For those of you familiar with a recent post by Natalie Johansen, I am the reason for her proclamation defending those odious creatures. But let it be known I did NOT rejoice to see a dead pigeon. I merely stated I was sorry that I did not feel sorry for the death of the pigeon. Had it have been any other bird, I would have felt a pang of sorrow; I'm not completely cold-blooded. However....
I confess. I hate pigeons. Ew ew ew ew. I get disgusted thinking about them. In fact, "I'm going to be violently ill" (name that movie).
Not all pigeons, just the ones people think of when they hear "pigeons." Specifically, I hate city (feral) pigeons. Misbegotten creatures of a city, pigeons are gray, oily products of humans. They exist primarily because humans exist, a product of our waste. A shameful existence. A debased life. They do not even follow the adage "survival of the fittest;" theirs is survival of ones who happen to be in the right place at the right time. Really, do pigeons even fly across cities? Probably not because they are fed right in their homes. Why bother with the traffic?Now please know I am not advocating poisoning pigeons in the park. It is just they are everywhere, infringing on my space. I will not feed them, but they still creep up begging for food. Look at one in the eye; they have red eyes. Devil eyes. If eyes are the windows to the soul, I think pigeons don't have one. Ok, a bit harsh. A pigeon is God's creature. But man corrupted it.
To me, a pigeon is a type of the follies of man. Aggressive, unwilling to share a crust of bread with a fellow bird. Lack of mercy, lack of respect. Show me a pigeon with humility, and I'll show you a man without an ulterior motive. A bit of an overgeneralization, but you get my point. Even the coloring is a symbol of the debasement of men. Pigeons are gray, dull like concrete. The feathers on their necks are the same as an oil spill on asphalt or trash in the corners after a dreary rain. Red eyes and red claws–they are the color of man at war with nature.
This is why I hate pigeons. They are a symbol of the weakness in humans.
alas, should we really hate them because they remind us of our own weaknesses? is that fair? i suppose life has never been fair.
ReplyDeletei don't completely buy your point that pigeons are completely corrupted by men. after all, they are definitely not the only species to show aggression towards their own kind, or an unwillingness to share. in a way, humans are unique because many of us strive for charity, to help out our brothers and sisters and lift others who are downtrodden. pigeons may exhibit some of man's less flattering characteristics, but they certainly aren't alone in their exhibitions. think of black widows, for example––cannibalism isn't a common weakness of man, and those spiders shamelessly run rampant eating their mates. also, i recently read that cheetah mamas have to protect their cubs from male cheetahs, because at times male cheetahs will eat their young if they're hungry enough.
so if we blame pigeons for their negative characteristics, we should spread the blame around a little. feral pigeons may be dirty unattractive creatures, but they are not less attractive than their wilder counterparts--so their ugliness and existence isn't all our faults. still, though, if we hated everything we created by mistake, we'd have our hands full. So do what Julie Andrews entreats: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHrRxQVUFN4
or at least, let them exist without your malice.
Phew! There's my rebuttal :]
Touche. I think this round goes to you:)
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