Effective protest in Calgary – without the shock

[Otto-matic]

Last week, while walking through Kensington, I noticed a small group of protesters, who judging by their use of gruesome photos of slaughtered animals and stuffed dogs in traps, implied that they were protesting the use of animal fur in clothing. But given their location in front of the Pointe Building, I didn’t really understand their message.

What bothered me, beyond the completely non-surprising fact that many of their claims were suspect, was that they were blocking the entrance to four other small businesses, all which depend on busy Saturday street-traffic. I asked this group if they were concerned about the negative effect they were having on the surrounding business, at which point they shoved blown-up photos of mutilated animals in my face and asked if I cared about animal cruelty

http://metronews.ca/voices/in-defenc...out-the-shock/

I agree fully with the article, some of the images they use is downright disturbing. Plus the mob mentality of the protest usually just makes me end up taking another route home and ignore the subject they are protesting all together.

[Locke]

People have to start understanding that the delivery of a message can be just as, if not more, important the message itself.

[northcrunk]

I can't stand animal welfare protestors (PETA). Almost as bad as pro-lifers and the guy near bow valley building always yelling about Alain Harper

[CaramonLS]

Sadly, because he wrote an article about it, these protesters will probably feel justified in using their dishonourable tactics.

[Otto-matic]

Another thing that RGMG is the because im a girl street sponsors, they feel the need to belittle people when they say no and walk away.

[habernac]

these people suck. People who protest by the way of trying to "shock" people are #######s.

[CaptainCrunch]

As far as I'm concerned, when I look at a protest group, maybe 5% of them are legitimate protesters who understand the cause and actually can discuss it and debate it using rationality and fact. The rest are the usual crowd of the insane or professional protestors who go from one cause to the next because hanging around holding up a sign that you've probably never ever read and shouting at people is oh so cool.

Personally I blame the Occupy group for acting as a growth medium for the newly christened moron class of society.

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by Otto-matic

Another thing that RGMG is the because im a girl street sponsors, they feel the need to belittle people when they say no and walk away.

Oh hell, we got cornered by them in Kensington once. I am usually really firm about not stopping to listen to this stuff, but for whatever reason, I decided to give them a listen - we had an appointment in the area we'd arrived early for, so we were just walking around to start with, but the time was getting closer, so we were making our way back toward where our appointment was.

Told the guy - I have 10 minutes to give you so you need to condense whatever you want to tell me, into that time. If you can't, tell me now, so I can just continue on my way and we won't be wasting each others time. He nattered on and on and on and in the 10 minutes, I still had no idea what he really wanted. At 10 minutes, I told him I needed to go, so give me some literature and I'd look through that and decide if this was anything we wanted to support. No dice. Had to sign up on the spot and it had to be with a credit card. Yeah sorry, not happening. He was just so incredibly rude when we walked away.

I almost emailed the org about their approach but just decided it really wasn't worth wasting my time on.

[troutman]

I didn't want to explain to them that my dad is a trapper.

I think they were protesting coyote fur on Canada Goose parkas.

IIRC, coyotes are more abundant in North America now than ever before. They have become a nuisance animal. I would think most coyotes are shot, not trapped.

http://www.canada-goose.com/story/policy

We have chosen to use coyote fur because it is highly abundant. In fact, in many regions of North America, coyotes are considered a pest as they attack livestock, endangered prey species, pets and sometimes people.

Canada is the world leader in humane trapping methods, providing the scientific basis for the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS), which establishes the required standards for approval and certification of animal trapping devices.We also take pride in the fact that by supporting this sustainable industry we are supporting aboriginal communities of the Canadian North and their ways of life.

BTW, Nature on PBS just did a program on the coywolf, a coyote-wolf hybrid:

http://video.pbs.org/video/2365159966/

The coywolf, a mixture of western coyote and eastern wolf, is a remarkable new hybrid carnivore that is taking over territories once roamed by wolves and slipping unnoticed into our cities. Its appearance is very recent — within the last 90 years — in evolutionary terms, a blip in time.

[Bill Bumface]

Barely related, but I regularly decide when it's time to cross the street downtown based on the nearest group of people in brightly colored vests with clipboards asking "Do you have a couple minutes for me to talk about X horrible injustice before asking for money?"

When they got start and started covering both sides of the street I started pulling my phone out of my pocked and pretending to recieve a call on my approach.

[Otto-matic]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

Barely related, but I regularly decide when it's time to cross the street downtown based on the nearest group of people in brightly colored vests with clipboards asking "Do you have a couple minutes for me to talk about X horrible injustice before asking for money?"

When they got start and started covering both sides of the street I started pulling my phone out of my pocked and pretending to recieve a call on my approach.

I find in Kensington they will do a block radius. Having a pair on each corner to trap you into talking to them. Ie. Because im a girl.

[CaptainCrunch]

Can I have some money, can I have a donation tax receipt and a way to check on my smart phone if your legitimate before I do crap?

With all of the scam donation rackets out there now, I don't trust any charities, combine that with the cynical nature that most charities are just basically money hoovering organizations that overpay their management and use their money to raise more money and my options for donation are dwindling down to the fact that I need to actually see a facility and where my money is going to before I write a check.

Hell a very good friend of mine just got suckered into setting up a silent auction and raising money for a scumbag who claimed that she was dying of cancer. .

People tell me when I ask for key information so I can know that my money is actually doing something worthwhile that I am cynical, or that I have a low opinion of people and have trust issues.

Damn right I do, the money that I give should actually do something for the victims. But this is a sidetrack to the topic of the idiocy of modern day protestors.

We all dislike Ezra Levant, but the one thing that I do like about him is that he's willing to wade into these protests and actually ask questions and test their level of knowledge. I wish more reporters would do that instead of just blindly accepting the BS.

[Otto-matic]

One foundation I've seen decline in the street sponsors is the wspca. They used to be just as bad if not worse then because i'm a girl.

Related to the topic, That abortion truck that seems to roll around on Saturday Afternoon/Sunday Morning on 16th/Crowchild. If I could cause one accident and be free of charge from it - I would use it on that truck. God I hate that thing with a passion.

[CaptainCrunch]

An Abortion truck? Out of curiosity is it pro-life or pro-choice?

[troutman]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

We all dislike Ezra Levant, but the one thing that I do like about him is that he's willing to wade into these protests and actually ask questions and test their level of knowledge. I wish more reporters would do that instead of just blindly accepting the BS.

Does Ezra ever let anyone on his show with the opposite opinion?

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by fotze

What is this because I'm a girl stuff????????????????

Because I Am A Girl - Trudeau's wife is a big supporter, appears in their commercials.

[Otto-matic]

Originally Posted by fotze

What is this because I'm a girl stuff????????????????

http://becauseiamagirl.ca/

Investing in girls is key to eliminating poverty

Girls can change the world, but they can't do it without you. A donation to Because I am a Girl gives you the multiplier effect because when girls are educated, healthy and informed, they lift themselves, their families and communities out of poverty.
Make a lasting impact and help break the cycle of poverty with a monthly sponsorship or a one-time donation. Every dollar counts.
Donate online today.

If they didn't use the street sponsors in such an agressive way, it wouldn't have pushed me away from supporting them.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by troutman

Does Ezra ever let anyone on his show with the opposite opinion?

Don't know, I've only watched his show a dozen times, I would doubt it, but that's not what I'm discussing, you could argue though that he has given the protestors a soap box when he gives them mic time.

[Otto-matic]

Originally Posted by fotze

I thought you were going crazy and I also now think you are a girl. Never heard of it before.

I'm not at the crazy stage just yet, but I am starting to begin my old man rants much more often now.

[Otto-matic]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

An Abortion truck? Out of curiosity is it pro-life or pro-choice?

Pro-Life IIRC