Political correctness runs amok in Thetford Mines, Quebec. Too bad, too. We are in danger of forgetting our rural roots. These folks tried to reintroduce urban folks back to the ways of the farm. Replacement pasttimes that might pass the political correctness test, like computer games, seem pretty tepid in comparison:
[The Thetford Chicken Massacre] has been taking place for several years on Labour Day when about a hundred people gather to watch decapitated chickens and turkeys flop around on a grid painted on the ground.
The animal rights group PETA wants to put an end to a tradition in the eastern Quebec town of Thetford Mines known as the 'Chicken Massacre.' Every year, a hundred people gather to watch decapitated chickens and turkeys flop around on a grid painted on the ground.
Participants bet in advance on which of the grid's squares the body will come to rest after the head is cut off. Driven by nerve impulses, poultry often run around frenziedly for several minutes after decapitation.
Protests arose after participants posted on the Internet a video of people laughing while decapitated chickens hopped around, as well as photos of past events on Facebook. The web pages were shut down Tuesday.
The U.S.-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) called the activity "redneck" and "gratuitously cruel."
"You don't torture animals just to have fun," said Kristin DeJournett, spokeswoman for PETA. She said she was especially shocked to see spectators betting on the imminent death of animals.
"They are profiting off the exploitation and possible suffering of these animals," DeJournett charged.
She said the activity could violate section 446 of the Canadian Criminal Code, dealing with animal cruelty. But the Quebec provincial police said Tuesday no one has lodged a complaint.
Dr. Gaston Dorval, who hosts the party for his sons at his cottage every year, was adamant they are not torturing the poultry. He said the heads of the animals are clearly severed and that it is the fastest way to kill them.
"If this is torture, then we should close all slaughterhouses in Quebec," Dorval said from his gynecology clinic in Thetford Mines, about 230 kilometres east of Montreal. "They cut the chicken's throat and let them bleed to death. That's much more painful, but you don't see it."
..."It started out with people who came from the big cities and had never seen a headless chicken run. They wanted to see it to believe it," Dorval explained.
..."Our society is hypocritical," Dorval said. "People don't want to see how animals are killed. But I have news for them, the meat doesn't appear in their plate miraculously, you have to kill the animal."
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