British Expatriate Network

How depressing to watch hundreds of people lining the Thames expressing heartfelt concern for the whale who got stuck up the Thames last week. The thousands of others in the UK and around the world so worried about this poor unfortunate creature, while thousands of people in the UK are homeless and without hope.

The thousands of pounds for the ultimately wasted rescue effort could and should have been spent on improving the lives of their fellow citizens. This kind of misplaced concern is a sad indictment of the alienation and the shallowness of modern culture.

It's odd but I remember reading an article recently that was asking why animal abuse seems to generate more outpouring of sympathy than child abuse does.

The author picked two local stories, one about an abused two year old fighting for their life, and another where some oik was setting fire to puppies tails. There were more calls to the local TV station from concerned citizens about what they could do for the puppies.

I'm by no means an animal hater but it does seem ridiculous as the two year old child was just as innocent.

We also wouldn't be so worried about a shark that wanted to beach itself on the Thames and die so it depends on the animal.

I do not see it as a waste of time. Its helping something that is in greater need. Nothing wrong with that.

Its a point of where individuals wish to spend their money to help certain issues.


As an individual I cannot change individual human habits. I cannot change greed and envy. Some people make a choice to live the way they do. As a whole animals do not. They kill to eat etc etc

In greater need than what/of what?

You what? That makes less sense than a MacDonalds Ad.

Why not? Of course you can make a difference. If you feel unable to change anything, what's the point of life for you? That's a pathetic cop-out.

your point being? :???:

Really. That's just awful. The apathy and excuses combo just doesn't become you.

I think Moo has a very fair point -and I am (allegedly) an animal lover. But let's equate animal and human lives (and I know many people don't) .......all this money was spent on a doomed attempt to save the life of one animal who was most likely extremely sick anyway, and was probably stressed by the "help" it received. That money could have helped so many humans who are not sick but just cold, hungry and poor. Of course people are free to spend their money as they wish, but when society heads in this way isn't it time to sit up and take notice?

I think supporting animals is the soft option taken by those people want to feel good about helping others but don't want the hassle of helping those who can tell you what they really need. And these are the people whose actions and thoughts we can change. If we care enough to try.

The problem with whales is that they bring it on themselves. If they actually got of their backsides and got a job we wouldn't have to waste thousands of pounds bailing them out.

Totally agree.

Ahhhh Monster what can I say to all that.

Compare human life to an animal, nope. If someone was in a burning house with their dog. I would take the human.
To watch something suffer, I cannot standby and let it happen either. In fact have done marine animal rescue before.

If you took a gun out and shot the whale there would have been a public out cry. Remember the out cry in Holland when they shoot a killed a sparrow some months back.

Do I do my bit for Human welfare. Done that for over 12 years. Felt good knowing that you done something. But there are more takers than givers. The thought that the world would suddenly have a collective conscience and help their fellow man is a utopia that will never happen.

So I do both. give to my fellow man or woman (what have the romans given us lol).

I am just pointing out facts.

I wish we could be in that Utopia,maybe one day a.

When I read the Independent's call for a national day of mourning I thought the same thing as Moo to be honest. And they really pushed me that way when they managed to blame the ignorance of the human race as a whole for the whale getting lost in the first place. And one opinion writer said he was surprised that Londoners didn't attack the whale on mass with machetes and hack it to death! And then just when I thought the silliness was all over, this came out.

http//news.independent.co.uk/environment/article340250.ece

Well, the Beeb stretched to reporting that the rescuers all had parking tickets when they got back to their cars...

"I think supporting animals is the soft option taken by those people want to feel good about helping others but don't want the hassle of helping those who can tell you what they really need"

I have to say I think this is absolute twaddle. I doubt very much that the RSPCA, the SPCA, the WWF, the RSPB, the American Humane Society and most of the other animal support organisations worldwide were started on that premise. As a volunteer at the local humane society (which is just one of a couple of organisations, and the only animal one that I volunteer at) I know thats not why I, or any of the other volunteers decided to help out.

Small babies can't tell you what they really need - perhaps we should make the same accusations about UNICEF?

Oh, and to go back to the original topic, surely it was the novelty of seeing a whale up the Thames that caught most folks attention?

to say a national day of mourning is wrong. It was a whale in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The mass of people around is due to whales not being seen up that far in 90 years.

They are all good points everyone has raised. A waste of time or money, ummmm in real terms no. Not when people go out and spend $100.00 on trainers or jeans.

"Two wrongs don't make a right" ;)