What the heck am I supposed to do about it?

tracilicious · 02-09-2006, 11:14 AM

A few weeks ago we went to the Phoenix Chinese Cultural Center for Chinese New Year. As we pulled up to the center we saw a group of about 15 protesters. What could they possibly be protesting? Chinese people? Chinese food? The year of the dog?

I scrambled to get my camera out to take a pic. As I pulled up next to them I saw that their signs had a picture of a dead and mutilated dog and a cat being skinned. These pictures were very graphic to say the least. The caption said something about cats and dogs being used for fur in China.

A couple of thoughts about this. First, the guy closest to my car should be thanking his lucky charms that my two year old was asleep. Because had he seen that I probably would have tried to make a coat out of protesters. (And there's nothing like teaching violent revenge from an early age, right?

)

Secondly, I understand the right to peaceful protest and I fully support it, but do I not have a right not to have my kids exposed to such brutal images without my consent? Those things could never go on a billboard, for example, so why can they flash them around while we are driving in to a parking structure? I should probably add that traffic was very slow, so we were near this guy for almost a full minute. There would have been no escaping Indi seeing this had he been awake.

Third, what's their freaking point? The chinese cultural center basically has some cool asian structures, some restaurants, a garden, some gift type stores, and a grocery store. We were there for a good portion of the day and I saw neither cats nor dogs nor furs. On the off chance I'm ever in China I will be sure not to buy a fur coat. Not that I would have anyways. What do they want from me? Should I have been rude to the Chinese people I saw that day to get back at their culture of origin? What the heck am I supposed to do about it?!

Farking idiots.

SacTown Chronic · 02-09-2006, 11:23 AM

The Muslim outrage thread had me thinking last night about an abortion protest that took place in Sacramento a year or two ago. Anti-abortion protesters were demonstrating outside a junior high school and were showing pictures of aborted fetuses to the students who were coming and going in front of the school. WTF?

tracilicious · 02-09-2006, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SacTown Chronic

The Muslim outrage thread had me thinking last night about an abortion protest that took place in Sacramento a year or two ago. Anti-abortion protesters were demonstrating outside a junior high school and were showing pictures of aborted fetuses to the students who were coming and going in front of the school. WTF?

Exactly. If you really want to make junior high kids think about abortion, why not hand out flyers about safe sex, resources for teen moms, planned parenthood clinics, the dangers of abortion, etc. The shock value in these sorts of protests only serves to desensitize people. I think they are defeating their own purpose. It's possible that I care less about fur in China now.

DisneyDaniel · 02-09-2006, 11:49 AM

Perhaps the protestors thought visitors to a Chinese cultural center would be more interested in Chinese affairs than the typical person on a street. But, protesting near a Chinese cultural center that most likely has zero political infuence on China is simply useless.

Ponine · 02-09-2006, 12:08 PM

Oh Traci, I'm so sorry you dealt with that.
near my home there was a clinic that tended to have pro-life protesters demonstratating all the time. It was a HUGE building with a AAA, a dentist... blah blah... it is/was also the only 'blood draw lab' on my side of town.

When my son was about two, I needed to have blood drawn every month while I was taking this medication.
Most times I got in without incident as they had to stay on the side walk on the street, not in the parking lot.

One day, I have the day off, I have my two year old, and his 7 yr old cousin. I go to drive in, very slowly take a right into the lot...(because I drive like a granny)... some protestor lays his sign flat on my windshield. His very graphic fetus sign.

My niece get so scared , starts to cry.. my son, has no idea whats going on. I roll down the window, Please remove your sign. he throws graphic things into my car, and someone else put their sign in my view. I pull in, I get out.
What are you doing?

We want you to know what you are doing to your unborn child!
My unborn? I'm getting a blood test, and I have two children in the car! One of whom NOW thinks youre about to skin her!
No she doesnt she knows better.
Oh, you think so?
I go to get back in the car.. someone walks up to her window, sign down.. honey we... she screams! Auntie, they're gonna kill me!!!

Did they back off? No. What are we supposed to do?
I'm all for you supporting your opinion, but for pete's sake. THINK.
I did clinic support. I've seen them bully a woman, harrass men going to get dental work done...

But if,imo, your point is to keep the children safe, dont fargin endanger them!

[/soapbox]

innerSpaceman · 02-09-2006, 11:24 AM

Maybe they were implying that the Chinese restaurants served cats and dogs as meals. But they would be protesting against the wrong Asians, no?

tracilicious · 02-09-2006, 11:30 AM

Hmmm...the Chinese food we had there wasn't that good. I imagine that cat would be tastier.

Not Afraid · 02-09-2006, 11:33 AM

I may not appreciate or even respect what people are saying but I have to, on principle, support their right to express their concerns. They choose just those images for the shock value and I would imagine that they would not be very appologetic to your concern about your shild seeing them. But, yeah, what are you going to do about it?

katiesue · 02-09-2006, 12:51 PM

Here in San Diego there's a guy who drives around with very graphic dead fetus images all over his car. Luckily so far I haven't encountered him with my 10 year old in the car with me.

They also tend to park a very large van covered with photos in and around Balboa Park so when you're taking your kids to say the zoo it's impossible not to encounter it.

I agree they have the right to protest but honestly is it stoping anyone from having an abortion? And say just for arguements sake, I'm pro life. I'm already on your side so why do I need to view that? I understant what they're trying to do I'm just not sure it's doing anything besides shocking people, scaring kids and making me loose my lunch.

Alex · 02-09-2006, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Secondly, I understand the right to peaceful protest and I fully support it, but do I not have a right not to have my kids exposed to such brutal images without my consent? Those things could never go on a billboard, for example, so why can they flash them around while we are driving in to a parking structure?

On the bold part: no you don't have that right, not in public spaces. And if someone wanted to put those images on a billboard and found a company willing to do so, then it would be allowed (there was a brouhaha in SF a few years back about bus stop ads that showed topless women who had double-mastectomies; the same complaint was made about kids being able to see them).

Second, I find the protests against the specific eating of dogs and cats to be weird. I don't know what makes them so special that they deserve not to be eaten. As long as it wasn't somebody's pet I don't care (and I've had dog; it was ok).

I'm not a big supporter of the fur industry as I tend to think it is a waster of resources and has perfectly acceptbale synthetic alternatives. But if people want it anyway and we're killing animals anyway for various purposes it seems odds to single it out as particularly horrible, and again I don't see any reason for cats and dogs to get special treatment.

02-09-2006, 11:14 AM	#1
tracilicious avatar transition Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: in-between Posts: 2,487	What the heck am I supposed to do about it? A few weeks ago we went to the Phoenix Chinese Cultural Center for Chinese New Year. As we pulled up to the center we saw a group of about 15 protesters. What could they possibly be protesting? Chinese people? Chinese food? The year of the dog? I scrambled to get my camera out to take a pic. As I pulled up next to them I saw that their signs had a picture of a dead and mutilated dog and a cat being skinned. These pictures were very graphic to say the least. The caption said something about cats and dogs being used for fur in China. A couple of thoughts about this. First, the guy closest to my car should be thanking his lucky charms that my two year old was asleep. Because had he seen that I probably would have tried to make a coat out of protesters. (And there's nothing like teaching violent revenge from an early age, right? ) Secondly, I understand the right to peaceful protest and I fully support it, but do I not have a right not to have my kids exposed to such brutal images without my consent? Those things could never go on a billboard, for example, so why can they flash them around while we are driving in to a parking structure? I should probably add that traffic was very slow, so we were near this guy for almost a full minute. There would have been no escaping Indi seeing this had he been awake. Third, what's their freaking point? The chinese cultural center basically has some cool asian structures, some restaurants, a garden, some gift type stores, and a grocery store. We were there for a good portion of the day and I saw neither cats nor dogs nor furs. On the off chance I'm ever in China I will be sure not to buy a fur coat. Not that I would have anyways. What do they want from me? Should I have been rude to the Chinese people I saw that day to get back at their culture of origin? What the heck am I supposed to do about it?! Farking idiots. __________________ And now Harry, let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure! - Albus Dumbledore
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02-09-2006, 11:23 AM	#2
SacTown Chronic the myth of the dream Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,217	The Muslim outrage thread had me thinking last night about an abortion protest that took place in Sacramento a year or two ago. Anti-abortion protesters were demonstrating outside a junior high school and were showing pictures of aborted fetuses to the students who were coming and going in front of the school. WTF? __________________ Is it the fingers, or the brain that you're teaching a lesson?
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02-09-2006, 11:49 AM	#4
DisneyDaniel California Adventurer Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: SoCal Posts: 537	Perhaps the protestors thought visitors to a Chinese cultural center would be more interested in Chinese affairs than the typical person on a street. But, protesting near a Chinese cultural center that most likely has zero political infuence on China is simply useless. __________________ Yes, I do LOVE Disney California Adventure. Disneyland is not so bad either ;-)
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02-09-2006, 12:08 PM	#5
Ponine Virgin Ears Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,075	Oh Traci, I'm so sorry you dealt with that. near my home there was a clinic that tended to have pro-life protesters demonstratating all the time. It was a HUGE building with a AAA, a dentist... blah blah... it is/was also the only 'blood draw lab' on my side of town. When my son was about two, I needed to have blood drawn every month while I was taking this medication. Most times I got in without incident as they had to stay on the side walk on the street, not in the parking lot. One day, I have the day off, I have my two year old, and his 7 yr old cousin. I go to drive in, very slowly take a right into the lot...(because I drive like a granny)... some protestor lays his sign flat on my windshield. His very graphic fetus sign. My niece get so scared , starts to cry.. my son, has no idea whats going on. I roll down the window, Please remove your sign. he throws graphic things into my car, and someone else put their sign in my view. I pull in, I get out. What are you doing? We want you to know what you are doing to your unborn child! My unborn? I'm getting a blood test, and I have two children in the car! One of whom NOW thinks youre about to skin her! No she doesnt she knows better. Oh, you think so? I go to get back in the car.. someone walks up to her window, sign down.. honey we... she screams! Auntie, they're gonna kill me!!! Did they back off? No. What are we supposed to do? I'm all for you supporting your opinion, but for pete's sake. THINK. I did clinic support. I've seen them bully a woman, harrass men going to get dental work done... But if,imo, your point is to keep the children safe, dont fargin endanger them! [/soapbox] __________________ There's something strange, There's something wrong. I see a change - It's like when love dies.
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02-09-2006, 11:24 AM	#6
innerSpaceman Kink of Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inner Space Posts: 13,075	Maybe they were implying that the Chinese restaurants served cats and dogs as meals. But they would be protesting against the wrong Asians, no?
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02-09-2006, 11:30 AM	#7
tracilicious avatar transition Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: in-between Posts: 2,487	Hmmm...the Chinese food we had there wasn't that good. I imagine that cat would be tastier. __________________ And now Harry, let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure! - Albus Dumbledore
	Submit to Quotes

02-09-2006, 11:33 AM	#8
Not Afraid HI! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 17,108	I may not appreciate or even respect what people are saying but I have to, on principle, support their right to express their concerns. They choose just those images for the shock value and I would imagine that they would not be very appologetic to your concern about your shild seeing them. But, yeah, what are you going to do about it?
	Submit to Quotes

02-09-2006, 12:51 PM	#9
katiesue Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 4,678	Here in San Diego there's a guy who drives around with very graphic dead fetus images all over his car. Luckily so far I haven't encountered him with my 10 year old in the car with me. They also tend to park a very large van covered with photos in and around Balboa Park so when you're taking your kids to say the zoo it's impossible not to encounter it. I agree they have the right to protest but honestly is it stoping anyone from having an abortion? And say just for arguements sake, I'm pro life. I'm already on your side so why do I need to view that? I understant what they're trying to do I'm just not sure it's doing anything besides shocking people, scaring kids and making me loose my lunch.
	Submit to Quotes