Saturday, April 07, 2007

Chow's kitty video in poor taste

In other YouTube political video news, came across a wire piece yesterday talking about a video that NDP MP Olivia Chow has posted trying to gain support for an NDP push for stricter federal regulation of pet food, in the wake of the pet food controversy of late.

The concept is good, and since our family had dogs (and a few cats) when I lived at home I'm certainly sympathetic and supportive of the message. I wrote off the ominous music at the top...do you know what's in your pet food?...as good fun and the message from Ms. Chow was fine; her playing with her cat was cute.

But they lost me at the end, when a young lady holds up a drawing of a dead cat, Xs through the eyes, and says “If you don't want your cat ending up like this, sign a petition online...

Maybe my partisanship is clouding my judgment here, and I'd appreciate your thoughts on that. But, to me, that seems in really poor taste. I like the rest of the vid fine, and as I said, I'm supportive of stricter regulation.

But to out and out say if you don't want your pet dead... to hold up a drawing of a dead cat...I really think that crosses the line. Particularly for a video by a Member of Parliament.

I just hate to see it detract from an important message.

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6 comments:

April Reign (aka Debra) said...

Really? You're going to take offense to that?

I have six kids. Believe me this is the way kids do things. Kids don't do spin and nuance. The fact is the pet food was killing animals, you don't draw that with a smilie face.

The youngen' was trying to make a point and I think she did so.

How about saving the umbrage for bigger issues and appreciating the care and concern these young people are showing?

Jeff said...

April, on an outrage and umbrage scale of 1 to 10, I'd say my umbrage is about a 3. Frankly, my greater disappointment is that it detracts from a message I'm otherwise in full agreement with.

As for it being kids, sure, the person holding the sign was young. But the video was posted and endorsed by Ms. Chow, so while I'd write it off as kids being kids otherwise, I tend to hold MPs to a slightly higher standard.

April Reign (aka Debra) said...

So you're saying that if a politician endorses something youth are doing, the youth have to be held to an adult standard?

And I'm really not getting what about the x's is so offensive?

Pets died, did they not? Are they supposed to gloss over that?

Jeff said...

But April, it's Chow's video. She produced it, and she posted it on her own YouTube page. Why would it be unreasonable to hold her responsible for the content?

As for the Xs, they represent death, it's a picture of a dead cat. And the voiceover, if you don't want this to happen (your cat to die) sign our petition. There's glossing and there's poor taste, that crossed it IMO.

April Reign (aka Debra) said...

Well I see the poor taste in allowing unregulated industry to kill pets. And while they don't have x's for eyes are just as dead.

But don't let me interrupt the partisan bashing.

Jeff said...

Mild criticism is partisan bashing? I suspect I'm not going to convince you otherwise, so we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.