Big Iron,
The book was to hand, so I quoted from it. I’ll ask the Biology department if they can shed any light on the figures (and surf of course as well!)
Being English i’m not too surprised at the various replies i’ve seen to the above question.I can guarantee those 71% are mainly from the towns and cities.I’ve lived in both so i’m fairly well qualified to say this.
Just the other day at work i was talking about being self sufficient,i’ve raised my own sheep,sent them for slaughter and even popped one in the freezer.Howver the reaction from the ‘townies’ at work was one of horror,how could you kill such a cuddly animal,and as for the replies i received on pulling a chickens neck by hand!!!.The bottom line is people will always look differently upon dissimilar ‘cultures’,on whether they accept or choose to disagree.I’ve known many who fox hunt,the only thing i disagree with personally is the actual kill is not always clean.If fox hunting is banned,fishing and shooting will follow next…is that the way forward?
Should those who dont live in the country decide the future of its traditions??
Please forgive me i’m English!
Purple Toenails,
You said ‘Being English I’m not too surprised at the various replies I’ve seen to the above question. I can guarantee those 71% are mainly from the towns and cities. I’ve lived in both so I’m fairly well qualified to say this.’
I’m rather disappointed at this attitude.
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I don’t understand the implication of your first sentence.
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We are on the message board dedicated to fighting ignorance, but you GUARENTEE something based on your anecdotal evidence?
You continue ‘I’ve raised my own sheep, sent them for slaughter and even popped one in the freezer. However the reaction from the ‘townies’ at work was one of horror, how could you kill such a cuddly animal, and as for the replies I received on pulling a chickens neck by hand!!!’
I agree this is a silly response from the ‘townies’ you met, but I met a farm labourer (who’d never been more than 20 miles from his birthplace) who told me confidently that ‘you are in grave danger of being robbed in London by people coming out of the smog’. What is the value of either opinion?
You said ‘The bottom line is people will always look differently upon dissimilar ‘cultures’…’
This is certainly true when, as above, people have little knowledge of those cultures.
You said ‘I’ve known many who fox hunt,the only thing I disagree with personally is the actual kill is not always clean.’
I was at a dinner party in the country (all local residents) when one person announced that ‘all hunt protestors should be horse-whipped, and everybody in the countryside supports hunting’. Total silence. (But this is just an anecdote!)
You said ‘If fox hunting is banned, fishing and shooting will follow next…is that the way forward?’
I accept killing for eating. Fox hunting isn’t for eating; doesn’t control the fox population (see above statistics); it’s a social event. Replace it with drag hunting - riding with your friends through the countryside is an excellent idea. I don’t like fishing where you throw the fish back - I assume the fish feels unnecessary pain. Would you support bear-baiting etc.?
You said ‘Should those who don’t live in the country decide the future of its traditions??’.
I assume you mean countryside (OK, that was pedantic!), but surely it all depends on the tradition?
In the bathtub of history, the truth is harder to hold than the soap… (Pratchett)
Aaaaaargh! GUARANTEE (knew it loked wrong)