Aw: Nepal Dashain festival (sacrificing goats/sheep)

[Guest guest]

Hi Lucia,

 

thank you for your comment on this. Yes, DO ask the chap to remove the pictures.

The whole thing does have an air of voyeurism, and I am not even sure what his

personal opinion is on the matter.

Usually such acts pass off as expressions of a different culture, and as such

are deemed untouchable. That's an argument often levelled at the likes of us -

to not being able to tolerate other cultures and their customs.

Most people agree that abusing and killing Humans is unacceptable - whereever

and whenever it happens. Nobody would think of raising a finger in defense of

local customs and tradtions when it comes to that.

The situation with animals however is a completely different one. Thousands of

arguments are brought forward to defend their abuse and murder - all the time.

Bull fights, ingredients for Chinese medicine, fur production, hunting, mass

culls in the wake of Bird flu/Sars/BSE, religiously-motivated slaugher and

sacrifice, puppy mills, ... you name it.

All perfectly legal.

 

Tolerance for the other and the will to live together in harmony is one thing.

But as long as such good intent is tainted with so much suffering - indeed

accepts it as a lesser evil - we will not get anywhere as a civilization.

 

Diana

 

----- Original Nachricht ----

Von: lucia de vries <luciadevries

An: " dhartig " <dhartig,aapn

Datum: 12.04.2007 18:48

Betreff: Re: Nepal Dashain festival (sacrificing goats/sheep)

 

> Unfortunately the mass scale sacrificing in Nepal continues, with tourists

> and volunteers considering the ritual as an interesting experience.

> Recently

> a Nepalese tourist magazine even promoted such rituals as a tourist

> destination. The Nepalese government and some enterpreneurs seems to be

> unaware of the fact that certain tourists actually avoid travelling to

> Nepal

> during Dasain due to the public 'cutting' of thousands of goats, buffaloes,

> birds, etc, leaving the streets literally red with blood. I am personally

> against publishing gory photos such as these in the media and will request

> the author to remove them.

>

> On 12 Apr 2007 07:36:02 -0700, dhartig <dhartig wrote:

> >

> > Hi everybody,

> >

> > here's an interesting link - from the experiences of a German volunteer

> to

> > Nepal.

> > It includes a paragraph about the sacrificing/butchering of goats/sheep.

> >

> > (IMAGE) " During Dashain festival, every familiy, every house prides

> itself

> > with having a goat

> > as special meal. Before butchering it, it usually lives a short while

> with

> > the people

> > who were going to eat it. We had a really cute one even with us in the

> > home. The

> > next day I was up at the rooftop for morning tea ( 6.30 a.m.!), it was no

> > more... "

> >

> > (IMAGE) " The poor creatures were killed everywhere you went "

> >

> > http://www.kaltenpoth.de/nepal03_volunteer.html

> >

> > Regards,

> > Diana

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

> --

> Lucia de Vries

> Freelance Journalist

> Bagdol, Patan, Nepal

> Wijk 4-47, 8321 GE Urk, Holland

>