Pardon at the slaughterhouse: The obliviousness of Sarah Palin and the killing of turkeys
By Michael J.W. Stickings
As you may have heard already -- and you may even have seen the clip -- Sarah Palin (you know, the governor of Alaska), pardoned a turkey and then gave an interview to a local TV station with turkeys being slaughtered in the background.
How ironic. She's such an animal lover, but the only thing she loves is killing them. And don't think she doesn't -- remember that prank call from a couple of Montreal DJs pretending to be Sarkozy? "Sarkozy" told her he hoped to go hunting with her, perhaps even to hunt from helicopters. She actually laughed when "Sarkozy" said he loves "killing those animals" ("take away a life, that is so fun"). Sure, she may have been laughing out of awkwardness, at least in part, but she obviously likes killing.
It's no surprise that Palin lacks a sense of irony and no surprise that she okayed the backdrop to her interview. I suppose in-your-face, blood-and-guts slaughter plays better in Alaska than it does in the "unreal" America, or at least in the world I inhabit. Maybe she thought she was just being folksy, that the whole slaughter thing is folksy, the sort of things "real" Americans like to do, or at least have no problem with.
Whatever the case, she seems, as usual, utterly oblivious.
If you want to watch it, HuffPo has the clip here. Please note, however, that it's extremely unpleasant -- and, for once, Palin isn't the most unpleasant thing about it.
As you may have heard already -- and you may even have seen the clip -- Sarah Palin (you know, the governor of Alaska), pardoned a turkey and then gave an interview to a local TV station with turkeys being slaughtered in the background.
How ironic. She's such an animal lover, but the only thing she loves is killing them. And don't think she doesn't -- remember that prank call from a couple of Montreal DJs pretending to be Sarkozy? "Sarkozy" told her he hoped to go hunting with her, perhaps even to hunt from helicopters. She actually laughed when "Sarkozy" said he loves "killing those animals" ("take away a life, that is so fun"). Sure, she may have been laughing out of awkwardness, at least in part, but she obviously likes killing.
It's no surprise that Palin lacks a sense of irony and no surprise that she okayed the backdrop to her interview. I suppose in-your-face, blood-and-guts slaughter plays better in Alaska than it does in the "unreal" America, or at least in the world I inhabit. Maybe she thought she was just being folksy, that the whole slaughter thing is folksy, the sort of things "real" Americans like to do, or at least have no problem with.
Whatever the case, she seems, as usual, utterly oblivious.
If you want to watch it, HuffPo has the clip here. Please note, however, that it's extremely unpleasant -- and, for once, Palin isn't the most unpleasant thing about it.
Labels: Alaska, animals, Sarah Palin, Thanksgiving
posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at
2:00 PM
5 Comments:
...and I take it you are a vegetarian? If you eat meat, you are just as guilty as the hand that pulls a trigger. Just not as courageous, because you have to have yours prepackaged, like your candidate.
You folks need to get over it. You got your guy, and he's not proving to be too street-smart, just book smart (or so we're told - no one has seen any of his college records). If he can fix this mess Bush created, more power to him. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, which is more than you've done. By the way, where has he been the last few days while the economy was falling furher apart?
I swear that I'm sorry I ever was a Democrat, which I was until this election. Ya'll are a hate-filled bunch.
Happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy your turkey that fell from the turkey tree...
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Anonymous, at 8:24 PM
Yes, Anonymous I eat meat and I know the meat I am eating has been slaughtered. I'm not stupid. What I am smart enough to do is not show myself in front of it where children may see it. Daddy why did the Governor kill that turkey? You see to a five year old a turkey is a dog is a cat is a living being. They do think things fall off of trees. You mentioned pulling the trigger. Would let your child watch an firing squad or an execution on TV?
By
Madrigal Maniac, at 11:13 PM
According to Olberman's sub on Countdown, the reporter asked her if she wanted to move to a different backdrop and Palin said "no worries." Oblivious, indeed.
For the record, when Countdown aired the clip, they prefaced it by suggesting that any children who might be in the room to leave.
Whether or not a particular practice is acceptable to be done is not the threshold for judging whether or not a scene is a reasonable backdrop for a media interview. We know how babies are born, but would Bristol's birthing room be a reasonable backdrop for a Palin interview (assuming Bristol's consent)? How about open-heart surgery? Not so much.
By
lindabeth, at 11:23 PM
The Turkey pardon tradition (and media coverage thereof) is typically reserved for the POTUS, so I did not find it surprising that Palin was out in front of a gobbler processing facility, wishing she was something she's not. I have no delusions about where my white and dark meat come from, or how they got there. My father used to kill the Thanksgiving goose in our backyard. It still tasted quite good. No, what disturbs me most is this infantile media fascination with a woman who appears to be a nightmarish blending of Himmler and an obnoxious cocktail waitress. Of course, they thought Pee Wee Herman and Tiny Tim were fascinating, too.
By
SOCOACH, at 12:59 AM
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