Debate: Is this okay?

I’m back in Brisbane! I had such a good trip to Sydney and Melbourne, especially Melbourne as I have never been before and I cannot wait to be back again next year. I don’t know if I have mentioned already but my mum and sister are coming out in January to see me, so I am going to be back on a plane very soon. This time, Sydney and Cairns. I didn’t really take many photos last time I was up in Cairns so I will make up for that this time. It can’t wait to see them, it’s been over a year!

But back to my question. Like I said I am back in Brissy and I was walking through Queen Street recently and came across this scene. A group of people taking photos and petting a reindeer whilst a group of protesters protest in the background. There were vocal making sure they were heard.

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A link to one article regarding this over at news.com.au states that a group, maybe this same group I am unsure, protested outside Queensland Children’s Hospital whilst sick children were having fun with the reindeer. This has led to angry responses towards the protesters as children that will be in hospital over the festive period were trying to enjoy the experience.

Now I am in two minds here. First, I am not really a fan of zoos or animals kept in enclosed spaces, however as this is clearly temporary I do not know how the animals are treated or live the rest of the year. The animals didn’t seem to be stressed, not that I know what a stressed reindeer looks like, but they were rather chilled and approached passers by. But I do like that people are constantly trying to increase the quality of life for animals, and I do not mind a peaceful protest. But is it immoral to protest outside of a children’s hospital? I guess if they see it as animal abuse and exploitation, exceptions cannot really be justified. Exploitation regardless of who wants to see them, right?

So I wanted to ask my readers what you think, if anyone in Brisbane has seen them and what side of the fence are you on? Is it okay for these beautiful animals to tour the city and provide a bit of happiness to passers by at the animals expense? Is it justified if it is only over the Christmas period? Should protesters remain silent if it could potentially upset the sick children who want a small dose of joy and fond memories to look back on?

Thank you for reading, let me know and I will see you in the comments.

 

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Happy blogging,

Sam

 

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A website dedicated to Tourette, OCD and co-occurring conditions. Daily updates celebrating neurodiversity.

24 thoughts on “Debate: Is this okay?”

  3. Sam, I’m all for cheering up sick kiddies and there doesn’t seem to be too much of the old magic around these days, so I’m okay with the reindeers. I also have to question some of these protesters : its their right and good on them. But do they protest against fracking, about increasing pension age to 70, about Various other issues hindering both our state and country? I’m not so sure….

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    1. Hi Sam and Brizzy Mays Books and Bruschetta,

      Sam asked “what side of the fence are you on”? SoundEagle will fly over the fence and be with the reindeer.

      It is pertinent that you frame the whole post as a question to be debated, given that the title of your post is “Debate: Is this okay?”.

      Brizzy Mays Books and Bruschetta is astute enough to broaden the debate to other social and environmental questions.

      Like this post, my own post entitled “SoundEagle in Debating Animal Artistry and Musicality” is also in a debating mode. It takes a very broad stroke across multidisciplinary terrains and interdisciplinary domains to attempt to debate some profound matters and far-reaching issues. You can locate and visit the post at https://soundeagle.wordpress.com/2013/07/13/soundeagle-in-debating-animal-artistry-and-musicality/

      Happy festive season to both of you!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Debates are healthy, I enjoy them as long as everyone is civil! It is interesting to see your view and opinions on this.

        Thanks for the link, and I hope you have a great Christmas and New Year too!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Maybe, maybe not. It would be interesting to see what else these people protest, whether they stick to animal rights or further and into other areas…

      Thanks for commenting!

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  4. I’m not in Brisbane, but as long as the animals are being well fed, watered and treated, what’s the harm? I don’t know how reindeer manage in an Aussie summer, but some people just seem to want to ruin everything that involves animals. Lighten the f*** up! Sick kids trump healthy animals every time.

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    1. That’s the thing that I don’t want to assume, I hope they are being looked after well and they seem healthy, however I don’t know where they are for the rest of the year. You just have to trust that people looking after them are good people I guess.

      But it seems like people are being offended more and more by smaller and smaller things, which really makes it hard to support protests of worth in my opinion!

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  5. Why are animal “protectors” in favor of keeping birds in a cage, fish in an aquarium, dogs and cats in an apartment ? If they love animals so much, this should also be shocking… I thinks the reindeers don’t mind as long as they are well treated, which they seem to be.

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  6. If these animals are being treated well, even they probably wouldn’t mind giving sick kids some happiness. Why do we have to create rancor around this while we are ok with real estate developers building mansions on “undeveloped “ land that is the natural habitat of so many species of animals?

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    1. I do feel there is a lot of hypocrisy around many protests and what people choose to be moral and not… I don’t want to speak about this specific protest as I don’t know anything about them however it would be interesting to learn about such groups a little more. And you aren’t the only one to think about the potential hypocrisy as I read the comments.

      Thanks for your opinion on this!

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    1. Probably more rights than some humans. I am in favour of animal rights activists protesting if it is for a good cause and is peaceful, however as I have mentioned before my lack of knowledge on the welfare of these animals means I don’t want to say too much. But we have a long way to go in terms of animal rights if human rights are still being violated so often!

      Thanks for your comments, much appreciated.

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  8. I didn’t know about this, but if I happened to see a wild animal being used for “entertainment” I would protest as well. It doesn’t sit well with me. We should be teaching children that animal exploitation is wrong, at any time, for any reason.

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    1. I do certainly side with the protesters more than most people I feel. I feel better knowing they aren’t being made to perform tricks or tasks on demand, but I assume you still see this as ‘entertainment’ for passers by.But they aren’t there now, so hopefully they are having a chilled Christmas!

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