Tuesday 17 November 2009

Specism


Tuned into an interesting conversation on Radio 4 on the way home last night. It was about the elimination of non-indigenous species or sub-species from habitats – such as mink, grey squirrels and Indian ring-necked parakeets from the UK, rabbits from Australia, etc. The argument is based on the fact that introduced species, or sub-species, push native species out and have unforeseen and disastrous consequences on the habitat.

I think most of us would unthinkingly agree that it’s a good thing to protect native species. However, ask yourself why we balk when we come across those who want to apply this perfectly sane logic to humans. To all intents and purposes invasive species eradication is the same agenda as that espoused by the BNP, with those supporting species elimination being ‘specist’. Makes you think, don’t it?

Noticed a mistake on Friday’s post about people’s irrational fear of Friday the 13th. I actually said Friday the 15th. I’m not superstitious in the least and I think you’ll find that most of us Aries people are of a similar vein – fingers crossed and touch wood.

Had a sales call from one of those Land Bank Registry (or some such name) scam artists yesterday – the ones who want to sell you prime plots of green-belt land with planning permission, which turns out to have no such thing (the clue being in the term green-belt). Hideous cockney chaps with an attitude who won’t take no for an answer, insist on calling you by your first name and asking if you still live at the address you lived at 3 house moves ago. No matter how rude I am to them they refuse to take me off their database.


10 comments:

The Irascible Fairy said...

All humans are the same species - red squirrels and grey squirrels are not!

Richard x x x

Chairman Bill said...

Richard: I did say subspecies too.

The Irascible Fairy said...

And Rabbits were introduced by the Normans and stinging Nettles and Pheasants by the Romans.

Nettles were used medicinally and as a vegetable

Richard x x x x

Chaiman Bill said...

Richard: Eliminate them all! Look what pheasants did - we now have hordes of shotgun-happy toffs roaming the countryside.

The Spiv said...

Keep the pheasants - shoot the toffs!!!

Kabbalah Rookie said...

I am always amazed at how much rudeness sales people can take before they take you off their list. It seems to be in line with the amount of abuse that British Gas took before they were convinced that they had the wrong email address (e.g. mine) for another customer...
A World food shortage will probably sort out the Grey Squirrel problem. I hear they taste just like chicken...

Steve Borthwick said...

CB, I'm pretty sure "subspecies" doesn't cover it either, we are all "homo sapiens sapiens", if our remains were dug up by some alien in the future who analysed our anatomy and our DNA we'd all be thrown in the same bucket.

As for being (hard) sold to, hate it, just hang up.

Chairman Bill said...

Steve: I said subspecies too, being generally defined as having characteristics that evolved due to geographic distribution or isolation. No-one can deny that the caucasian is different from the aborigine.

Steve Borthwick said...

CB, they are certainly different as you say caused by geographic distribution, but is this enough to warrant being called a subspecies? My understanding is that you have to go back to Neanderthals to find a human "subspecies".

Bee said...

Feeling a little bit uncomfortable . . . since I'm not in my natural habitat.