Assault at the Runway: PETA, Drones, and Other Things the Industry Hates | Rising Anxieties

I really try to keep this, this perky, kind of. It's a tough subject, and I try to, like, bring a little humor to it. I- I'm, um, it's gonna be a stretch today.

I'm just, I'm just letting you know. Uh, don't forget we're a podcast. We're on YouTube. Please subscribe, hit like wherever you listen and, uh, I hope we can get through this 'cause there's a lot to talk about, about what the industry is worried about and, you know, what I'm worried about and what you're worried about and the whole deal.

And what this guy This crazy story Steven Kolb is worried about, and he was the chief executive of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. [00:01:00] This is an article from The New York Times I'm reading from, uh, by Jacob Gallagher, and, uh, that's the fashion industry's leading trade organization. And you've probably heard this story.

I mean, I... You know, it did get around a lot. And so the- PETA did, as it so often does, a demonstration at, uh, a fashion show. This was a, a runway show for, I think it's Cos, C-O-S, which is a contemporary fashion brand ow- owned by H&M. I think that they only sell in Europe. They're not even an American brand.

Alright, so this guy Kolb, um, he was shoving and placing his hand over the mouth of one of the young men who were protesting, who was later identified as Mason Melito, who works for PETA. And, uh, and he also pulled a female protester to the ground using one leg to restrain her as he covers her mouth. I mean, what got into him?

It was pretty much universal online that [00:02:00] he had behaved poorly. You know, PETA's been a pain in the ass, but they do this all the time and, and, uh, and normally physical restraint or kinda approaching violence is not called for. Uh, and I think he knew that. He almost immediately, after all of the outcry, he immediately resigned.

Kind of interesting that, um, somebody mentioned, uh... where is this quote? Diane Furstenberg, I think it was. Diane von Furstenberg, who was the, um, the CFDA's former chairwoman, said he was, uh, the sweetest person in the world and that he's vegetarian and anti-fur. But, uh... And then, then she added, like, of course he was wrong.

She did- wasn't even presenting that as a, as a defense. Uh, and, and another thing that's kind of interesting is this article in The New York Times does not mention until the second to the last paragraph what PETA was protesting about, which was [00:03:00] wool, uh, which PETA's doing a lot of, uh, fashion protests about wool.

And I think it's... the whole thing is kind of interesting also from... I was having this conversation about a different topic, but, but about how sometimes people get the maddest, and, and this happens with vegan advocacy all the time, when they think they are virtuous. Like, if they think they are really good eaters and that they buy organic or whatever, they buy...

And they're the ones who react most strongly when it's brought up that, uh, that they're still, they're still doing enormous harm by whatever it is that they're still supporting. It was actually came up in the context of a different topic, like of people who are very active in giving to charity. When they're told, and not even criticized for, but during a conversation where they were told about the ideas of effective altruism, where it's important to judge not just whether your charity is your favorite, but whether [00:04:00] it's doing the most effective work.

I'm not saying that effective altruism always succeeds in that, but that is the principle behind it. People can get very angry because they f- this is what they were proud of. And I, I wonder, I mean, who knows what he was, what was going on with him. I mean, there might have been things going on in his life, who knows?

He even said that, uh, that it, this was... he, he was very apologetic that he didn't recognize himself. But I kinda do wonder whether, since they pointed out that he's vegetarian and anti-fur and he probably thinks of him- thought of himself as one of the animal rights good guys in the fashion industry, but it's really hard to be a good guy, isn't it, when it comes to animals, unless you're willing...

'Cause, 'cause there's cruelty, horrific, horrific cruelty everywhere, including in wool, even though The New York Times did not wanna mention that. Uh, they finally did right at the end of the article. It just says on Sunday the protesters at the Cos show shouted and held placards decrying the company's use of sheep's wool.[00:05:00]

Didn't talk about any of the reasons the company might not like sheep's wool. Anyway. All right, the New York Post, always good for, uh, making you really angry 'cause, which is just what I need today because, you know, I just, I'm just in one of those places where, uh, it's fur- the whole thing is, I'm so furious, like at everything, all of it.

Like, the fact that we keep doing this over and over and over again and nobody... All right. I'll stop 'cause you know all too well what I'm talking about. All right, from the New York Post, "End NYC's foie gras ban before it takes effect." Now, this has been going on for a long time. New York City Council banned, uh, the sale of foie gras in, um, in New York City a long time ago, but it, then it went to the courts, and apparently, uh, according to this article, the 20- this was in 2019 that they first banned it.

The city's 2019 ban on foie gras sales kicks in after years of [00:06:00] litigation. However, they think, uh, the, the, this is the editorial board, the state's highest court should take up a final appeal that could settle this issue and lift the ban. So I guess there's still a possibility, at least they think, that the, the litigation can continue, and it can go up to the court of appeals, which is the highest court in New York.

And of course, one of the organiz- one of the companies they're defending is Hudson Valley Foie Gras, the bane of the existence of many an animal rights activist and certainly many a duck, um, points out that it's one of the nation's last producers, which makes it sound like there used to be, like, this huge industry of foie gras producers in the United States.

It's never been a popular food here. Um, it argues that its farming methods are more humane than industrial factory operations You know, I'm not gonna argue. Like, which is cru- like, having battles between what's crueler, uh, is really hard when it comes to what people do to animals and, you know, [00:07:00] okay. So your point is as long as somebody's doing something worse than you are, you should be okay.

Plus, it points out, state agricultural laws should override local bans, protecting Hudson Valley and Sullivan County producers and their hundreds of workers, many of them immigrants. Yeah, the New York Post is so eager to come to the aid of immigrants. Um, from New York City's diktats. Uh, whatever the concerns about, quote-unquote, factory farmed foods, bringing any animal to the table is arguably just as inhumane.

Okay. Well, you know, maybe not just as inhumane. It can certainly be more inhu- but it's all inhumane. I'll, I'll agree with you there, which is why so many animal rightsers or vegetarians or even vegans... Exactly. Exactly. Um, this is about ethical beliefs of a tiny but oh-so-loud fraction of New Yorkers.

However, they hide behind other dubious claims like improving global food [00:08:00] policy. I don't think most of them talk about improving global food policy when it comes to foie gras. Like, it's-- they're mostly talking about that it's hideously cruel. That's, that's the usual argument there. Alright. This ban isn't even good for the birds. This is a good one. Really a good one. Isn't even good for the birds it claims to protect, since the foie gras business in fact supports far larger goose and duck populations than would otherwise be economical. So, this is the argument that they're making.

Because it brings into existence and breeds more ducks and geese than would otherwise exist, it doesn't matter how viciously cruelly you treat them. A good one. Like, what? It also points out that the city has no right to dictate to farms operating hundreds of miles outside its limits by cutting off the local market.

This is a classic Prop 12, [00:09:00] uh, the argument that, the pork industry has been trying to make about Prop 12, that, that by banning the sale of something within New York City, they're dictating what farmers can do elsewhere. No, farmers can do whatever they want elsewhere, unfortunately.

But New York City has no right h- they're only controlling what's being sold in New York City. You know, you wake up in a bad mood, and then you have to sit down and read editorials from the New York Post about ducks and geese. I- I, I- I'm sorry. I'm, I- I'm feeling aggrieved today. So are some drone pilots in, uh...

I think this is in California. Nice segue, right? FAA investigates drone pilot who films animal abusers. This is from The Intercept. The cattle ranch at the center of the case demands strict drone regulations, saying legal flyovers threaten food security. [00:10:00] Okay. Um, you know, they, they have this picture of a video still from drone footage of the Grimmius Cattle Company, a- and it looks, I mean, it looks to be a feedlot, though they don't say that in the article.

Um, so the FAA has apparently sort of gotten involved. This is not a done deal yet. They've launched an investigation of an animal rights activist whose group's videos of conditions at California cattle ranches sparked outrage. I'm not outraged. Who was outraged? With the agency simultaneously proposing new rules that could prevent the pilot's flyovers altogether.

Yeah, uh, they would love to, to stop this. All right, so Cassie King, who's a spokesperson for DXE, which, uh, is involved here, um, told The Intercept, "What would be most concerning is if the FAA believes those lies at face value and tries to take licenses away from drone pilots who are operating safely to expose to the public what animals are suffering, and basically just to help the industry shut down that work in the public [00:11:00] interest."

Nice to see, uh, an, a, a press outlet quoting the side of the, the animals, isn't it? It really changes the tenor of the articles. All right. So, um one of the, one of the recent, um, drone footage things from Direct Action Everywhere caught ranch hands in California Central Valley kicking young calves and pulling them with pliers.

Nice. One of them was fired. Oh my God. So everything is fixed. Um, so this guy, the guy who received this letter recently is Joseph Allman, and he received this letter in July notifying him that he was under investigation by the FAA. And, uh, and according to the article, that doesn't necessarily mean a whole lot.

It's kind of a form letter. Uh, but it could mean a lot 'cause this is exactly the kind of thing they'd love to, to, to get going, banning, uh, these drone sites because the, the, what they accused him of, there [00:12:00] was a worker who accused him of flying the drone without having in his line of sight. How the hell would the worker know that?

According to Allman, which would violate FAA regulations, and he, he denies that that was the case. And you really wouldn't want it to go out of your sight. Um, all right, so the FAA is actually pursuing a new regulation that could prevent pilots from flying over agricultural facilities. Just agricultural facilities.

This isn't anti-drone. They're fine with drones. Have all the drones you want, you just can't fly them over us. Um, and the, the, the Grimmius Cattle Company guy, uh, said, "This is the end goal of these surveillance campaigns, to generate enough material to file complaints, trigger investigations, and create regulatory and legal pressure against lawful agricultural operations."

Yeah, exactly. They're gathering evidence so that they can file a complaint, so they c- they can trigger an investigation, and so they can create pressure [00:13:00] because they will have, they'd have evidence that the animals are being mistreated. Yeah, that's exact- you're exactly right.

The footage is a tool. Yeah, true. And producers have no current airspace protection to prevent it from being gathered. Well, yeah, it's a tool to gather evidence of crimes.

It's like, it's, it's like a really different worldview, isn't it? Uh, Allman, um, said this would be a really bad thing. Quote, "The drones usually capture some sort of cruelty, and that is so important. The industry will just say it's a one-off incident. The drones are showing that this is not one-off and it's systemic."

That is so important because you know every time they find out anything in the industry, uh, that, uh... You know, I mean, they, when they do undercover operations, they really do try to go in for a long time, um, and get- gather a bulk of [00:14:00] information. But certainly, uh, it's, it's hard to do, and they always claim it's, you know, "It's this one bad apple and we fired him," just like they did in the, in the case cited in here.

All right, couple of, uh, disease updates. Screw worm reappears in New Mexico as cattle trade resumes. This is about a horse in southwestern New Mexico. Uh, so you know, maybe, maybe cattle, uh, trade with Mexico shouldn't resume. Just, just an idea. And then anthrax. Uh, I bet you didn't know about anthrax.

Anthrax heats, hits Mead County herd in first South Dakota case of the year. Apparently, there's South Dakota cases lots of times, and this is just the first one for this year, and that's because there has always been anthrax, and it gets into the soil, and it stays there. You can't get rid of it. And so when it's very dry, uh, the animals tend to pick it up more, at least that's what I gathered from this article [00:15:00] from Ag Daily.

Um, South Dakota has its first anthrax case of the year. The disease was detected in cow-calf pairs in Mead County. Poor things. Um, and, uh, it has a, the, the history shows it has a widespread presence in South Dakota, so that's good to know. I mean, I, they don't talk in here about whether people can get it, but, you know, you remember all...

Maybe you're not old enough. I don't know. Remember all the anthrax scares when everybody was getting anthrax in the mail? Oh. Sometimes I think I've been alive too long. Too many weird memories. The Countryside Alliance has definitely been alive too long. This is from, from the UK. The Countryside Alliance chair warns of threat to racing from, quote, "Hapless government policies and animal rights extremists."

This has to do with horse racing and, and the, [00:16:00] among, among the regulations that they're really, um, upset about that are hapless, that are just so stupid, like, uh, affordability checks on bettors. I'm not sure what that is, but it sure sounds like a good idea given how gambling is an addictive thing.

Um, um, an increase in machine games duty. What does that have to do with horse racing? I don't know. Uh, I would think machine games is, like, slot machines, but I could be totally wrong. I am speaking without expertise here. I admit it. A number of major bookmakers are feeling the hit of higher gambling taxes.

Uh, you know, it doesn't seem like the worst way to raise taxes. Um, and there have been significant job losses. Well, that's good news. And, and, uh, he thinks, th- this guy from The Countryside Alliance thinks that the policy... Lord Herbert, everybody in here is a lord or a baroness or something, um, believes policymakers are not aware of how detrimental the actions are to racing as a [00:17:00] whole.

Well, maybe they are. Maybe they think it's a good idea. The threats to the countryside have never been so great. Affordability checks on bettors at horse races is the greatest threat that the countryside has ever seen? Uh, okay. Um, so he feels that there's a lack of understanding about the countryside, including racing and how it works.

Apparently it works by having a really lot of gambling. TripAdvisor has also suspended the sale of tickets and experiences associated with live horse racing on its platforms, which, uh, these folks are calling surprising and troubling. I bet it is. Many of the worst measures we've seen are driven by a pernicious animal rights ideology, which is very different from animal welfare.

We, we all want to make sure animals are treated properly. Yeah, right. But we face extremist groups which oppose any use of animals in sport. Damn straight. They've already won an outright ban on greyhound racing in Wales, and even in Scotland where there is no greyhound racing. [00:18:00] Yay. Um, so they're upset.

They want the money All right, finally, I'm not gonna go into this article in, um, too much detail 'cause it's too annoying. Uh, this is from Pork Business. "How one tick bite left a Missouri farm girl allergic to red meat and in search of answers. A lifelong livestock advocate..." Advocate? Are you really an advocate for livestock?

I don't know about that. "... shares the bitter irony of developing a red meat allergy on the family farm and her battle to regain a normal life." A normal life is something that apparently none of you have 'cause it involves eating red meat. This is, of course, about alpha-gal syndrome, uh, which, uh, i- it apparently makes you pretty sick.

There's a lot of fatigue and flu-like things and whatever, but the big thing are the severe gastrointestinal pains and cramps, which she finally figured out after noticing that the attacks happened hours after she had her [00:19:00] favorite food, sausage burgers. What the hell are sausage burgers? I mean, there's sausages, there's burgers.

"I ate them all the time, and the attacks were repetitive enough that I eventually, I knew I couldn't ignore it any longer." Ah. Ah,

Probably saved her life if she was eating sausage burgers all the time. Um, and, "But how could someone whose roots and livelihood were closely tied to livestock production suddenly be allergic to the very meat she raised her entire life?" Well, you know, them's the breaks. Uh, it goes on and on about all the different things she's tried and how none of them have worked, and, you know, it's, it's, it's-- She's, she maintains hope.

"I hope there will be a treatment that will help someday. There are so many folks with it now." Yay. "Gives me a little hope that at some point we'll be able to eat beef and pork again." I mean, unfortunately, you can still eat chicken, so, uh, you know, that's the whole small body problem. [00:20:00] You eat more chickens than you would, uh...

You eat more chickens than you would cows, uh, obviously, and I bet she's eaten her fair share. All right. I hope I wasn't too bitter. You know, some days you just gotta be bitter. It's how it goes. Uh, but thank you for being here. I hope you're still here. Uh, if you're not, it's probably a waste of time for me to mention that.

All right, subscribe, like, comment, listen to the Hen Report, listen to the interview, and donate if you want to. That would be nice. You can become a flock member at ourhenhouse.org/support, and I will see you next time.