Even as a person with a rather questionable moral compass (and I’m being generous to myself here), I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around Mutton Bustin’. It’s scheduled to be featured this weekend at the Multnomah County Fair at Oaks Park, which will also showcase the usual array of pettable farm animals, food, rides, a talent show, an alpaca pavilion (!!) and other fun stuff. But Mutton Bustin’? That gives me pause…
If you’ve never seen Mutton Bustin’, it’s a rodeo event for children that’s supposed to mimic the adult sport of bronco riding. A large sheep is put inside a chute, a small child is placed on its back, they open the chute and BANG! The sheep takes off and throws the child off in an unceremonious manner, usually within six seconds or less. Here’s a video:
Okay, so on one hand, the ASPCA is absolutely right in their condemnation of using rodeo animals in such a way… the sheep have absolutely no choice in this matter. And while it does provide a guilty type of hilarity— especially if you don’t like kids very much—putting the children backwards, face down on the bottom of the sheep seems like a particularly weird type of child abuse. Then there’s the crowd factor—a bunch of adults who don’t really seem to care that much about the safety of the children or the sheep.
BUT! Maybe I’m being a Debbie Downer (again), and this falls under the classification of ATVs, jet skis, and snow mobiles… sports that are loathsome to look at, but actually super fun in practice.
Anyway, like I said, my shaky moral compass cannot be trusted—which is why I leave the final decision in the hands of the only court that I truly think of as “supreme”… YOU, the voters in the following BLOGTOWN POLL.
Are these sheep being injured in any way? It’s hard to rely on philosophical outrage when there’s no actual harm being done.
To me, the simplest question of ethics concerning animals is, “would you subject your own pet to the equivalent treatment?”
@CC: Would you let a child 1/3 the size of your dog to play-wrestle with it while under close adult supervision?
My dog wouldn’t voluntarily let a kid play-wrestle with her, but I don’t think that’s the equivalent question.
“Would I force my dog to allow a child to ride her backwards while she is released in front of a screaming crowd of complete assholes and forced to keep fighting until the child is thrown off?”
I don’t think that’s a very close call.
These people are fucking asshole relics of a much worse time in history. I would not expect much from them.
Gotta say, I’m surprised by the downvotes.
You can make a case for food, you can make a case for medical testing, but I thought in 2014 it would be pretty safe to assert that tormenting animals purely for our amusement should be off the menu.
Like, obviously so.
@CC: I guess I should stop tormenting dogs by acting like I’m throwing a ball; but then not really throwing it. Or disgustingly inbreeding dogs to the point where they have difficulty breathing, or are completely unable to give birth without surgical assistance. Of the vast array of indignities we suffer upon the fauna of the world, I don’t find this one to be particularly odiferous.
Now lets talk about greased pig chases. Or making cats wear sweaters.
I just read the ASPCA position on this matter. They’re against this sheep riding thing because, “it does not “promote humane care and respect for animals”. Not because these animals are being harmed in any ways worse than what would happen if they were living on an actual farm.
So the ASPCA is just pulling a “BUT THINK OF TEH CHILDENS!!”
We country kids always rode (or tried to ride) our sheep and goats. (Yes, I get that you could make a joke our of this….try to refrain.) It was super fun. Sheep and goats have a boney spine that makes you not want to stay on too long, nor ride them when you are bigger. Why rob the hicks’ joy?