.

I was out last week with a friend I grew up with, who could never be confused with an MSNBC watcher or New York Times editorial page reader. We lived in a smaller town where there were four guns per household, everyone hunted and, unlike some of us, he still does. We got on the topic about how animals are treated for slaughter and he was pretty appalled. "There's no need to treat them with disrespect," he said. He relayed this while eating a burger, and three weeks earlier returned to work after his annual deer hunt, where he "bagged one".

I think we see this with a lot of bigger ticket issues - we just, no matter what side we lean, have some sort of sensibility. Global warming is a fun topic to get charges out of people. I am not particularly in the man-made camp. I don't know why, but maybe its because I worked with a mathematician years ago whom I found to be an apolitical stats geek, and he has become one of the most popular "skeptics". Maybe it's because I learned during grade school there was a little ice age coming, or that overpopulation of 20 billion people will cripple the planet by 2013. Maybe I am just skeptical about these big ticket things because at times the alarmists have been way off base, and it's ingrained in my nature.

Having said that, it does not stop me from stuffing my blue box, paying an extra few dollars for regulation, or other things we all do in 2014, by being a steward of our environment. Just like my friend, who can hunt or eat a burger, but at the same time be wary of the treatment of what's on his plate, I can too.

There's a camp in horse racing that believes you're never going to appease the PETA types, so whip and kick and inject away. I think that's true; you will never satisfy the unsatisfiable. However, in my opinion, it's not just the PETA types you have to appease. In 2014, it's everyone else. 

Notes:

My man Left at the Gate was back to blogging this morning (he now works for the "man" as we all know) and was particularly interesting and a bit ornery, I thought.

I must not follow the right people on social media, because I had no idea there was a big David Jacobson bust up. Mike over at Turfnsport informed me nicely about what's what. 

7 Days of @itstheJHO fashion pictures on PTP's Blog ® continues today with this:

Here Justin sports a Ralph Lauren dress shirt and a Gucci name tag that says "Who has two thumbs and is named JHO.... Me".

Below the fold, Justin is wearing Prada penny loafers and one of his many pairs of Tommy Hilfiger khakis. Above the fold Justin is wearing a chesire cat grin.

Enjoy your day everyone.