Monthly Archives: December 2013

Science & Technology

New Technology Will Soon Monitor Your Body’s Every Move

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Borg

 

Dr. Samori Swygert: New technology will soon monitor your every move

Have you noticed the increasing trend and fascination with corporate America and our bodies?  Lately, there’s an obsession to integrate their technological devices into our bodies.  I’m not talking about insulin pumps, pacemakers, or ankle monitors.

I would like to start with the incorporation of Bluetooth technology into our social settings.  Initially Bluetooth emerged as a breakthrough mobile convenience that allowed for hands-free maneuvering of vehicles, and allowed users to multitask with the availability of phone-free hands. Bluetooth then paved way for streaming of music and other wireless functions. Yeah go Bluetooth!

However, the most recent innovations of technology have me raising my eyebrows in surprise and skepticism.  In one quantum leap, nanotechnology has taken innovation to a whole new level.

“Take two pills and call me in the morning”

A company named Proteus Biomedical has created a biochip that is the size of a grain of sand.  This microchip will be embedded in your medicine tablets in the future.  The FDA approved this technology in 2012.  The purported purpose of this invention is to increase medication compliance with patients.  Many doctors claim that patients are not improving because patients don’t take their medicine at the correct time and consistency.  This pill is “said” to give doctors real time data about their patient’s adherence to a medication regimen.  The patient takes the micro-chipped pill, and wears a patch on their skin.  The silicon chip contains magnesium and copper, this allows the pill to stay powered off the patient’s bodily fluid.  The pill may transmit info like temperature, heart rate, breathing rate, time of ingestion and other biometric data.   The information is then relayed to the patch and into the physician’s cellphone or other digital device for the data.  It is not listed, but I say it is a matter of time before they upgrade it to relay your DNA.

“Open wide and say, ahhhh”

The Tooth-fairy will be snitching on your wisdom tooth with this BLUETOOTH invention, really!  I read an article from the Economist Magazine entitled, If Tooth Be Told.  They reported that in Taiwan, the National Taiwan University has developed and are modifying a device that can be implanted in your dentures, and artificial tooth.  The goal is “oral activity recognition”.  By implanting this device in your mouth, researchers will be able to analyze dietary consumption patterns.  The device will also determine coughing, speaking, respiratory secretions, and an array of other oral activity.  The information will then be transmitted to an external smart device.  The research was displayed at a Wearable Technology Symposium in Zurich this past September.

“They never saw it coming” says Ray Charles

The revolution will happen right before your eyes with Google Glass.  This eyewear provides the wearer of the eyeglasses with access to texting, web-surfing, email, and other computer functionalities in the corner of the lens.  The glasses can also capture photos and video footage.  This invention also comes with the accoutrements of wireless integration and hands-free comfort.

“Not on my watch!”

Driving the technological revolution forward is Nissan.  Nissan has created a Smart-watch that will monitor your heart rate, body temperature and other biometric data from a watch on your wrist they have created.  The information also will be displayed on the dashboard.  The watch will also inform the driver of information such as mileage and gas consumption.

“Twin Peaks or peaking on the twins!”

Moving along, we now have companies making implants in your implants!  Yes, breast implants are soon to be implanted with a RFID (radio frequency ID).  The New York Daily News published an article this October that details how a Florida and Belgium based company, Establishment Labs, has developed a new silicone implant with an RFID microchip.  The newest product called, Motiva Implant Matrix Ergonomix, will provide manufacturers the serial number, make and model, integrity and condition of the implant, and of course… other data.  This is said to empower women with the comfort of knowing their implants are safe and provides a medium of communication if a “health scare” occurs.  I guess this will help if your breast make and model get “recalled”, or other hazardous phenomena happens to surface.

Revelation 13:16-17

Saving the best for last, sounding like the mark of the beast from Revelations, comes Google again!  This digital behemoth that we all use has filed a patent for an electronic digital tattoo.  This tattoo is reported to be the size of a stamp or band-aid and worn placed on your neck.  The tattoo is supposed to sync with wireless Bluetooth devices like cellphones, tablets, games, Google Glasses, musical and other handheld devices.  They declare that it improves sound quality in phone conversations, and yes, it can also be used a POLYGRAPH MACHINE (lie detector).

My Take On This Topic

We’ve seen how countries have conquered and colonized land.  We’ve seen how everything digital has been compromised by either hackers, or by the NSA going beyond our approval to peer into our personal lives under the name of safety and surveillance.  We now have private corporations that want to get even more intimate by intruding into our bodies.  Our bodies are the last bastion of freedom, independence, and liberty we have as humans.  Many of our most devious inventions start out as noble motives and then mutate to something more sinister in nature.  Based on Eric Snowden we see that the government either paid or forced private companies to surrender their users private information.  Now imagine the same thing happening with these biometric wearable devices.  Sometimes convenience is not correct.  Maintain your autonomy and protect your freedom.  GPS could mean Global Prisoner Sensor.

We are in a battle for our body and minds.  You may not be a Christian but I encourage you to consider this biblical passage:          1 Corinthians 6:19-20 .  Okay, until next time, be blessed. Peace…

you can also read this at: http://www.kulturekritic.com/2013/11/news/dr-samori-swygert/

Socio-Cultural Commentary

Fox News contributor calls for arms to combat the “knockout game”

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By: Dr. Samori Swygert

This is a wake up call and word to the wise.  This “knockout game” is not a joke!  To all the youth and young adults out there that are engaging in this sick psychotic form of entertainment, BEWARE!!  We already saw how one individual was shot with a 40 caliber  handgun twice!  Well the dog whistle has been blown and you have now been marked.

I happened to run across a tweet by a Fox News Contributor, Katie Pavlich, her twitter post said ”With all the knockout “game” news I highly suggest people take @nra‘s Refuse to be a Victim…”.  Katie Pavlich is a conservative news pundit with a Twitter following of over 85,000 people.

This program she referenced is sponsored by the NRA, and provides training and instruction on firearm use.  This is an indicator that people are not willing to tolerate this type of violent activity, and are ready to take up arms to defend themselves.  So, to all my young people, stop playing around with your life because other people are not!  Many individuals have been waiting for this type of behavior to have an excuse to execute young black kids.  Moreover, this is blatantly wrong, point blank period!  This fuels the flame for stand your ground laws.

We saw the sad and unfortunate outcome of Trayvon Martin, and he was just minding his business when George Zimmerman instigated a deadly altercation.  However, with the news spreading about youth playing a potentially deadly game for enjoyment, many black youth are setting themselves up to be profiled for execution.  Fear alone can make an armed person use a firearm in an unwarranted circumstance just off a perceived threat.  This animalistic game makes all innocent and harmless black youth potential targets when walking in a group, just because the word is out.

Approximately 85,000 individuals now have a seed planted in their head about getting armed and prepared for violent encounters.

Parents I encourage you to get this message out to our children, nephews, nieces and other family members to stop this foolishness.  If a youth gets killed from participating in this behavior, people are well within their rights to defend themselves at all costs to save their lives.  The black community can not and will not rally behind you and vouch for you under these circumstances.  I myself am angered at this nonsense.

Okay village, lets develop some more engaging and constructive activities for our youth to participate in to cultivate their interests, develop ideas, and provide opportunities for success, because this is not it!

  1. http://inagist.com/all/403686528012267520/?utm_source=inagist&utm_medium=rss
  1. http://refuse.nra.org/find-a-seminar.aspx
Business & Financial News

Rebuilding the Black CEO for Black Business

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By: Samori Swygert

This will be a 3 part series breaking down the new Black CEO.  First, when I say CEO I’m not discussing the title of, Chief Executive Officer.  When I refer to the Black CEO, the mnemonic stands for the 3 business components (Customer, Employee, Owner).  The black community needs an economic revolution, and all business begins with the CEO trifecta.

Various symposiums within the black community are trying to zero in on rebuilding wealth, ownership, employment and business within our neighborhoods. Black America has been made aware of our $1.1 Trillion power base, but like Dr. Claud Anderson said ” this money is disaggregated”.  If we are going to rebuild black economics, we must do it right.  Today I will deal strictly with the Owner.

The Owner 

The first component I would like to address is the Owner.  Owners of black businesses should try to employ black labor, foster apprenticeships, training and development.  The black unemployment is nearly %14 on a national level and higher on local city and state levels.  Owners should eschew all forms of deliberate financial mismanagement, embezzlement, nepotism, cronyism and malfeasance.  This behavior diminishes our brand, tarnishes reputations, ruins consumer trust, and earning potential. As a Black Owned Business (BOB) we cannot conduct business as scam artists, hustlers, con men, unconcerned merchants and community leaches.

Not all BOBs conduct business as the aforementioned characteristics, but there are so called BOBs that are parasitic to the black community, and the only thing they have in common with the black community is their complexion.

 Owners need to understand the African American market. Don’t seek to price gauge, and over price services and commodities that are outside our purchasing power or affordability.  I would encourage owners to establish a relationship with the communities via philanthropy, scholarships, food and clothing drives.  These activities create incentives that encourage blacks to spend at your establishment because there is a return on investment.

 As BOBs and entrepreneurs we must ensure top quality products and services.  We must take pride in the appearance of our establishment and products.  The condition of the establishment and product is an indicator of your business practices.  All BOBs should provide clean, undamaged, and functional goods, and maintain a clean and organized facility.

All services provided should be punctual, timely, prompt, and expedient.  Time is money, and time is something nobody can afford to waste.   Consumers should be given high priority and attention on a temporal scale.  If store hours are from 9am- 10pm, then stores should be open, cleaned, and all registers manned by 8:50am.  If BOBs are providing a service within communities then appointments should be timely, we shouldn’t foster the traditional stereotype of “CP time”.  A simple but important mandate is to create transparent, understandable, and unwavering purchase and return policies.

Business and pleasure don’t mix!  Countless businesses have failed because of s****l harassment, and/or mixing business functions between spouses and lovers.  When the romantic relationships sour and disintegrate, the business will typically be destroyed because both parties try to extract ownership and capital from the business.  This results in unemployment for employees, a  loss of a service in the community where black consumers must now find a new merchant to patronize, and often times the sale of real estate.  This opens the floodgates for other races or vulture corporations to infiltrate and occupy our community.

The current economic condition with in the black community is depressed, and this calls for black businesses to partner and unify.  We hear that competition and rivalry is good for business, but at this particular time we need a united front.  Black businesses need to coalesce.  All black businesses need to see a common community goal and work in a concerted effort to help each other grow and expand the market.  Developing these partnerships and interrelationships builds institutions like the famed BLACK WALLSTREET.

 A common symbiotic goal between businesses will lift the community.  When the community is lifted and strengthened economically, your business will see record breaking gain because you are attracting customers to spend with you.   Share resources, ideas, strategies, suppliers, distributors, and networks.   Corporate America does it all the time!  Haven’t you seen Taco Bell, and KFC under the same roof, same power, and same water filtration source?  Haven’t you seen a corporation endorse another group’s interest like Target promoting the Susan G Komen foundation?  Haven’t you charged money on a credit card and earned rewards for a flight on an airline, or redeem a discount at a hotel? This is how we need to embrace and promote each other.

Black businesses should be more proactive and assertive about customer feedback.  Find out how you are performing in the customer’s eyes.  The most important thing to find out is how you can improve your product or service, and how do you compare to bigger named corporate entities.  Conduct these on a routine basis.

The major emphasis is politics now.  You have to almost be a hybrid of an owner and politician, because so many laws are coming down the political pipeline that can make or break your establishment like the Healthcare reform.  New tax reform codes are being  levied that the previous owners didn’t have to address.  You also must keep up with immigration reform and its’ mandates on human resources during the employment process and all the legalities it entails.

Lastly, technology, technology, technology!.  Technology can propel your business forward, or force you into irrelevance and obsolescence.   However, it is important to stay abreast of the tech advancement but also balancing it with a mindful approach of maintaining a human workforce.

This is it for the first installment of my opinion of the NEW BLACK CEO (Customer, Employee, Owner).  The next article will discuss my opinions on the black employee…..Be blessed.   I don’t have all the answers but I love sharing my thoughts.  What do you think?

You can also read this at: http://www.kulturekritic.com/2013/11/news/samori-swygert-rebuilding-black-ceo-black-business/

African American Legacy

The importance in salvaging the African American legacy

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Black-History-Month-300x202

by: Samori Swygert

It’s imperative that we pick up the baton and carry the torch that was carried by our ancestors.  Our posterity and future is completely dependent on what we do now.  Our elders are dying, and our legacy, heritage, and tradition is dying with them.

Many people ask, “why does a lot of your writing revolve around Afrocentricity?”.  First, the answer is because we need the most help right now.  Secondly, all other cultures embrace all their cultural heritage without pushback from their own.

Dr. Claud Anderson says, “you can walk down the street of Chinatown, Little Italy, and Little Havana”.  We can walk by synagogues and yeshivas.  You can see America’s traditional representation by schools like: George Washington University, American University, or go to Manhattan and shop along Avenue of the Americas, or visit the Jefferson Memorial, Columbus Circle, the Washington Monument, see Mount Rushmore, Kennedy Space Center, visit the Lincoln Theatre, open an account with Bank of America, and we still have sections that fly the confederate flag with pride.  I applaud these other cultures for the protection and preservation of their legacy, because you are supposed to!

What are we leaving as evidence for African Americans, and what will we do to foster a continuum of African American excellence?

Our communities and institutions are in disarray and disrepair. The important thing to remember is, this can be fixed!  Why would any other race help us, if we are not actively trying to improve and ameliorate our situation?

 President Barack Obama encouraged us to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, and to stop moaning and groaning. This is why I assert an African American stance in my writings.  Let me be clear!  I’m not talking about developing racism, and hatred. This is about repairing, rehabilitation, and restoration.

My answer is simple and a reiteration of many that have gone before me. We must continue the focus on education with application, foster innovation, and have cultural loyalty.  Our kids must focus on nothing else but learning and application.

The following are my reasons for this stance.  We complained about the verdict of the Trayvon Martin case, and how officers are acquitted of offenses in cases like Rodney King, Oscar Grant, and countless other court cases.  These illustrate the necessity of more African Americans in law school.  This ensures that we have equal representation with our judges, defense and prosecuting attorneys.  We also saw the makeup of the Zimmerman jury pool.  This is why we need to avoid prison because we need more eligible blacks to preside on the jury of our peers.  We’ve also seen how a Pennsylvania judge got busted for taking financial deals to railroad black defendants to jail.

Our children need education to fill positions in banking, real estate, and finance.  This ensures that banking institutions are not conducting biased business and housing loan denials to qualified African Americans.  This reassures fair hiring is being practiced.  We’ve witnessed Bank of America being fined $ 2 million dollars for discriminatory hiring practices that resulted in the denial of over 1000 qualified African American job applicants.

We need our children to enter the political arena.  The more mayors, governors, senators, representatives, supreme court justices, and etc, potentially increases the representation of our concerns and presence in the American political system.  We need blacks that can filibuster the same way Ran Paul can for hours on end.  We need influential black lobbyist and watchdog groups that can keep the community abreast of political issues of grave concern.  This is best illustrated by laws like Stop and Frisk, cumbersome Voter ID laws, striking down sections of the Voting Rights act, the rolling back of Affirmative Action, and even the accessibility of funds for HBCUs.  Yes, we need more African American politicians!

Our children need to continue seeking degrees in education.  School after school is being closed all across America.  The emergence of charter schools are ubiquitous.  This implies that we need more African Americans as teachers, principals, chancellors, superintendents, and school board personnel.   Dr. Juwanza Kunjufu has pointed out in several studies that more effective learning occurs when the student and teacher share the same ethnicity.

There are teachers of various ethnicities that are excellent, because I’ve had some in my educational experience.  However, I feel that a more genuine interest is innately exhibited when a teacher can see themselves in the students they instruct.

 A good movie to watch and serve as an illustration is the Dead Poets Society.  You can see  the passion Robin Williams’ character exudes in the education of his students.  You can also see that there was no black child in that movie either!  Moreover, you can see how positively this type of educational setting was received, because it won as Best Film and Best Screenplay in the USA and the UK.  This illustrates how white America viewed culturally devoted educational instruction as positive.  African American teachers may be more understanding of particular behaviors, whereas teachers of other ethnicities may attribute a child behavior to mental disorders and recommend a psych evaluation for your child.

 We need more African Americans in the healthcare field.  How would you fill knowing that your doctor is examining you with biased eyes?  Of course not all physicians are bigots, but you would be a liar and fool to say there are none, when there are still open KKK rallies, Neo Nazis, and Skinheads.  There is a bit more comfort in knowing that ideally your physician, nurse, pharmacist, and other healthcare practitioner is providing the best care possible uninfluenced by skin color.  We also need more African Americans in the science and research fields, to produce more data and research on how new drugs and procedures work on our genotype and physiology.  I won’t go into how the Tuskegee experiment was conjured.

Lastly, we need to control our entertainment.  Once we gain control of entertainment, we will be navigating to a brighter future.  This guarantees proper and positive representation in the media.  Our commercials will have equal representation and advertising of our own businesses.  The business owners decide upon the number and type of actors in their commercials and movies.  We can control our image and depiction as movie characters, and control the content of our music. This creates positive imagery for our children to emulate and seek higher heights.

If America is so upset, tired, and concerned about the poor, uneducated, welfare, thug-like, baby momma blacks, then this is all the more reason to support salvaging a positive African American Legacy.  This is all the reason bigots shouldn’t sabotage our decision to improve ourselves unless they want to see us fail.  The more positively independent we become, the less we are the perceived burden.  I feel it is timely and appropriate that we do for self and salvage our legacy via these means.   What do you think?

You can also read this at: http://www.kulturekritic.com/2013/11/news/samori-swygert-importance-salvaging-african-american-legacy/

Socio-Cultural Commentary

Samori Swygert: Letter to my younger black brother

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My Young Black Brother,

I hope all is well with you.  I’m writing you in genuine concern and interest for your well being.  You possess tremendous amounts of untapped potential and greatness that you have yet to discover about yourself.  I’ve been in many of the same situations you’re going through now, and you are probably going through some I haven’t.

Everything I’m saying to you in this letter is out of love, because some of you never knew your father, or was abandoned by your father.  I lost my father at the age of 6, and I understand the adversities in the search for manhood.  Your big brother is just taking time out of his schedule to pause and holla at ya.  I’m going to tell you some things that no rapper is going to tell you even after 6 full length albums and 100 interviews. 

First, do everything you can to save as much money as possible.  There will come a time a few years from now when you want or need to purchase, invest, or start your own business.  Some point in time you are going to want to marry the woman you dreamt of and start a family with her, and that requires savings.  Don’t waste your money on clothes, jewelry, drugs, alcohol and other nonsense.  I did that in my teenage to college years and I don’t wear any of those clothes or jewelry now, and I no longer enjoy the effects of liquor and weed we drank and smoked.  To be even more honest I lost 2 of my best friends in a drunk driven accident.  I know if I was to calculate every dollar spent on fashion trends from highschool to graduate school, I would have tens of thousands of dollars.  I’m doing pretty good financially now, but I would have been better if I had listened to my mom telling me to save my money, but I tried to keep up with the trends.

Second, respect your body man.  You get one body, there isn’t a remix on life (that’s an AZ quote).  Years of alcohol abuse, weed, ecstasy, and all other kind of drugs will take their toll on you.  I’ve seen so many friends from college that look older than they are.  You also want to be healthy enough to enjoy your family and be healthy enough to be an active parent in your child’s life.  You also don’t want to be a financial burden on your family by being chronically ill. Make sure you refrain from unprotected sex.  You don’t want to cut your life short by getting a disease that is incurable and physically destructive.  Many women won’t tell you  they’re infected, and some don’t even know they are infected and will infect you.  Buy and use your own condoms, don’t let a female give you a condom.  It is good that she is making the right and kind gesture, but you don’t know if the condom is tampered with.  If you choose to engage in sex, a real man will get tested and get his girl tested for STDs.  Get tested with any female you get serious with, and if she refuses, leave her.

You won’t get along with every girl you date.  Some relationships will be all mental, some women will teach you things and change you forever, some will just be pure physical attraction, and you will also have spiritual connections.  However, never ever, ever, ever, ever, put your hands on a woman.  When you find yourself mad enough to get physical, just leave the relationship alone and quit it.  You never want to be in that position.  Never stay in a relationship with a woman that will push you to the point of physical force.  You will end up in jail and ruin your record, ruin your gentleman reputation, deal with repercussions from the men on her side, and that’s just not love.  There is a difference between a disagreement and physical aggression.

Also, if you meet a woman you really love and she loves and respects you, don’t hesitate to say ” I love you”, and express how you feel.  A coward holds his feelings and is scared to act on them.

Be careful in these streets man.  Society has a perception of young black men and many are looking for any reason to kill you or incarcerate you.  Be conscious of your appearance, I know you’re not a thug, but if you fit the look that society sees, they will act on that perception.  Les Brown said “how you dress determines how you’re addressed”.   Carry yourself respectfully, talk with meaning and purpose.  Don’t worry about people saying you are talking proper.  One of the coldest and realest men I admire, Malcolm X, commanded the  American vocabulary and could out debate anybody.

Having a child is no joke at all.  As a young man, I know there are adventures, dreams, and just plain young fun you want to have.  When you have a child, that will force you into adulthood, and all those adventures and fun will be put on delay.  Babies are expensive man, you have to provide food, housing, daycare, education, and health insurance until that baby is your age and older.  I don’t even want to mention the amount money you will spend in child support if things don’t workout between you and the mother of your child.  You should not have to experience this at a young age, enjoy your youth.  Always think with logic first and not emotions. Remember that all emotions are temporary, but some results are permanent so  always think about your decisions.  Always,…….. planning is key.

Think about your future and take responsibility for it early.  Increase your reading and knowledge about any and everything.  School doesn’t stop when 3:30 bell rings.  Try reading a book a month, if you read 10 pages a day, that is a 300-310 page book. In 4 years you would have read 48 books that can turn you into a king.  At my age I learned that knowledge is everything.  The famous quote, “the strong rule the weak, but the wise rule the strong”, is true. Learn new languages and make friends of various ethnicities.  Your country is becoming extremely diverse and you need to know more than english, believe your brother, I’m just keepin it 100.

Avoid gangs and violence bro.  I know it’s hard because sometime the gang culture is overwhelming but try to stay neutral.  You’ll get involved in all types of dangerous, life changing experiences you would never have wanted for yourself.  Respect all men that respect you, and protect your elders.

 Don’t believe one thing these rappers say.  Rappers will have you screaming thug life and gang affiliations but they will not be there to take your bullet, or pay your bail, or keep your prison canteen commissary filled, fight your battles in jail cells and prison showers.   Your favorite rapper won’t pay your debt after you try to buy everything you see in their video.  Your favorite rapper wont take your STD pills if you catch one trying to imitate s****l acts talked about in their rhymes, or pay your child support.  What rapper could have saved Biggie, and Tupac?  None of these so called rappers could have saved them, all they could do is throw their name around, and write a song about them.

I used to hate to be told what to do.  When I got older that made me say ” take care of your business or your business will take care of you”.  The things that you should do, but don’t feel like doing, will having you doing things you never wanted to do for a long time.  Make sure you get involved politically when you’re old enough to vote, because you want to have a say in the decisions about how you live your life.

Okay little bro, I’m about to bounce, but I just wanted to holla at you for a second.  Be good.   I’ll send you another one in a few months to come.

Peace,

Socio-Cultural Commentary

Michael Vick: “Vicktimized” by America’s double standard?

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mike vick

Michael Vick: “Vicktimized” by America’s double standard?

By: Dr. Samori Swygert

Thanksgiving morning I was watching the History Channel while breakfast was being prepared for the family.  The channel was airing a marathon of a TV show called Swamp People.  I typically view the History Channel for history, but the History Channel has lost its’ taste, and that’s a whole different story.  However, the show basically focuses on these different families that navigate up and down bayous, canals, and river banks hunting Alligators and wild hogs with pistols and rifles.

This was reminiscently disturbing to me.  I thought about what happened to Michael Vick.  Immediately my mind went through the mental analysis of compare and contrast between Michael Vick and Swamp People.

Michael Vick was arrested for dog fighting that resulted in animals being harmed and sometimes shot and killed if severely hurt during a battle.  The winning dog was not shot of course.  The winning team did earn prize money for owning the victorious canine.  Michael Vick was branded and vilified once the word spread throughout the entertainment, sports, and media industry.  Ultimately, Michael Vick served time in jail. Since his release, he’s conducted animal rights campaigns across the country to redeem his image, vindicate his name, and to express genuine remorse.

Paradoxically, country families and hunting groups get to parade and gallivant up and down waterways brandishing firearms, and shooting DEFENSELESS alligators in the mouth at point blank range, while yahooing sounds of jubilee on the History Channel!

Michael Vick did jail time, BUT these individuals are rewarded with a nationally syndicated TV show?  Some individuals may say, “They’re killing for food delicacy to sell, and Michael Vick did it for entertainment and profit at the loss of an animal’s life”.  Okay I hear that, now hear me.

This is where their logical argument breaks down.  Alligators and dogs are both animals.  Both of these animals were shot and killed.  Yes, the alligator may be sold for food, BUT, once you create a TV show where individuals get paid with a TV contract, you’ve just entered the entertainment industry.  This may be hunting for the hunters, but it’s considered PAID ENTERTAINMENT TO THE TV VIEWERS, and is obviously a thrill kill to the hunters that scream with victory (just watch and see what I mean). What was initially hunting for food has now morphed into paid exploitation of the murder of innocent animals.  If these hunters never caught one animal, would they have a TV show????  The answer is NO!! They are obviously paid for the amount of animals they slaughter for TV ratings.

Let’s go deeper.  The History Channel is a cable show, thus viewers have to pay for a cable subscription to order the history channel to view this show.  Every person that watches this show does not eat or hunt alligator, but just watch it for entertainment.  So how do does this differ from what Michael Vick did?

Vick got paid to engage in an activity that was hazardous to animals and he made money.  The individuals in this show are engaging in activity that is hazardous to animals and are profiteering money, receiving endorsements, and royalties from the show airing the shooting of hogs and alligators.

The true ethical decision should be to not air this on TV. These swamp hunters should just make money from selling the food they caught in the markets they serve without a paid televised forum of entertainment.  However, this is a quadruple pay day exploitation of animal life because, 1) THEY MAKE MONEY AT THE POINT OF SALE IN THE MARKETPLACE FOR CONSUMPTION OF THEIR MEAT 2) THEY MAKE MONEY FROM THE TV SHOW CONTRACTS 3) THEY MAKE MONEY FROM SELLING SWAMP PEOPLE TV SHOW APPAREL, CLOTHING, AND GEAR 4) THE POTENTIAL FOR THE SELL OF ALLIGATOR HIDE IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY EXISTS.  I SPECIFICALLY HEARD ONE OF THE HUNTERS SAY, “I DON’T WANT TO USE MY SHOTGUN BECAUSE IT WILL RUIN THE HIDE”.  People don’t eat alligator hide, but they do use alligator hide for belts, purses, and shoes! Why was he so worried about not damaging the hide, unless they are selling it for uses other than the food industry? 

They also give subliminal endorsements to the gun industry, because they will brag about the MAKE AND MODEL OF THE TYPE OF RIFLE OR PISTOL they are using to kill the animals with.  You can have your own opinions about this, but you can’t have your own facts!  These are facts!

The inconsistency and duplicitous application of justice is what bothers me.  PETA, animal rights advocates, and other animal cruelty groups should be coming down on this type of entertainment in the same manner of vigilance they exacted on Mike Vick!

Maybe, it’s easier to focus attention on one or two individuals rather than a multimillion dollar network.  However, “an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere right”?  Maybe lady justice is blind, because she doesn’t see the hypocritical application of law between these two scenarios!

Why is America now mute and mum, not even a mouse murmuring or mumbling about this?  I don’t endorse animal cruelty, but I’ve elucidated the clear double standards.  The take home point is that the killing of animal life for entertainment and financial gain is wrong, no matter if this is at your home or on a Television show.  Who gets to dictate if a dog has more life value than an alligator, or any animal at that?

What are your thoughts?