March
2002
Not
My American Dream
By Eileen Weintraub
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It was another call to arms for Seattle animal rights groups. On
January 23, 2002 we were asked to greet the Olympic torch’s Seattle arrival
with our protests of the Olympic Command Performance Rodeo. Little-known
to the general public this “all-star cultural event” was held
in conjunction with the 2002 Winter Olympics. Months of letter writing
and common sense negotiations with the Olympic Committee could not override
the political pull of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Even
former Olympic athletes like Scott Hamilton, Phoebe Mills, Nathaniel
Mills, coaching legend Marv Levy, and skating champ Matt Lindy urged
the winter games to “Buck the Rodeo.” As Scott Hamilton
writes to the Olympic Committee:
“Rodeos are violent and manipulative displays of human domination
over animals, very thinly and not very convincingly disguised as entertainment.
While frightened and in a state of heightened panic, the animals are
physically provoked into displays of ‘wild’ behavior through
the use of electric prods, sharp sticks and spurs. While running
at
full speed, the animals are lassoed as quickly as they are slammed
to the ground, tendons torn and necks snapped. This is not true sport.
The Olympics is about competition amongst athletes. Although cowboys
voluntarily participate in rodeo events, the animals have no such
choice.
Please do not let the Olympic image be tarnished by the distressing
spectacle of a rodeo.”
The star appearance at our protest was scheduled to be former avid
hunter and ace animal rights activist Steve Hindi. Steve was relentlessly
following
the Olympic torch for its 31-stop itinerary in his magnificent SHARK
(SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness) Tiger Video truck with large
screens on each side showing graphic video footage of an actual rodeo.
About the Tiger truck from the SHARK Web site: “There isn’t
anything subtle about this monster. The images and sounds of the SHARK’s
Tiger Video truck are hitting people on the streets of North American
cities like a compassionate sledgehammer! This is an aggressive way
to nonviolently push animal issues. Best of all, the Tiger is generating
support for animals because people see the evidence for themselves,
and make their own decision!”
According to Animal People News (December, 2001), Steve Hindi
pledged, “If the rodeo plans continue, the Olympics are in for
a very rough run. The Tiger will not be at the rodeo, but will instead
patrol legitimate Olympic events, where it will be seen by far more
people from around the world.”
Waiting for the Torch
I arrived early and met several fellow protestors under the clearing
evening sky. This would be as close as I have ever come to the Olympics.
But why did this gathering seem like a political rally? Huge American
flags were flying and everyone else seemed to be wearing little flag
pins. The live music was enough to make you have to shout to have a
conversation. Crowds arrived eager to experience a taste of the American
dream; to get another dollop of whipped cream healing since the nightmare
of September 11th.
As I looked around I was shocked (okay, so I am naïve) to see how
commercial the celebration was. A shiny new monster SUV was on display,
amongst booth after corporate booth. Coca-Cola was omnipresent. Loudspeakers
informed us that the Coca-Cola Company was providing special recycling
services. We saw people dressed in “green” plastic suits who
walked around picking up discarded Coke cans while ignoring all other
trash. Is this the best that American business can offer 40 years after
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was written? Am I supposed
to be happy about this illusion of progress? It was nothing short of
comical.
Our ragtag group gathered with our homemade signs. It was the usual
assortment of pierced and idealistic younger people mixed in with
us
older, “trying-not-to-be-burned-out,” veterans. I was heartened
to see a young Hispanic man join in, a reminder that the tide seems
to be turning as more and more people learn about the suffering of
animals
and take to the streets to voice their concern.
As the wind stirred up I was getting discouraged as the crowds ignored
us. Just then three adorable ten-year old girls ran up. “What is
this about?” they asked me. I handed them a brochure and told them
we were trying to stop the Olympics from having a rodeo. Rodeos are
cruel to cows and young calves, I told them. “Oh!” they exclaimed
“We love cows! We don’t want anyone to hurt them!” I
felt kind of bad sharing this news that most people didn’t know
or care about. I told them not to worry, we would try and stop it and
help the cows. They thanked me and skipped away with brochures in hand.
At that moment, I felt it was the highlight of my animal advocacy career.
It was the only time during the whole evening that anyone actually came
up to me to find out what we were saying. You know how it is, people
just want to get to their destination and don’t want to know
about any spoiler.
The news crews arrived and interviewed our chosen spokesperson. I told
them to be sure and get footage of the SHARK truck, due to arrive behind
the torch.
The crowd was working up to a fevered pitch as we saw an enormous video
screen showing that the torch was getting closer. I was still harboring
the hope that I might feel a little emotional when the torch came by.
After all, this was part of the Olympic spirit, a call to the better
part of the human condition. My cynical activist friend thought I was
nuts.
Down the street some large flashing lights were coming into sight. Would
this herald the torch? It turned out to be another vulgar Coca-Cola
truck! This one had a mountain of plastic with girls in patriotic costumes
waving from the mounds of Coca-Cola cans. It was surreal. Finally the
torch was carried by. I held my breath for a moment. Would I feel my
eyes tear up as I was prone to? Au contraire; I felt nothing, zip, blankness.
Following the spectacle was a stressed-out Steve Hindi driving the
SHARK Tiger Video truck. The media and crowds had already moved on
and it
was mostly our own group who witnessed him. The anti-rodeo verbal
message was circling the top of the truck like the ticker tape in
Times Square.
Large screens with a horrendous calf-roping scene filled all four
sides of the truck. No matter what I’ve read about rodeos, to see such
actual footage made my jaw drop. The truck was silent and all seemed
in slow motion. This nonpartial view of a rodeo felt somehow like witnessing
God’s view of how animals are treated. I was in awe.
The press was nowhere to be seen. I ran home to turn the television
on. We usually get at least a short slot when we have media covered
protests. At the beginning of the newscast it was clear to me we
wouldn’t
get any coverage tonight. The grinning idiot patriotic tone was overwhelming.
In addition, the other top story was the arrival in town of a navy
ship
that had been out at sea since before September 11th. So, there was
no chance these stations would air our conflicting protest.
Now more than ever mainstream media presents a precarious state for
dissenting emotions or opinions. I knew the reporting was biased
but
hadn’t recently seen it in so blatant a fashion. Network executives
seem convinced that viewers—especially in these times—need
upbeat reporting by attractive newscasters. I watched the specials all
week about the torch in our area. Not one shot of our fabulous truck.
Even though the Seattle media didn’t record this phenomenon, for
what it’s worth we bore silent witness. While the torch blew by
in a whirl of commercial hype, the protestors, the truck and many others
who were not with us that day were trying to get people to see the truth:
the voicelessness of the cows that are assaulted in the rodeos, whose
suffering was drowned out by a crowd of mindless spectators, was watched
by all of us—animal lovers, an ex-hunter, former Olympic athletes
with a conscience and, perhaps, a witness from above.
Eileen Weintraub lives in Seattle with her husband and rescued companion
animals. To read about the valiant efforts to prevent the Cultural Olympiad
Rodeo, see www.sharkonline.org,
www.bucktherodeo.com
and the December 2001 and January/February 2002 issues of Animal People
News (www.animalpeoplenews.org).
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