h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The graphic alone, found on the article, is gut-wrenching. It depicts a LIVING creature being crudely dissected and-- oh dear... I can't say it... I can't bear to remember... But anyone stumbling upon or visiting this forum all ready KNOWS the cruelty depicted therein.

::Gasp::

It's not only Cresent who is a potential fish gutter, it is anyone who reads that disgusting how-to piece of literature... it is anyone who watches "Survivor"... it could be our next-door neighbor... it could be anyone...

Can we really censor what goes in our great and wonderful Guide!?? SHOULD we!?? should we put parental and aquatic guidelines or restrictions on certain prose!?? The influence which information available to a large number of populace has is astounding. Kids can learn to master skills of cruelty most anywhere...

But what we have here is a COMMUNITY... should we place covenants that will prevent any citizens from becoming offended!?? And how do we keep an eye on what offends some and what offends others!?? Where is the happy medium!??

I don't want an author's right to create imposed on. But, being a lover of fish, and myself a Pisces, I can not abide such cruelty to an animal I feel a deep kinship towards.

LOVE THE FISHIES!!! AVOID THE GUTTERS!!!

... Perhaps we need a SCHOOL For FISH that teaches survival skills against fishermen... and fisherwomen...

Personally, if if I was a fish and I was caught I would be g*tted.

*smiles at bad joke*

True and valid points Dragonfly, perhaps we could start some Fish training at the Union...?

*Marches round in circle chanting "DOWN WITH G*TTERS!!!*

Well, I think we'd be wisest to form a very private, exclusive sort of school so that only fishies can get in... and not gutters dressed up in fish costumes. We need smarties, people who can tell the difference between a true trout and a hypocritical herring!!!

Erecting a good fish school, with a maintenance crew, lawn and landscapers(to keep up the coral reefs), school staff, principal and teachers will be quite a task. But also a brilliant way to create jobs for aquatic animals in need of financial security.

This would take much longer than just finding a reliable publishing press and writing up and underground newspaper to inform our fine finned friends...

But there's an idea. Or two.

*AN underground newspaper. Pardon me.

This article IS shocking. It is posted as THURSDAY's debate of the day. Will you Pommies please adjust you clocks/calendars - it is FRIDAY! But take care anyway,

Walter.

Pommies!??

Clearer?



Yes Dragonfly, I think that would be a good idea, And a big task... However if you need employment, goto The Coral Reef Café http://www.h2g2.com/A340093 There's plenty of jobs going there.

This is silly.

I eat many things. Most of them used to be alive. For example, potatoes. If a potato had a choice between being in the ground, sucking up nutrients and water and providing the potato plant with a nice tasty little nodule of food for hard times, or being a huge greasy mass of french fries and contributing to a human's weight problem, I'm sure it'd choose the former.

Sure, fish have a little more self-awareness than potatoes, but they're still pretty dumb. Fish are on this planet for the purpose of producing more fish. And I, for one, have no qualms about eating lots of nice, hot crispy fried fish, or fish with hollandaise sauce, or fish stew (courtbouillion, for those Cajun folk, pronounced koobeeyon). In fact, I haven't met a fish dish I haven't liked.

People don't get eaten all that often because they make such a ruckus when you try to fit them in that big stew pot. They usually climb out and run away.

- Silly Lentilla

Gooday everyone,

Why mess about with gutting your own when you can do what we do here in OZ and open a can of tuna, or sardines (in tomato sauce of course), or better still, drive to McDonalds and grab a Fillet-o'-fish burger (double the mayo please) and wash it all down with a nice frosty tube of foaming Fosters? Youse take care,

Walter.

Genocide? Wouldn't it be more correct to call it pescicide? (Excuse my doggy latin)

Up until the mid 19th century, the indigenous New Zealand Maoris diet consisted of birds, fish, seals and humans. (As did the diet of many other Pacific people).

Some of the birds are now extinct (Moa etc), the fish are thriving, the seals, which were nearly wiped out by the later British (Pommie) invaders, are nearing their old numbers, and a lot of Maoris are moving to Australia.

I'm not sure if dragonflies were used as bait.

I feel that I ought to point out to all the anti-fish-gutting people/fish in this conversation that nearly all fish (probably all of them) eat other fish and other aquatic animals.

So there. Heh heh.

Yeah, they do. But they don't go about making articles about it... or creating a "need" for a fishing and/or boating lisence. Do whales make publications and tv shows and infomercials about how to best catch a fish in your teeth!??

I think not...

Aquatics dining on other aquatics is simply the law of the la-- I mean sea.

Dragonflies would make good fish bait. And I know this only because I have been subjected to the media mentioned above, and have seen, displayed in stores, the horrible contraptions HUMANS use to catch innocent fishies.

And fishies are not dumb. They are cute. And often pretty. And well-loved.

"Can I have a dog, Mommy!??"

"No, honey, but you CAN have a fish!!!!"

"YAAAAAAYYY!!!!"

See, her kid would've never asked for the fish, thinking it too much to ask for...

I'm with the fishes on this one . The dare I say it, g*tting of fishes is a vile act that must be stopped. Looking at the other side of things though, if we didn't gut fish there would be millions upon millions of them jumping around in rivers and maybe they would arise into a potent force and take over the planet!!. Arghh!!. Still, they'd probably rule us better than we rule ourselves with our so-called *democracy*. But that is another matter. Have fun all.

But peoiple dont eat each other or get eaten! Think what its like for us fish, having all those dirty smelly things roaming around!

Agreed. I also find this article (and the accompanying picture in particular) offensive... it's not nice!!!

Save the fish, KIll the dolphins!

Erm.... no. Dont kill the dolphins. The dolphins are good. They give us fish something to laugh at, with thier silly idiotic grins. They also rescue drowning humans which means they dont stay in our ocean polluting it.

So what are the ideas on this school?

Well, I won't support a school unless it has an arts program-- especially MUSIC and drama. Underwater music theatre. Nothing like it.

And I'd probably attempt to teach, but I don't speak fish and I can not breathe underwater. We(or maybe I) need to find wise aquatic creatures with a desire to teach... Then all the silly land mammals are stuck with only being onlookers, who spend their tax dollars on the school system and are happy to blame parents when a flounder goes fiendishly fishy on a fellow fish's fins.

Ooo. Poor alliteration. And fish who go to The School of Fish will learn to recognize it.