We understand that when one is running a company or service, it is important to promote the product as something people might need or desire.
But, sometimes companies step over the line of both, decency and truth.
"You NEED our Botox, $500 face cream, or weight loss system or you will look OLD or FAT! (God forbid, anyone look their age or be a few pounds overweight. Such is to apparently invite shunning and rejection from society.)
"We Provide Humane Goose Removal. Get Rid of These Pests Now!" (Emphasis supplied).
The latter is an actual come-on when one googles, "Goosebusters."
Those who read this blog will know I have been extremely conflicted about so-called, "goose harassment."
For example, were I to know that the USDA was coming into Central Park to round up and gas geese, I would immediately run to the park myself and personally try to scare the geese away. "Go, go! You need to leave right away. Its a matter of life and death!"
I might even unleash my dogs and order them to go and "chase" the geese. "You need to send our friends to a safe place!"
But, one thing I would not do is publicly slander and denigrate the geese in an effort to convince others that the geese are among the lowest "vermin" on earth who, among other things, pose "health threats" to humans, are "aggressive" when nesting and bring planes down.
But, these are exactly the things that virtually ALL "goose harassment" web-sites and programs do in effort presumably to promote their "services" and drum up business.
They apparently feel need to convince the naive public that outside of a deadly virus plague that could wipe out the human race, geese are the most dangerous and vile creatures on earth.
"Get Rid of These Pests Now!"
Goose Harassment companies are thus poisoning the public consciousness against the very animals they purportedly claim to be "saving."
With "friends" like these, do the geese really need enemies?
I cannot and would not promote any company that, in the interest of self promotion and profit creates fear, paranoia and hostility towards the very animals it or I am otherwise advocating for.
Moreover, I am perplexed that any humane organization worth its salt would.
Among the goose slander and untruths that one typically finds on goose harassment sites are these:
"Goose feces cause property damage." This is an outright lie. Geese are waterfowl that feed off of water plants, insects and grass. Their droppings mostly consist of recycled grass and thus act as fertilizer. I personally go to look at all the grass areas where geese frequently fed at Central Park last year. Without exception, ALL the favorite feeding (and droppings) spots for geese last year, are lush, green and plentiful lawns this year.
"Geese compromise overall quality of life." For who? Unless one has a particular aversion to wildlife and birds, then how exactly is human life "compromised" by peaceful geese swimming on a lake or grazing on grass? This statement is ludicrous except for those individuals who are the most extreme among animalphobes (which these websites unfortunately seem to be creating).
"One goose will excrete 1- to 2 lbs of waste a day." This is another lie. Typical droppings from one goose are between 4 and 7 ounces a day.
"The geese are aggressive towards humans during nesting." Any company that substitutes the word "aggressive" instead of the accurate, "protective" to slander animals and instill fear in people, is no friend to any animal.
"The geese have potential to pose serious health threats due to presence of disease causing organisms." This is a totally loaded statement designed once again, to create fear in people. However, the reality is that EVERY human and animal on earth has "potential to pose serious health threats to others through presence of disease causing organisms." Kissing another human or just shaking hands transforms germs, bacteria or potential disease causing viruses from one person to another. Should we all lock ourselves inside a plastic bubble? The FACT is that geese pose NO serious health threats to humans -- anymore than contact with another human or any animal might.
Moreover, since most humans don't have direct touching contact with geese, the animals' potential "health threat" to humans is actually zero compared to our everyday contacts with other living things, including and most of all, other humans.
Again I ask:
Why would any advocate for geese (whether individual or organization) support those companies that portend to be "saving" geese, while poisoning the public consciousness against the animals through denigration, slander, outright lies and the deliberate creation of fear?
As said at the top of this entry, we understand that companies usually promote services or products by demonstrating how they can fulfill some societal "need" or desire. (whether real or perceived).
However, too often companies step over the line of what is decent, honest and true, when they either say directly or imply that if we don't avail ourselves of such services or products, (Botox and other cosmetic products for example) we are somehow lesser human beings or (in the case of "Goose Harassment") we will die from some goose related "disease" or incident.
Destruction of human self-value and esteem (without the product or service) should not be among the advertising goals of any company. Nor should debasement and fear-mongering be among the promotional pursuits of so-called, "Goose Harassment" companies.
There should be honest ways to promote a service or product without debasing either animals or humans.
Until, these goose harassment companies find a way to clean up their dishonest acts and promote their so-called "services" without slandering the objects of them, then we as animal advocates have no business supporting them in any fashion, despite their supposedly "noble intentions."
The fact is, if we cannot believe everything you say in your ads and promotions, then we cannot believe anything. -- PCA
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1 comment:
Thanks for writing this, Patty. I agree 100%
Javier
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