Assorted news from the world of men and canines.
Iditarod Ends, Critics Seek Inquiry Into Dog Deaths
Mean Dogs Stand Guard At Idaho Prison
Some local news: Md. County Considers Giving Dogs a Second Chance
Originally from a contact on LiveJournal:
The Truth Behind Pedigree Dogs, with accompanying article Crufts Dog Show Banned From the BBC
FOIA request seeks evidence of proper review of wolf delisting decision
More on Palin's war on wolves:
Gov. Palin Accused of Approving Poison Gas for Wolf Hunts
Alaska Robbed of Wildlife Diversity
State Initiates Massive New Helicopter Wolf Slaughter
More where this came from, to be posted periodically. I believe that, if you claim any psycho-spiritual link to any animal, it is important to be aware of the things going on in the world with this animal or animals, and the very human element that ties in--good or bad.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Media Monstrosities
The following is an excerpt from my LiveJournal, which I'm opting to repost here instead of repeating myself. Further content will be added below.
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I am watching this right now.
I am, needless to say, very disappointed with who they selected to represent therianthropy. But I really shouldn't be surprised now, should I? This is the media, after all, and I'm willing to wager the saner ones out there wouldn't appear on camera. I wouldn't, whether I may be sane or not--and that is very likely under debate, too haha. Because, of course, I'd totally dig the idea of wanting to appear on a show titled "Ten Ways To Meet A Monster". Right.
I especially loved the part about this person describing the "howls" she goes on, and how whenever she sees a wolf's natural prey animal during these gatherings, she has urges to chase it. If this was the case with an actual wolf in the wild, it probably wouldn't survive for very long, having uselessly burned up calories and put itself at risk during repeated chases, all triggered by the appearance of its prey species--whether the animal is well-fed or not. L. David Mech has some pretty good statistics on this.
This, to me, only betrays obvious ignorance of wolf behavior--which also begs the question, if this person really was a wolf, wouldn't she have behaviors more reflective of actual wolf behavior?
Oh yes, and while wearing a fake tail can certainly have its uses, I always found it rather got in the way with my "phantom" tail. However, it will "play ball" or orient/overlap better with a real, organic tail rather than a fake one made of polyester. But that's only after certain mojo is performed--otherwise, try strapping a false tail on a dog or wolf, and see how fast it comes off.
Oh well. At this point, I really shouldn't be surprised anymore.
EDIT: Clip from the show can be found here--the part about therianthropes appears at about 2:02 in the clip.
----------------------
As it turns out, there are other such shining examples of the media exploring the Therianthrope and Otherkin phenomenon. Said media-vultures enjoy feasting on the various nutcases that come crawling out, seeking attention and then later playing victim when they are presented in a way that clearly further paints them as freaks (let alone the rest of us, as collateral damage). This, as it turns out, was clearly the case here with the person(s) involved in the interview. And yet, it would be hard for the bystander not to want to paint a broad brush, given most media potrayals, and selections like this one from the 'community'.
As it also turns out, the primary person that was interviewed for this show later declared herself a "born-again human", which only seems to further betray obvious ignorance (and, as another reader/commenter so aptly put it: ""Born again human" sounds like a pretentious way of saying "I took on the therian label without giving it much thought and don't want it any more". :-/"). We can, at the very least, be grateful that she finally realized her mistake, decided to be honest with herself and stick with the furry scene, though not without driving one more nail in the proverbial coffin of credibility for therianthropes and otherkin.
I believe, in this current culture and society, no credibility can possibly be attained through media attention. One person who commented hit the nail right on the head: "I've never understood the need to go public with this to people who don't understand. The knowledge of it comes to those who live it and those who seek understanding. As far as I'm concerned, media involvement is entirely unsupported, no matter how accurate it might be." Either the media is determined to depict us as socially maladjusted freaks, or the socially maladjusted freaks find their way to the media. The end-result is more blanket-criticism and broad-brushing, or the attentions of those unstable individuals who feel they might find acceptance within the therian/otherkin ranks. Neither is desirable, and leaves those of us with at least some amount of commonsense carefully in the shadows, trying hard to avoid negative attention and the ever-growing and vocal population of flakes (which the media does seem to love) from within. I do not think that the Otherkin and Therianthrope communities are ready for the media. On both community and individual level. There is still a lot of growth that is needed.
Most of the human race has moved far from the daimonic beliefs and worlds where the human and the nonhuman mixed more freely. It seems like this line of thinking is making a slow comeback. Indeed, the Otherkin and Therianthrope phenomena is making itself known gradually through the Occult and Pagan circles, and slowly knowledge and understanding is being cultivated. This sort of thing should not be pushed before its time, nor should we be dwelling over the 'fringe' descriptor it is commonly given. For the most part we are free to believe as we please, and in the long run developing a victim complex will only be detrimental to our personal growth as psycho-spiritual individuals.
----------------------
I am watching this right now.
I am, needless to say, very disappointed with who they selected to represent therianthropy. But I really shouldn't be surprised now, should I? This is the media, after all, and I'm willing to wager the saner ones out there wouldn't appear on camera. I wouldn't, whether I may be sane or not--and that is very likely under debate, too haha. Because, of course, I'd totally dig the idea of wanting to appear on a show titled "Ten Ways To Meet A Monster". Right.
I especially loved the part about this person describing the "howls" she goes on, and how whenever she sees a wolf's natural prey animal during these gatherings, she has urges to chase it. If this was the case with an actual wolf in the wild, it probably wouldn't survive for very long, having uselessly burned up calories and put itself at risk during repeated chases, all triggered by the appearance of its prey species--whether the animal is well-fed or not. L. David Mech has some pretty good statistics on this.
This, to me, only betrays obvious ignorance of wolf behavior--which also begs the question, if this person really was a wolf, wouldn't she have behaviors more reflective of actual wolf behavior?
Oh yes, and while wearing a fake tail can certainly have its uses, I always found it rather got in the way with my "phantom" tail. However, it will "play ball" or orient/overlap better with a real, organic tail rather than a fake one made of polyester. But that's only after certain mojo is performed--otherwise, try strapping a false tail on a dog or wolf, and see how fast it comes off.
Oh well. At this point, I really shouldn't be surprised anymore.
EDIT: Clip from the show can be found here--the part about therianthropes appears at about 2:02 in the clip.
----------------------
As it turns out, there are other such shining examples of the media exploring the Therianthrope and Otherkin phenomenon. Said media-vultures enjoy feasting on the various nutcases that come crawling out, seeking attention and then later playing victim when they are presented in a way that clearly further paints them as freaks (let alone the rest of us, as collateral damage). This, as it turns out, was clearly the case here with the person(s) involved in the interview. And yet, it would be hard for the bystander not to want to paint a broad brush, given most media potrayals, and selections like this one from the 'community'.
As it also turns out, the primary person that was interviewed for this show later declared herself a "born-again human", which only seems to further betray obvious ignorance (and, as another reader/commenter so aptly put it: ""Born again human" sounds like a pretentious way of saying "I took on the therian label without giving it much thought and don't want it any more". :-/"). We can, at the very least, be grateful that she finally realized her mistake, decided to be honest with herself and stick with the furry scene, though not without driving one more nail in the proverbial coffin of credibility for therianthropes and otherkin.
I believe, in this current culture and society, no credibility can possibly be attained through media attention. One person who commented hit the nail right on the head: "I've never understood the need to go public with this to people who don't understand. The knowledge of it comes to those who live it and those who seek understanding. As far as I'm concerned, media involvement is entirely unsupported, no matter how accurate it might be." Either the media is determined to depict us as socially maladjusted freaks, or the socially maladjusted freaks find their way to the media. The end-result is more blanket-criticism and broad-brushing, or the attentions of those unstable individuals who feel they might find acceptance within the therian/otherkin ranks. Neither is desirable, and leaves those of us with at least some amount of commonsense carefully in the shadows, trying hard to avoid negative attention and the ever-growing and vocal population of flakes (which the media does seem to love) from within. I do not think that the Otherkin and Therianthrope communities are ready for the media. On both community and individual level. There is still a lot of growth that is needed.
Most of the human race has moved far from the daimonic beliefs and worlds where the human and the nonhuman mixed more freely. It seems like this line of thinking is making a slow comeback. Indeed, the Otherkin and Therianthrope phenomena is making itself known gradually through the Occult and Pagan circles, and slowly knowledge and understanding is being cultivated. This sort of thing should not be pushed before its time, nor should we be dwelling over the 'fringe' descriptor it is commonly given. For the most part we are free to believe as we please, and in the long run developing a victim complex will only be detrimental to our personal growth as psycho-spiritual individuals.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Some Questions To Ponder
Credit goes to fellow totemist and therianthrope Paleo for coming up with these. The questions are not meant to be answered as a meme so much as to serve as food for thought--something that most people within the totemic and therianthropic circles do precious little of. Reposted with permission.
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1. What was your first exposure to the animal in question? What were the first emotional or symbolic associations you formed to the animal in question?
2. What nonfiction books have you read about this animal? Have you watched any documentaries about this animal? Did any of these provide more depth of information than the others? Did any of them conflict on the facts they gave? If so, how could you go about finding which ones are more accurate?
3. Have you encountered any fictional books, movies, or television shows starring this animal? If so, how realistically was the animal portrayed? If the animal was anthropomorphized (talking animals, animals with human societies), in what way did the process of anthropomorphism bring the animal closer to human ideals? Were the animals shown as friendly and heroic or mean and villainous? How do you think these depictions color the way our culture views the animal’s natural behavior? How do you think these depictions may have colored your own view of the animal’s natural behavior?
4. When your research into an animal brings forth a fact that conflicts with your current view of it, how do you react? For instance, if you associate wolves primarily with strong, friendly family bonds, how did you react to learning that brutal harassment and killing occur within wolf packs? (If this fact is new to you, research the history of the Druid Peak pack of Yellowstone and the killing of a wolf called Number 40F.) Did this knowledge change your opinion of the animal? If so, how?
5. When you think of the animal, do you only focus on traits you find admirable? Are you able to objectively admit to and face the things about the animal that may be disturbing, repulsive, or uncomfortable to reflect on? Do you think you can find a way to assimilate your knowledge of the animal into a more holistic view, resisting the urge to romanticize or vilify?
6. Do you see this animal as being somehow “better” than other animals? If so, why? Does this view come from an emotional reaction or from objective observation? Even if this animal is your personal favorite, are you able to appreciate the uniqueness and importance of other animals?
7. What is the relationship of humans to this animal? Are you able to put aside any anger and negative feelings (even if it may be justified) to come up with constructive ideas on how humans can better coexist with this animal? Are there any actions that you can initiate yourself that may help this animal and its habitat?
8. Is there anything else you can do to learn about this animal, objectively and for its own sake?
9. After learning as much factual information about the animal as possible, can you think of any ways to express your more emotional, personal, and spiritual connection to it? How can you integrate the scientific knowledge you’ve gained and your emotional connections in a way that is honest, healthy, and rewarding?
------------------
1. What was your first exposure to the animal in question? What were the first emotional or symbolic associations you formed to the animal in question?
2. What nonfiction books have you read about this animal? Have you watched any documentaries about this animal? Did any of these provide more depth of information than the others? Did any of them conflict on the facts they gave? If so, how could you go about finding which ones are more accurate?
3. Have you encountered any fictional books, movies, or television shows starring this animal? If so, how realistically was the animal portrayed? If the animal was anthropomorphized (talking animals, animals with human societies), in what way did the process of anthropomorphism bring the animal closer to human ideals? Were the animals shown as friendly and heroic or mean and villainous? How do you think these depictions color the way our culture views the animal’s natural behavior? How do you think these depictions may have colored your own view of the animal’s natural behavior?
4. When your research into an animal brings forth a fact that conflicts with your current view of it, how do you react? For instance, if you associate wolves primarily with strong, friendly family bonds, how did you react to learning that brutal harassment and killing occur within wolf packs? (If this fact is new to you, research the history of the Druid Peak pack of Yellowstone and the killing of a wolf called Number 40F.) Did this knowledge change your opinion of the animal? If so, how?
5. When you think of the animal, do you only focus on traits you find admirable? Are you able to objectively admit to and face the things about the animal that may be disturbing, repulsive, or uncomfortable to reflect on? Do you think you can find a way to assimilate your knowledge of the animal into a more holistic view, resisting the urge to romanticize or vilify?
6. Do you see this animal as being somehow “better” than other animals? If so, why? Does this view come from an emotional reaction or from objective observation? Even if this animal is your personal favorite, are you able to appreciate the uniqueness and importance of other animals?
7. What is the relationship of humans to this animal? Are you able to put aside any anger and negative feelings (even if it may be justified) to come up with constructive ideas on how humans can better coexist with this animal? Are there any actions that you can initiate yourself that may help this animal and its habitat?
8. Is there anything else you can do to learn about this animal, objectively and for its own sake?
9. After learning as much factual information about the animal as possible, can you think of any ways to express your more emotional, personal, and spiritual connection to it? How can you integrate the scientific knowledge you’ve gained and your emotional connections in a way that is honest, healthy, and rewarding?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
PSA: Journaling Lag
I haven't updated this thing in a bit, I only just now logged in and approved a comment sitting in my moderation box. Whoops! My apologies to those reading and wondering what's been going on. It is, for the most part, this little thing called "life". I do try to keep regular updates on my private LiveJournal--though those are interspersed with off-topic or random content.
In any case, this blog will receive more activity in the near future. I've compiled more notes, and I have some writing projects and other things percolating. Stay tuned for more content on the psycho-spiritual dog-blog!
In any case, this blog will receive more activity in the near future. I've compiled more notes, and I have some writing projects and other things percolating. Stay tuned for more content on the psycho-spiritual dog-blog!
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