Tuesday, March 10, 2009

I'll Root For The Gator



I was watching Access Hollywood because I'm addicted to back stage gossip from Dancing With the Stars when all my senses were assaulted by this promo for yet another show that celebrates all that is low and pathetic about humans.

I don't know why this show was featured on Access Hollywood. No one was stoned or showing their Va-Jay-Jay and believe it or not it wasn't related to a woman with 14 children.

It caught my attention because they kept mentioning this clip they were going to show about the fright, the horror, the terror - and they kept bemoaning the fact that this poor woman was attacked by an alligator. Even before I saw the clip my reaction was - well she was probably somewhere she shouldn't be.

Most times when people get hurt by animals it's because they're doing something they shouldn't be doing somewhere they shouldn't be. They're disrespecting an animal's instincts and rights and they're woefully ignorant of how animals think and behave.

Turns out this was a mishap at an alligator wrestling school! And the woman went back after her "harrowing" incident to do it again because she had to earn her "certificate of insanity". Every ounce of empathy I have goes to the alligators.

Living creatures are not here to be used as entertainment for asshats.

36 comments:

Happy Elf Mom (Christine) said...

Ugh!!!

Though I was all ready to comment in this lady's defense till that last part... When we lived in Florida, BIG alligators are everywhere. Even saw a seven-foot long one in the pond near the playground... as in, 40 feet from swings. Sometimes if you are not looking for them you don't see them!!!

They are wild animals, and worse than that, people feed them. The people who feed them usually aren't the ones eaten... it's the innocent person who comes along nearby next time. The alligator has associated PEOPLE with food...

Unfortunately, the alligators can also be removed... sometimes. Seems there was always a new one when an old one went away. :[

AND also thought I'd mention that that blatant disrespect for the dangers of the natural world and the idea of cause and effect is frightening.

I can't bear to watch that clip!

Travis Cody said...

I love Dave Mordal. He got such a raw deal on the first Last Comic Standing. He should have won that show because he was the funniest guy there. Sometimes the format just screws a guy.

I've been meaning to look for this show ever since I saw he was the host.

Jay said...

Yeah, I'm rooting for the gator too. I don't see what's so entertaining about people doing stuff like that.

The Crocodile Hunter
The dude who lived with the grizzly's
The guy who fucked with the cobras all the time.

They all got what they had coming to them. If you spend any time at all, and especially if you make your living taunting wild animals it will always end ugly.

Fuck these people.

Farmer*swife a/k/a Glass_Half_Full said...

You are too funny! I like to stay where I'm safe; we have coyotes wasps and snakes.

I wouldn't want to daunt with any of them, though I have ammunition for each level.

:-)

Farmer*swife a/k/a Glass_Half_Full said...

I left out that I am also certified to use those ammunitions as required! :-) Injury free.

Farmer*swife a/k/a Glass_Half_Full said...

I left out that I am also certified to use those ammunitions as required! :-) Injury free.

Linda Reeder said...

Anything to make a buck. This atrocity is somebody's business!

Cloudia said...

You are so right!
Aloha

The Quiet Rage said...

WTF???? How much is their liability insurance???? Do they need to sign a waiver or what?

Jeff B said...

I can understand animal control officers needing to learn how to safely handle a gator, but for a retard like that woman just wanting to wrestle a gator for the trill of it makes absolutely no sense to me.

Jeni said...

I've never been able to understand the perverse logic someone must have to have to want to wrestle an alligator, "charm" snakes, play with other wildlife. As you said, these are still "WILD" animals!

the walking man said...

Reminds me of the guy who, during rutting season, spread deer scent (pee) on himself and was attacked by a horny male buck.

He would have been in real trouble if the deer had opposing thumbs so it could have gotten the idiots pants down.

bobbie said...

definitely rooting for the gator.

Why is this sort of thing even allowed? It seems to me to be pretty cruel to animals.

Dianne said...

mrs c - disrespect for the dangers of the natural world - exactly!! and the well meaning yet stupid who fed the alligator's near you are also part of the problem. there's an animal sanctuary I visit often - they take in all kinds of lost and abused and neglected animals and they have zoo days and education days - each exhibit has a sign telling the animal's story and a volunteer to watch over - many times I've been there when the sign and the staff say don't feed and still people try to feed - the worst is when it's a parent showing their child by example how to disregard rules and safety

travis - I've seen him too and I also thought he was funny - this show isn't - I guess he needs to take what he can but this show is just plain awful and irresponsible and horrible
I hope he gets a better gig

jay - I LOVE when you put things plain and simple - when the Crocodile Hunter was killed I said something about his bringing it on himself and you would have thought I'd screamed there is no God in the middle of the vatican. many people save animals without turning it into a circus. he wasn't one of them - and frankly his daughter is creepy - and looks like she's been coached to within an inch of her life.

farmers wife - you have ammunition!! that fascinates me now - thank goodness I wasn't planning on messing with you ;)

linda r - not only is it a business but they get rewarded by being featured on a TV show - shame on the Discovery channel

cloudia - :)

quiet rage - I wonder. I assume they have to, it really got to me when she laughed about the bites on her face and reveled in all the attention

jeff - I agree. animal control officers usually chose that career out of a respect for nature - not a disregard for it like this bunch

jeni - perverse is a good word for it

mark - here's wishing thumbs for bucks ;)
the thing that's so awful about this crap and that it's then presented as "when animals attack" and the whole story rarely comes out

bobbie - I know there are groups who protest this stuff but so often are seen as joy kills or crazies
twisted values

Daryl said...

You are SO right ... animals are destroyed because people act in stupid ways .. I often find myself cheering for the animal... asshats indeed.

Bobkat said...

That isn't adventure, it's animal cruelty.

I'm with you, I'm on the alligators side!

Ramblings of a Villas Girl said...

What morons!!
What really gets me going is when an animal attacks someone, right away 'the animal must be hunted and killed'. But what about the fact that the animal is doing what comes naturally to them. What about we as humans encroaching into their habitat(home). Destroying their home.
Oh don't get me started. I could go on and on about this.
Anyway, I root for the animals. Go gator. Go. Lisa

CG said...

How totally bizarre!

Anonymous said...

It's getting to look more and more like ancient Rome out there everyday. Decadent doesn't even begin to cover it.

Life As I Know It Now said...

OMG, we must be soul sisters! I even feel bad for having pets because in a way we are using these animals to our own purposes--however, that must not have taken a deep root because we have 3 dogs and 7 (used to be 8) cats!

Ken said...

Whacked!!!
Yeah!, a gator bit my face,
isn't that so cool? It was like....
so cool, you know?

Dianne said...

daryl - exactly!!

bob-cat - the spectators looked demented as well - the alligators had the most class of all there

lisa - this is why I love you!! and "don't get me started" is something I say all the time - of course I get started anyway. I wrote an e-mail to Discovery Channel telling them how shameful and not educational this crap is

CG - yep!

deborah - oh I truly think the current state of the world has a lot to do with it - the more anxious people feel the more they need to exert power over those without the power to fight back - and TV just loves to capture it - disturbing to say the least

liberality - in the best of all natural worlds we would all live in unison. I don't feel bad about pets since their alternative is to be unprotected in a world that doesn't value them as it should. not to mention the fact that I'm the one who yields to them - siren took over my extra room when he needed a place to be alone - and Mia has taken over my bedroom to the point where I sleep on 1/4 of the bed and have to move all her stuff to get into my closet lolololol!!!!
if I get one more I'll need to sleep in the laundry room

micky - I swear I can hear you doing her voice - you're the best!!

Shelly said...

Of course you know I'm cheering for the gator...where the heck are the PETA people?

Cherie said...

And people wonder why I hardly watch tv anymore. This kind of stuff is all over the place, and it drives me crazy. lol

Sparkling Red said...

Certificate of Insanity is right. Maybe she should just be committed. Poor old alligators.

Vinny "Bond" Marini said...

let me get this correct...you go and screw around in the habitat of a creature that is a carnivore and then when said carnivore gets all territorial and attacks, it is the animal's fault???

ummm nah

Raven said...

AMEN! If you are going to wrestle an alligator, don't expect sympathy when it is true to it's instincts. Maybe if enough alligators win, these "schools" will be put out of business. I hope so.

Schmoop said...

I agree. But asshats DO make great entertainent. Cheers Di!!

Dianne said...

shelly - the PETA people have so many of these to fight - I can't believe Discovery Channel is part of this

cherie - I know what you mean

sparkling - and there were a lot of people there, not to mention the so called instructors and the damn TV crew

bond - you got it right babe
um nah indeed!

raven - I was doing some research and a lot of these places have been shut down - so that's a good step. we need a Bill of Rights for animals

matt-man - it would be more entertaining if she had been bitten by one of the other people there - now that I can get into!! ;)

Ivanhoe said...

That is so stupid. Why would anybody wanted to wrestle an alligator unless they were animal protection officers???
*sigh*

I was quite sad that I was missing a lot of TV because of my evening classes, but I'm not anymore. There's not much quality TV programs out there anyways... Except the DWTS off course ;o)

Dianne said...

ivanhoe - *sigh* indeed! it's just so wrong
hope school is going well :)

Lisa said...

That's just downright mean. To the alligators of course... Why do otherwise normal people think it's ok to torture an alligator? Because he's not cute and cuddly and furry??? No excuse. She got what she deserved. He was only defending himself.

Ivanhoe said...

All well. Just finished my finals. I have four more mods to go. Should be done early August. Yipeeee!

Linda said...

People are idiots. Plain and simple. Are we supposed to admire this fool because she wants to wrestle alligators? I don't think so ...

Alligators were not to be wrestled, they were meant to be left alone in their natural habitat and enjoy their lives. Again, people are idiots.

Oh, and speaking of idiots, I have heard more than enough about the one in California with the 14 kids. The media needs to quit shoving her in our faces and let her get to work raising her 14 kids. Yeah ... right!

Anonymous said...

I always feel that folks who are being idiots with animals deserve what they get, but I have to admit (even amidst the overwhelming opposing opinion here) to a soft spot for old Steve-O. Being the caregiver of a rescued Sulfer Crested Cockatoo (along with 5 other companion parrots), I was always touched by what I felt was his sincere love of the animals he interacted with, and had to laugh when the mighty crocodile hunter admitted to his fear of Cockatoos. My rescued 'too has nearly chomped my ear in half (accidentally) and during his adolescent hormonal stage he put holes in my cheek and clavicle area that needed stitches. Companion Parrots aren't "domesticated"and are in many ways still "wild", but nonetheless once they have been owned (grr...) and bred in captivity require care. Oh damn. I'm on a soapbox, amn't I? LOL. Sorry. I'll stop now.
BTW lovely one, I've tagged you over at my other blog, The Eclectic Witch Please stop by and see if you care to play. If you're not into it, that's cool too! xoxo!

Natalie said...

I couldn't agree with you more. I have no sympathy for people who get hurt because they were f-ing with wild animals.

But more importantly, OMG you said va-jay-jay. You are awesome and I am nearly peeing my pants.