Every year when June enters, Yulin, Guangxi will become the focus of public opinion due to the "Dog Meat and Lychee Festival".
This year is no exception. On June 21, people in the local market continued to buy dog meat for the festival. At the same time, dog lovers from all over the country gathered again. There were protests, disputes, and even conflicts at the scene.
Why did a festival that was spontaneously formed among the people evolve into a social tug-of-war that has lasted for many years?
Behind this, actually traditional customs A fierce collision with modern animal protection concepts.
The media added fuel to the flames, and the controversy quickly fermented
Behind any hotly debated event in society, there is inseparable media spotlight.
In the midsummer of this year, a large number of reporters flocked to Yulin. With the help of their cameras and written words, they recorded every detail of the dog meat market.
First there was the wailing from the dog cage, and then there was the confrontation in front of the stall. These images spread quickly with the help of social platforms such as Weibo and WeChat, attracting a large number of netizens to watch and triggering discussions.
Supporters believe that eating dog meat is a personal freedom, while opponents accuse it of cruelty.
The media's continuous reporting acted like a loudspeaker, amplifying customs that might have been local only, making them a hot topic that attracted nationwide and even international attention.
Dog lovers rescued dogs at the scene, but the action caused conflicts
Faced with the annual dog meat festival, animal rights activists are obviously unable to sit still.
They rushed to Yulin from all over the country with a straightforward purpose: to save the dogs.
Some people held up banners in front of dog meat stalls to protest silently, some raised money to buy dogs that were about to be slaughtered at high prices from dog dealers, and others treated injured dogs at the scene.
Although the starting point of these actions is to protect animals, they often run into obstacles in actual operations.
For example, the act of buying a dog at a high price actually stimulates dog dealers to increase their bids. Some people even accuse this behavior of "encouraging" dog stealing.
There were even physical conflicts between radical dog lovers and diners, which turned the original goodwill into a sour one.
Dog dealers arouse public outrage by abusing dogs, and it is even more sad to watch people booing.
Among the most infuriating and heart-wrenching scenes in this current turmoil, nothing is more severe than the abuse of dogs by individual dog dealers in front of everyone.
In order to force dog lovers to dig into their pockets to buy dogs, some dog dealers actually used iron clamps to clamp the dog's neck, and threatened: "Will you buy it or not? If you don't buy it, I will clamp it to death!" What is even more terrifying is that there are onlookers around who are cheering and cheering.
This disregard for life has gone beyond the scope of customary discussion.
The behavior of abusing dogs not only violates the most basic human morality, but also gives those animal protection activists more excuses.
Those onlookers who heckled became, on an objective level, the accomplices of the dog abusers, which intensified the already tense antagonism.
The official attitude is ambiguous and fails to effectively resolve conflicts
Faced with the increasingly fierce and escalating public opinion turmoil, the attitude of the local government presents a dilemma between advancement and retreat.
This was already the case the year before. The Yulin City government issued a statement stating that the "Dog Meat Festival" was just a folk saying, and the government did not organize any related activities.
This approach was intended to try to distance themselves from the relationship. However, it failed to appease animal protection activists and failed to gain understanding from the local people.
The lack of official discourse has led to the public opinion field being dominated by extreme voices.
On the one hand, there are particularly fierce protests from those who love dogs, and on the other hand, the local people resolutely defend their own customs. In the absence of authoritative guidance, the positions of both parties have become more solidified, and the space for rational discussions has been continuously compressed.
Looking back at this controversy that has lasted for many years, in fact, a relatively rational consensus has gradually formed.
As the mainstream media commented, dogs are both companion animals and a source of food.
Opposing the consumption of dog meat is an expression of personal emotions and values. This expression is worthy of respect, but it cannot be used to interfere with other people in a violent way just because of this.
Supporting the eating of dog meat is a local custom and should be understood, but animals must not be tortured or killed.
In the final analysis, it is not dog meat itself that should be boycotted, but the cruel theft and inhumane killing methods.
I hope that Yulin in the future can find a way to respect tradition while maintaining the bottom line of civilization.
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