Now does the title imply a miserably unhappy existence, or the life of Riley? It does rather depend on what kind of a dog, or Dogg, we are talking about.
As though we did not have enough to disagree about, we are arguing about whether dogs have the same rights to beaches as we do. We shall soon be arguing on whether they will be allowed to join us in heaven or hell, depending on one’s lifestyle.
More about dogs on beaches later.
Meanwhile, the headlines were soon taken over by a star, not the dog Star that was so cruelly tortured and made the news and whose death was blown out of all proportion (I was surprised that we did not see a Facebook page calling for its canonisation).
This star was human, ‘Snoop Dogg’, here for the MTV extravaganza. He upset journalists by arriving shirtless at the airport, not showing up for a press call (all they had to entertain them was an empty throne), arriving two hours late for another and being vulgar and offensive. Well, anyone who knew his lyrics or researched his background would have known that he was no Cliff Richard.
The American rapper, record producer, actor and entertainer who got his name from his mother, who jokingly remarked that he looked like the Peanuts character Snoopy, reportedly told a Times journalist “Well nigga, you wait for another four hours, that’s what it is when you’re dealing with a superstar, you gotta wait, now, you just f****** your question up, get your ass outta here,” when questioned on why he had kept them all waiting.
I thought a black man calling a non-black “nigga” was quite funny and something to chew on. What I cannot understand is why journalists were so shocked. I know that many here live in a bubble, but journalists are supposed to be a bit more au fait on the ways of the world and in this instance, showbiz.
Of course it’s not nice. But these people are not nice. They would be insulted if you called them nice.
If the journalist was upset, he should have made his own gesture and left i.e. got his “ass outta” there pronto and not wait to be “escorted out of the rapper’s top-floor suite by a security guard as the press event continued inside.”
Anyway, if the rest of the questions were as lame as the MTV journalist’s quoted in The Times, he did not miss much. What surprised me was the seeming unawareness that young (well youngish) male stars, especially those connected to the music world are renowned ‘baddies’.
In my time, Mick Jagger used to hit the headlines for his drug related court appearances. Now it’s for the pretty and much younger girl hanging on his arm. Of course we have had many, many more instances of far more outrageous behaviour by celebrities, I am talking internationally, so why the shock horror? These people are notorious for taking the piss.
Journalists should have know Dogg was a bad boy and be prepared accordingly if they wanted to cover the story. And what a fuss about a shirtless male (with a good body) at the airport, when we have had men (with awful ones) in revealed bellies and skimpy vests hanging around there for years. In addition, since Dogg’s language also upset the journalists, one must refer to the obscenities one was quite used to hearing in that location by the ‘indecently dressed’.
It is a fact that many like bad boys and girls, especially the young, the majority have a rebellious streak, which is kept in check by society, so they have to channel it vicariously through the people who can afford to break the rules. However, we do seem to have quite a conservative contingent among our no longer so young on FB.
I was amused to see comments like “We do not need him”. Like, does he care? Others used vulgar language that they were being critical of! Love him or hate him, Snoop Dogg has risen to super stardom since his culture-shaking 1992 debut.
In late August, he is to be saluted as a BMI Icon at the BMI Urban Awards in Hollywood. BMI Icons are selected because of their “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers,” Reported Eurweb. So, he is definitely a top Dogg. Maybe the extra ‘g’ makes him special.
Now for our obsession of elevating other dogs, the animals, to human status. Last week the opening paragraph in a news item “Dog owners should think twice before they take their pet to swim as they risk being slapped with a fine of up to €4,500 should their four-legged friend be caught in a swimmers’ zone”, enraged many dog owners.
It lead to a FB page - Petition for Dog Friendly Beaches in Malta. I am not sure whether the misspelling of petition “Petiton” was deliberate.
It asked: What do you think of the fines & bans being implemented in article on the Times today: "Dog owners beware of beach patrol”?
Agree - no dogs on beaches please
Disagree
Educating people to clean up after their dogs would be more beneficial
Too far fetched.
I could not find the results of this petition when I searched for “Dogs on Beaches” on FB, but this is what I did find: “Dogs are not be permitted on Galway City beaches, or their waters, between the hours of 9 am and 8 pm during the months of May, June, July, August and September. Before 9 am and after 8 pm during May to September, dogs are permitted on the beach provided they are on a leash and are not causing danger or nuisance.
And another: “Here in Florida there are only a few select beaches that you can take your dog to. This group is for dog lovers everywhere who love to take their pooch(s) to the beach for a great time!”
So maybe this is what we need a beach were dogs are allowed to mix freely. Then people could choose which beach to go to. We could also do with a beach for smokers while we are at it.
Meanwhile, Moira Delia of Dogs Trust here said that the laws are restricting all dog owners instead of punishing bad ownership. “Enforce the law in the case of those who are irresponsible,” she said. It would be better to invest in beach wardens to make sure dogs were not being a nuisance to other bathers, she added.
Well, we know about enforcement in this country, don’t we? I nearly was beaten up once, for telling a man off for not picking up his dog’s dropping. I am sick of having to avoid dog ‘pooh’, which litter Sliema’s streets and beaches.
Ms Delia’s comments were echoed by Gozo SPCA spokesperson Betty Berry, who said the proposals went against the organisation’s work to make pets companion animals. “Animals should be living with people and, in turn, people needed to be exposed to animals”, she said.
Although I sympathise with people who want dogs as companions, not everybody does and why “should animals be living with people” and why do we “need to be exposed to animals?” Surely, it should be up to every individual whether he or she chooses to live with animals, or be exposed to them or not.
I already have to put up with whining, yapping and barking from too many dogs in the neighbourhood. I get enough exposure thank you.
“Abroad, people could take their dogs to restaurants with them and to the park where they could run around freely,” Ms Berry added. Well, I for one would not welcome a dog in a restaurant and I would boycott a restaurant that allowed them, just as I used to boycott restaurants with smokers before the ban.
Of course, dogs should be allowed to run freely in parks, but we have to admit and accept that we do not have the luxury of such open spaces here. Now I am not a dog hater, I like dogs, but not in my space.
If I wanted to share my space with a dog, I would own one. I do not like swimming with dogs, or any other animal for that matter, or showered by a dog shaking off excess water after a swim. For this people like me are labelled “intolerant”.
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