Brian May, Badgers and Apartheid

[irenewilde 10]

Good point.

 

I've always been deeply suspicious of people who think that 'human life' is somehow sacred or valuable when there are clearly far too many humans on the planet and a cull, or worldwide pandemic wiping out the majority of humans, would be of immense benefit to majority of other species and the planet as a whole.

 

As for favour to animals - my dog, for example, is far rarer than any of the human sub-species and therefore a more precious creature in some ways than any human, all of which are replaceable many times over.

 

I like your style...

[Birds 10]

Brian May is looking more and more like a badger himself these days, perhaps he's worried he'll get killed.

[Rampent 10]

Brian May is looking more and more like a badger himself these days, perhaps he's worried he'll get killed.

 

That's so very true!! :hihi:

[lil-minx92 10]

Why don't you try doing a bit of research before you apply your fingers to a keyboard? It'd stop you looking so foolish. People can be experts in more than one subject in a lifetime, especially if they happen to have way above average intelligence. I realise this may come as a surprise to you.

 

Chill out love I was just being facetious

[Number Six 10]

I note that Brian May is against badgers being culled, and yet paid someone to cull the deer on his land - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/9701188/Animal-rights-campaigner-Brian-May-allowed-deer-to-be-culled-on-his-estate.html

 

"Save Me" said the deer.

"Don't stop me now" replied May. "and another one's gone, another one's gone - another one bites the dust"

[wednesday1 10]

I see Brian May is opposed to culling badgers.

 

I don't know much about the ins and outs of it (but I suspect if there is an issue it's too many cattle in too small a space and not enough predators to eat badgers)

 

I have been struck by just how keen Dr May (in a lot of the news stories they call him 'Dr May' rather than the usual 'Brian' - presumably he used his title in his press release?) is to stop the cull though.

 

He's calling for boycotts of dairy produce from cull areas, for example.

 

He has also said the cull is

 

 

 

However, it occurred to me that you could use exactly the same phrase about the apartheid regime in South Africa. A regime so intolerable that the rest of the world boycotted the country and all it's produce for years.

 

That didn't stop Dr May from playing Sun City as part of Queen in South Africa during the boycott, breaking a boycott and tacitly supporting a regime that was "scientifically, practically and ethically indefensible and it is against the wishes of the majority of people of [the] country".

 

It just seems odd to me that he can care so much about badgers (they are lovely though) and not so much about people.

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

I remember when John Peel introduced Queen on Top of The Pops as the 'sun city boy's themesleves' sadly for JP it was to be his last show.

[gnvqsos 10]

I have no idea what Queens reasoning was for playing, but I dont think it was immoral - there are those who believe that the boycott was responsible for apartheid lasting as long as it did, and all it did was make life worse for the people that apartheid was already discriminating against, without making anything worse for the rulers.

 

Were many of these people victims of apartheid,or were they part of the white elite and the intelligentsia?

[Mr Prime 10]

I think you are spot on.I do not like Queen and cant abide those men with hair from the 70s.Perhaps he is opposing the cull as I presume he uses badger fur to supplement his hair loss.alternatively it does often look as if he has a badger on his head so perhaps he regards them as pets.

 

A few renamed songs from the Queen repertoire

 

"Adairyban Rhapsody", "Seven seeds of whey" and 'We will block you",all sung by Freddie Nocreamery.

 

Don't pretend not to like Queen just to make yourself look mysterious.

[Mr Prime 10]

I have no idea what Queens reasoning was for playing, but I dont think it was immoral - there are those who believe that the boycott was responsible for apartheid lasting as long as it did, and all it did was make life worse for the people that apartheid was already discriminating against, without making anything worse for the rulers.

 

I'm not sure you should be a moderator with that level of morality.

[donuticus 10]

Good point.

 

I've always been deeply suspicious of people who think that 'human life' is somehow sacred or valuable when there are clearly far too many humans on the planet and a cull, or worldwide pandemic wiping out the majority of humans, would be of immense benefit to majority of other species and the planet as a whole.

 

As for favour to animals - my dog, for example, is far rarer than any of the human sub-species and therefore a more precious creature in some ways than any human, all of which are replaceable many times over.

 

Have you slipped back in Bartfarst mode old bean?

[Mr Prime 10]

Firstly, I'm not sure what one has to do with the other, but more importantly not supporting a boycott because you think it does no good does not make you immoral. Being in favour of apartheid is immoral, being against it but believing that the method to get rid of it should have directly targeted the leaders of the nation instead of the people is most certainly not immoral.

 

You know perfectly well what it has to do with being a moderator unless SF allows anyone to be a moderator?

 

You are defending immoral people who ignored the consensus and the mainly solid boycott held by their peers to act in a completely selfish manner. Money talks and...

 

The rest of your argument is the kind of rubbish Paxman would tear apart in seconds. How could bands target the leadership? Utterly meaningless although it could be argued that a solid boycott did that anyway by embarrassing them and depriving them of revenue. Did that occur to you?

[Magilla 510]

That didn't stop Dr May from playing Sun City as part of Queen in South Africa during the boycott, breaking a boycott and tacitly supporting a regime that was "scientifically, practically and ethically indefensible and it is against the wishes of the majority of people of [the] country".

 

It just seems odd to me that he can care so much about badgers (they are lovely though) and not so much about people.

 

Any thoughts?

 

They said the same about Paul Simon when he went there to make Graceland.

 

Queen insisted that any audience they played to would have to be non segregated and that was one of the first concerts that was.

 

It's not as black and white as you seem to think it is, many could argue that these artists playing in SA when the ban was still in force helped change attitudes and the thinking of the time in SA.

 

I don't see how the reality of the situation in anyway equates to "not caring much about people".