Former Shaquille O'Neal fan

[Guest guest]

I've been a huge Lakers fan since forever (yes, I'm from L.A., so I'm

biased), but also a big Shaq fan too. Last year I found out that Shaq enjoys

canned hunting, which made me sick. A gigantic man like that, hunting - no,

just outright killing - animals that are caged and cannot escape, for what?

To feel like a bigger man? To feel more powerful? That was awful when I

found that out. Just when I thought he couldn't get any worse, I just

watched a show on MTV about celebrities' cars. And Shaq came on, with all

his cars and showcased one specifically and pointed to the interior, saying

" This isn't just crocodile skin. I killed this crocodile myself. " With a

big smile on his face. How much more inhumane and lacking of compassion can

a person be? I am so upset that I cannot bring myself to watch him play a

game anymore. I realize that my measly voice is not going to make a

difference ~ he's a huge star to everyone in the sporting world as well as

the entertainment world. The Lakers are not going to care that they have

one less fan. I'm so upset that I cannot make a difference ~ and then again,

when I say that, I think, of course I can, but.......how...........????? Am

I being too emotional about this or are my feelings validated? I don't know,

I'm tired, and have insomnia, so I'm venting, but I wonder what anyone else

thinks about this: if one player is like this, do you boycott the entire

team? Anyway thanks for listening. ~ Jo

 

 

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[Guest guest]

jomanji13 wrote:

>if one player is like this, do you boycott the entire team? Anyway thanks

>for listening. ~ Jo

 

I had not heard of canned hunting before. It sounds pretty awful. I was

just reading about it at http://www.hsus.org/ace/12017 and noticed that the

article says that the Humane Society takes an interest in this activity.

Perhaps they have a campaign against it for which you could do some work.

That would be more powerful than the action of one individual (but it must

still be worth writing a letter to Mr O'Neal, and to the Lakers). I also

just noticed that PETA takes an interest in it too.

 

Calling radio talk shows is also an activity that can have a greater effect

than one individual can normally achieve.

 

You probably already write a lot of letters. I've seen your messages giving

addresses to write to (and I've been using some of your address lists

myself recently). When engaging in protests like this, it's easy to tell

yourself that you are just a voice in the wilderness, and that you will be

ignored. I don't think letters of protest are always ignored. Someone reads

the letter, and you have a chance of changing their mind if you argue cogently.

 

As you are a big fan of the Lakers, how about writing a letter to Mr

O'Neal, telling him what his achievements mean to you. List some of those

achievements, so that he knows that he is dealing with a real fan. You'll

probably always remember where you were when you saw him achieve one of his

great achievements, whatever they are -- I can't be of any help here,

because I don't even know which sport he plays Then tell him to clean up

his act and stop engaging in canned hunting. Perhaps he'll ignore it. Or

perhaps you'll create a tiny doubt in his mind that will make him start to

think about it.

 

As for the team boycott, I think I wouldn't do that, especially if I held a

season ticket to see the team, or were a regular visitor to their games.

You can probably be far more effective as a very vocal current customer

than as an ex-customer. That's how I would see it, anyway. In any case, it

sounds as if he has made this tasteless choice as an individual, not with

the endorsement of the team.

 

Gerry