Animal Abusers Say the Darndest Things….

For the past several years, I have spent numerous weekend mornings with other animal rights activists at protests outside the Saratoga Springs Race Track hosted by Horseracing Wrongs.

Regardless of how my fellow protesters and I conduct ourselves during the protests, we are met with defensive anger and justification from track goers. Some of their responses are belligerent and aggressive. Mostly though, it is hard to not marvel at their stupidity.

Ignorance must truly be bliss.

Did You Need a Blue Pill to Get That Deflection?

Some of the folks who walk by could easily write campaign speeches for politicians, they are expert deflectors. When presented with irrefutable information about the exploitation, suffering and killing of horses in the racing industry (Saratoga Springs alone has already killed 10 horses this year so far) their retorts are often too bizarre to be believed.

A favorite is to deflect onto abortion. We hear several times each event that we should be protesting abortion clinics.

Other times there are breakdowns in communication and the words just don’t come out right.

Consider for example a woman who recently, in a rage screamed at me that I should ‘protest babies.’

I responded that I am not against babies.

To this day I am not sure why this woman was so adamant about the emerging threat posed by newborns. I do hope someday she will come back to explain. If there is an ethical issue posed by the presence of infants, I certainly don’t want to overlook it.

Thinking Like One Trick Ponies

It must be hard for them to imagine that other people are capable of walking and chewing twizzlers at the same time. This is evident in the constant questions from animal abusers eagerly dragging their twelve packs and lawn chairs toward the gate.

They want to know why we aren’t supporting veterans, protesting human rights or organizing for peace. Ironically, many of my fellow protesters and I frequently participate in many causes. Some on behalf of the very people who are shouting slurs and insults as they walk by us.

Yet they assume that because they see us in one place for a few hours once a week, that there is no place else that we go.

Many young children imagine their teachers live in the classrooms and are startled to run into them at the grocery store or mall. For a child to make this assumption is cute and endearing. For an adult, though, it just comes across as idiotic.

Nice Leather Shoes!

It must be difficult going through life feeling as if you have no options. This is evident in the assumption that our sneakers and shoes must be made of leather. Most of us are vegan and I can assure you that those I have heard this faux compliment aimed at were not in fact wearing leather.

Perhaps people who can’t envision an alternative to throwing away their money and getting sloppy drunk while supporting an industry that abuses animals also are incapable of imagining that people can find alternatives to footwear that exploits animals.

If one of them were to address this with me while standing still long enough for a response (mostly they shout this while running away and hiding behind others in the crowd), I would gladly encourage them to visit the Vegan Outfitter in Troy NY, where all kinds of amazing shoes and accessories can be found which are free of animal cruelty.

We’re All Gonna Die!!!

Nothing brings out the inner Rapture believer in them like being confronted with the knowledge that horses die on racing tracks.

Magically, they are transformed into the caricature of the true believer standing on a street corner shouting that the end is nigh.

“we’re all gonna die someday” or “the horses are gonna die anyway” seem logical justifications to the morally deficient.

I often wonder if the same logic would hold any weight if used on them. Would they be ok with someone jumping them in an ally, stabbing them and stealing their cooler-o-booze because, well, they’re just gonna die anyway?

Get a Job Ya Paid Protesters!

Animal abusers are often underestimated. Make no mistake, these folks have many talents. One of them is the ability to talk out of both sides of their mouths at the same time.

We are often told to get a job.

This is amusing for a number of reasons. The racetrack protests are on weekends, which is for those in many work settings, a time that one does not have to work. This is not a natural phenomenon, but a byproduct of massive protests that occurred hundreds of years ago at which time people organized and fought for the eight hour work day and five day work week.

Ironically, they were probably also told to ‘get a job.’

Even though some of us have the weekends off, others, like myself, don’t. We make time to protest around our work schedules. It is ironic that those cooler lugging bastions of wisdom can’t see the hypocrisy in their proclamation that we should be working as they stroll their hindquarters into the track for a leisurely day of animal abuse, alcohol abuse and classism.

While we are assumed to be unemployed, we are also simultaneously believed to be paid for our protest efforts. We are asked how much money we are making to protest.

Yes, no lie.

And I am not just trying to hide money from the IRS when I say this, but in all honesty, I draw no income from protesting, nor does anyone else in attendance.

Stop Upsetting My Fucking Kids!

Unfortunately, when it comes to Saratoga Race Track, animal abuse becomes the game the whole family can play. People drag their children past us en route to the track. Older kids read our signs. I have hope in them, they are smart and they have access to Google.

When I first had the idea to wear a Grim Reaper costume with a sign reading “I’ve come to collect my winnings” I was genuinely concerned about upsetting children who may be afraid of the costume. I weighed the pros and cons in my head and ultimately decided that their parents are bringing them to be surrounded by intoxicated people and watch horses get whipped and at times, vanned off to their deaths, so a costume pales in comparison.

Still, people express outrage that we disrupt their psychopathic pursuit of pleasure with our signs, costumes, displays and chanting.

They tell us we are setting a bad example for their kids, even as they walk by with middle fingers upraised. Often they shout obscenities.

Today for example, a man carrying a very young child on his shoulders screamed at us to ‘shut the fuck’ up.

Apparently, animal abuse is not the only thing he is intent on teaching his child early.

On the whole, one can empathize with the heightened defenses of those still patronizing the racing industry. People no longer try to claim our facts are disputable. Their anger is, if anything, a testament to their guilt. Like a person with an addiction that has hit rock bottom and must confront their destructive behavior or further spiral into oblivion, the racing industry and its patrons know they can no longer pretend there is not a problem.

The only remaining question is what they are willing to do about it. Many, driven by addiction, compulsion and the desire to pretend for just a few hours to be a part of the affluent class, find it easier to project guilt and shame onto those who show them the truth.