Ahhhh, the nobility of the races.
What a crock of shit. When I was a kid, long before I became a hippie-pinko-commie-vegan, the first thing I ever decided on my own was that I didn’t like horse racing. It seemed obvious to me that it was a cruel form of animal slavery and the only beings getting any joy out of it were in the stands and on the saddles. Why is horse racing still a respected “sport?” It doesn’t seem that much more civil than dog fighting.
Surely, the gambling infrastructure that supports it has something to do with it.
Yet the glorification of horse racing continues. Who else is so sick of movies about the struggles and triumphs of people who own overbred equines?
You’ve all seen this trailer for Secretariat several times by now. It pisses me off more every time.
Going around in circles with a shorty on your back is one thing. The real cruelty comes after the horses are too old to race. The Humane Society of The United States says:
“Each year, tens of thousands of American horses—riding horses, carriage horses, race horses, wild horses, and children’s ponies—are inhumanely transported and slaughtered, their meat shipped to places like France, Italy, and Japan for human consumption.”
Now watch this PETA investigative report. (I know, I know, everybody H8s on PETA, but this report is legit.)
I’m aware that we need to pick our battles, especially on the Animal Rights tip. But Hollywood doesn’t keep releasing movie after movie about slaughterhouse owners who overcome adversity to rise to the top of their profession with a combination of a can-do spirit and good ol’ fashion perseverance. Nor would they. Because no one would buy that shit. But they do keep releasing dreck like Secretariat, and everybody laps it up.
Fuck you, Disney. I take back my effusive praise for National Treasure. Well the parts that don’t have Nic Cage in it, anyway.
Thanks June! Really dug that Salon piece too. One more reason not to see it!
What upsets me the most about this video is that it’s funded with money that is supposed to go to animal shelters. Peta is funded by the HSUS. The HSUS gives one half of one percent of all donations to animal shelters. The rest goes to funding nutjobs at PETA who in turn employ terorist organizations. Why aren’t there movies about that.
@Really. What upsets me most about you is that you’re stupid.
@Arthur Leon Adams III. Wow, you sure told me! Are you a grade schooler trying to pose as an adult?
@Really. Your straw-man argument re: HSUS funding PETA didn’t address any of the concerns brought up in my post about the treatment of race horses. It was stupid and irrelevant. That (and your semi-annonymous posting name) is the only thing I have to go on about you. Therefore, I logically conclude that you iz stoopid.
@Arthur Leon Adams III. If your article would have had credible sources listed I may have taken this article seriously. If you are so concerned about the treatment of racehorses you should know that the HSUS lobbying is the main reason these horses are transported overseas when their racing careers are over. I’m not a horse-racing fan, but I know if you take racing away you take another use for horses away. Look what cars did to the horse…it made them irrelevant. When domesticated animals become irrelevant they cease to exist.
This article is great, I loved it, shared it on facebook, also this one: http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/andrew_ohehir/2010/10/06/secretariat
I will be back to see what else is on this site from now on. Thanks for this. PS: also love the title, brilliant.