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Editorial: Marketplace fish tossing falls short of offensive

Tue., June 16, 2009

Has this happened to you? You’re visiting Pike Place Market in Seattle, and you happen upon the fishmongers hamming it up for the tourists by tossing fish. Suddenly, your blood boils as you contemplate the outrage of jocular men treating dead fish as toys, so you storm up to them and demand they desist.

Hasn’t happened to us, either. In fact, it never occurred to us that it was offensive. Would we countenance cat juggling or dog bowling, even if the animals were dead? Of course not, so there must be a difference.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals begs to differ, so that organization has urged the American Veterinary Medical Association to cancel a fish-tossing demonstration at its annual convention in Seattle, because “fish are intelligent, sensitive animals who deserve better than to be torn from their ocean homes, only to have their corpses used as toys at a convention of veterinarians.”

While we agree that filleting and grilling the fish is a better choice, we fail to see how that’s a better outcome for the dearly departed.

If someone has to explain why an enjoyable tradition is suddenly an outrage, it’s probably because they’re trying too hard to be offended.

Here at The Spokesman-Review, we’ve received many letters over the years expressing outrage at the mistreatment of animals, usually dogs and cats. We cannot recall ever reading one that expressed outrage over the treatment of dead fish. Now, we’ve received plenty that address the plight of the salmon as they battle against man-made forces, such as dams. But fishmongers tossing dead fish before wrapping them up for sale? No.

On occasion we’re told that the best use of our product is to wrap fish, but perhaps readers should first consider the feelings of our finned friends, who may be sensitive about the company they keep.

PETA has engaged in many strange acts over the years to draw attention to the alleged plight of animals. But what it often succeeds in doing is irritating perfectly ethical people. That makes the organization harder to take seriously when it actually does have a point.

On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the burning death several years ago of Max the Cat (approximately 50 letters), this “outrage” doesn’t even register.