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Beyond Barbaro

News Type: Opinion — Tue Jan 30, 2007 1:45 PM EST

Barbaro

A homeless person in God's country.

A make-shift memorial for a murder victim.

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Barbaro, a horse, is dead. I'm sorry if you feel sad about this but I'm more concerned about people - you know, my fellow human beings.

They Euthanize Horses, Don't They?

How many thoroughbreds are put down each week, each day? Hundreds, thousands? Do you care enough about the living horses to work to make sure they have better lives? Or will they just continue to be raced with shorter and shorter rest periods between races? Oh but poor Barbaro, you saw him injured on live television. How many horses suffer in anonymity? Where's PETA? Maybe they do not want to be seen as anti-Barbaro?

Code Blue

This past weekend was particularly cold and Philadelphia declared a Code Blue. This means the homeless are given shelter during the cold spell. This was briefly mentioned in the media and no one was shown on TV crying for them, as they are shown crying for Barbaro. Maybe if we had homeless races and one of them was hurt in a competition then someone would care more about them then a horse.

Gross Murder Rate

Over the last several years Philadelphia's murder rate has soared and is setting records. Does anyone care? Very few people seem to care probably because the murders are not happening in Center City, they are occurring in the poorer sections of the city. And don't get me started about the Thomas Eakins painting. Thomas Jefferson University announces that it will sell The Gross Clinic and the city raises millions of dollars to keep it in Philadelphia while the murder rate goes unchecked.

Society would be much better if people cared more about each other than some horse.

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3.1
{"commentId":502932,"authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
Michael Sautter

A horse is a horse, of course.

{"commentId":502932,"threadId":"72265","contentId":"544555","authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
  • 2 votes
Reply#1 - Tue Jan 30, 2007 2:13 PM EST
{"commentId":503032,"authorDomain":"vassleer"}
vassleer

I too live in Philadelphia (actually right outside it in Malvern) and I am absolutely SICK of Barbaro stories. It is a freaking HORSE people...get over it.

I didn't even see the Code Blue story on the local news...it was too full of Barbaro. People can't even use the excuse that the horse was a major sports story...horses get put down in racing all the time. Hell, a rather well known ex-NFL player who committed suicide was revealed last week to have sever brain-damage directly attributed to his playing and that got 1/100th of the coverage.

Stupid horse.

{"commentId":503032,"threadId":"72265","contentId":"544555","authorDomain":"vassleer"}
  • 2 votes
#1.1 - Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:03 PM EST
Reply
{"commentId":503030,"authorDomain":"merrydeath"}
merrydeath

Thank you for writing this Mydree.

I think it is an unfortunate reality of our society, that it is much easier to grieve for a horse who tugs on our heartstrings that to respond to the human tragedies that occur right in front of us on a daily basis. I think that it may be a combination of factors, not the least of which is that Barbaro is a tangible reality that serves as an outlet and a salve to the helplessness we feel when confronting other issues like homelessness, war, or animal exploitation.

I will admit that I am sad that Barbaro didn't make it. For whatever reason, people had made him a hero and I will not disagree those who believe horses are amazing creatures worthy of both our admiration and our grief. However, it is equally important (actually more important) to raise the questions you've raised here and I appreciate your willingness to go against popular sentiment and ask us to re-adjust our priorities.

{"commentId":503030,"threadId":"72265","contentId":"544555","authorDomain":"merrydeath"}
  • 3 votes
Reply#2 - Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:02 PM EST
{"commentId":503341,"authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
Michael Sautter

You're welcome.

I didn't mean to say people can't be sad about Barbaro. I was saddened too, but got over it in about five minutes. It's a matter of priorities.

{"commentId":503341,"threadId":"72265","contentId":"544555","authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
  • 3 votes
#2.1 - Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:25 PM EST
Reply
{"commentId":503336,"authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
Michael Sautter

Would people be so sad if Barbaro had been euthanized the day he was injured?

You know, way back in May?

{"commentId":503336,"threadId":"72265","contentId":"544555","authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#3 - Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:23 PM EST
{"commentId":504626,"authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
Michael Sautter

No.

{"commentId":504626,"threadId":"72265","contentId":"544555","authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
  • 1 vote
#3.1 - Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:31 AM EST
Reply
{"commentId":503344,"authorDomain":"fawnshore"}
Walt D

I'm a little perplexed by the offense some are taking to the showing of grief for this horse. Does mourning an animal exclude concern and grief for the plight of fellow humans? For that matter, does marking the passing of one individual animal mean that one has turned a blind eye to the suffering and abuse of others?

I was upset by the passing of James Brown. Does this trivialize the deaths of any of the thousands of other people who died the same day? Should I have written an article: Beyond James Brown - Screw Him! Look at all THIS Carnage?

When my cat dies, I will cry like a baby. Cats die every day... I don't think about it much. But I know this cat.

We knew this horse.

We watched him race and excel.

We watched his horrible injury.

We saw him struggling to recover.

Now he's dead. Should we feel nothing?

{"commentId":503344,"threadId":"72265","contentId":"544555","authorDomain":"fawnshore"}
  • 5 votes
Reply#4 - Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:26 PM EST
{"commentId":503751,"authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
Michael Sautter

I'm not offended by people grieving over Barbaro, it saddened me too. But people must have entertainment even if it means horses suffer. (a touch of sarcasm)

I do find it hard to believe that grown adults are crying (literally sobbing) over Barbaro's death days after it was put down.

I am offended by all the media attention over Barbaro. Today a man, not a horse, was found dead in Wilmington, DE. He was homeless and froze to death. This gets passing attention in the media, yet Barbaro gets wall-to-wall coverage on TV and in the newspapers.

You're not really equating James Brown's death with a horse's death, are you? There is a lot of human suffering in this world, it should not take a backseat to a horse's suffering. After his death James Brown was rightly honored for his contribution to American society. Taking time as a country to honor him was correct. Taking all this media time for a dead horse is misplaced priorities, in my opinion. I'm perplexed that grown, adult middle-aged people are crying over Barbaro's humane death days later while there is plenty of human suffering happening at the same time and being ignored.

{"commentId":503751,"threadId":"72265","contentId":"544555","authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
  • 3 votes
Reply#5 - Tue Jan 30, 2007 8:35 PM EST
{"commentId":504443,"authorDomain":"fawnshore"}
Walt D
You're not really equating James Brown's death with a horse's death, are you?

Come on, Mydree, you're smarter than that.

{"commentId":504443,"threadId":"72265","contentId":"544555","authorDomain":"fawnshore"}
    #5.1 - Wed Jan 31, 2007 9:36 AM EST
    {"commentId":504623,"authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
    Michael Sautter

    That was a rhetorical question to help point out the difference between people and animals. The rest of the paragraph sort of follows in that vein.

    {"commentId":504623,"threadId":"72265","contentId":"544555","authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
    • 1 vote
    #5.2 - Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:30 AM EST
    {"commentId":504938,"authorDomain":"fawnshore"}
    Walt D

    ...and I'm simply saying that concern for an animal does not preclude or eclipse concern for fellow humans. xusi put it better below.

    {"commentId":504938,"threadId":"72265","contentId":"544555","authorDomain":"fawnshore"}
    • 1 vote
    #5.3 - Wed Jan 31, 2007 2:22 PM EST
    Reply
    {"commentId":504214,"authorDomain":"xuzi"}
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