Sunday, February 8, 2009

Entry #2- Murderers?

Hi all, I received an interesting email last weekend. It is regarding a concerning issue on a recent sport in Canada called "Hunting". The pictures below were attached together with the email, illustrating how this particular "sport" is carried out. Before I continue, spare a couple of minutes to have a look at them.

Picture 1


Picture 2
Picture 3


Picture 4

Picture 5
Picture 6

Picture 7


Picture 8

Picture 9


Picture 10

Picture 11

Pictur 12
Agonizing, isn't it? In the email, it also appealed to people to write in a petition on a linked website to stop the killings of these innocent seals.
This email would be a perfect example of nonverbal communication. It demonstrated nonverbal communication by making use of pictures to convey its message to its recipients with the extended help of some usage of words for further enhancement. Needless to say, no usage of verbal communication is present.
A characteristic of nonverbal communication would be that it is subjective to individual. Hence, each of our perception towards this email of appeal regarding the sport, "Hunting" , would be different.
During lecture this week, we were questioned on what attracts us to a person/thing on first aquaintance. So, what is it about this email that attracted you initially? For me, it was the dainty image of the baby seal, thinking that it is just be another email circled around, filling with photos of adorable animals. However, I was wrong. Instead, it was filled with macabre and revolting images of those animals.
From my point of view mentioned above, we can relate to the nonverbal channels which include:
  • Making Initial Judgements
  • Relational Information
  • Emotional Expression

Making Initial Judgements

Making initial judgements would be the process of us "picking up cues" about something that we already know linking those cues to what we have in front of us. For instance, like what I've demonstrated above, would be linking my impression of baby seals as cute to the first picture I saw in the email that I have yet to read.

Relational Information

3 kinds of relational information (liking, status, and responsiveness) are exchanged nonverbally during every interaction.

The relationl information that is found in this email would be "liking". According to our text, liking is "indicated through facial expression, eye contact, proximity, and the like". The close-up pictures of baby seals in the email are examples of liking. Why? It may be ridiculous to say that seals have facial expressions. However, it is astonishing to realize that in some of the pictures above, we can literally feel what the baby seals are experiencing through their facial expressions and eye contact that are captured in the pictures themselves. Wondering what I'm referring to? Take a look at Picture 8 and Picture 10. In Picture 8, fear is captured in the eyes of the seal. In addition, the feeling of sorrowfulness is felt seeing the bloody tears that flowed out of the seal's eyes. Amazing, isn't it?

Emotional Expression

Most of us are able to feel for people, don't we? When we see one of our friends in sadness, some of us would want to go forward to give that friend a warm embrace, right? Another example would simply be how we feel after seeing those pictures above; We want to play a part in helping the seals! And, this fits into what is commonly said, "actions speak louder than words".

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From my point of view, I reckon this activity should be banned. Moreover, I anticipate that this issue would be brought to more attention by the public. Perhaps, even the mass media can be put into good use to spread the message out to the whole world so that less innocent lives would be taken away from "our" hands.

SO! What are your thoughts and feelings regarding this "sport"?






12 comments:

  1. To be honest, my first impression would be the same as everyone who first sees these pictures and reads the article. It is absolutely disgusting and unbelievably cruel.

    However, I wonder if one ever stops to wonder whether we are being manipulated by these gruesome photos. The power of photos and words, can bend the truth and distort reality at times. The media is very very powerful and alot of times we don't even realise that we are being led to believe what they want us to believe.

    I strongly condone these killings but I also believe that there must be a strong reason behind it for doing so. A question of whether the means justifies the end perhaps?

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  2. It is too appalling.I agree with the blogger that such sport should be banned.The act of killing is too bloody to be considered a sport.Why not choose basketball or soccer instead?I believe that it will be more entertaining.Animals have emotions and feelings too.They care and feel for their loved ones. Just put ourselves in their shoe.
    How will you feel when your loved ones is brutally tortured to death?
    Is it agonizing?
    Is vengeance filling up your mind now?
    These are the question that will surface in our mind constantly.

    Therefore, I strongly believed that the depravity action of fishermen will only bring more harm to their reincarnation.

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  3. i thought it was extremely smart of you to use such cute pictures at first, then show the gruesome cruel ones. genius way to not only prove, but also to emphasize the effect of nonverbal communication.

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  4. I do not condone cruelty to animals unless there is an absolutely just and valid reason to do so. And hunting as a sport would be a big No.

    Though I believe that perception does play an important role, whether the hunters are merely buoyed by the thrill of smashing defenseless animals or desperately trying to make a living by obtaining and selling seal skins, the methods used are too inhumane.

    Hopefully, the EU will be able to impose a ban on the import of seal pelts, better sooner than later.

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  5. Spare these animals I say!

    Clever use of strong images that brings the reader to quickly sympathize and feel the wrongdoings upon these seals. Hence the use of non-verbal communication has been successfully reinforced to stop these killings. Great job!

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  6. As mentioned above, clever usage of strong images definitely can bring the reader to quickly sympathize and feel the wrongdoings upon these seals. Below is a link to another of such animal cruelty but be warned that it contains visuals that are kinda irksome :D

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85srTdF5YXQ&feature=related

    Coupled with a narrator in this case, we see the power of capt. plan...e.. no, the power of using both verbal and non-verbal communications together <--- perhaps if the photos are videos instead with a narrator, it will bring about much more attention from the authority :)

    Blogger has a nice grasp of her concepts
    Certainly, alot of info are being passed around just through these images themselves. Such is the power of non-verbal communication.

    Oh yah, i hate those fishermen. Be it seal killers or dolphine killers
    >=(

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  7. i cant beieve there are such peope doing this kind of thing.. Scentist are encouraging enviroment not to harm but at the other side of the word , this scenario is happening .
    non verbal yet it pierce through our heart.
    Hope that this kind of inhuman kiling will be banned and stopped !!!

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  8. Dear Chinchilla,

    those screams malicious! the poor babies. seriously we had to invade their utopia! destroy their habitat! and now feast on them. i really wonder what the animal activist groups are doing?! i'm no extremist but such catastrophe makes me ashamed to be human. honestly, i thought it was very brilliant of u to appetize us with a benign photograph of a baby seal and it ebbs towards the macabre torture. i hope everyone whom these pictures reach to would do their bit to answer to the seals' pitiful plea. Take a look at picture 10, i can almost identify with the fear and pain in that seal's eyes. Isn't that nonverbal communication enough? So stop sitting on your laurels one and all, they need help and here's a silent prayer for those seals. S.J.

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  9. Countless animals have been, and are still being, slaughtered in the name of 'sport'. We may condone the act of these hunters, but seriously, does the fault lies entirely on them?

    Moving away from the cute seals, I'll take sharks for example. Ferocious beings, they are depicted to be, so hunters/poachers deem it reasonable to hunt them down. But obviously there is monetary gain to be made from such an act: the sales of their fins. Did you know after their fins have been removed, the sharks are thrown back into the sea by the hunters, thinking they will still be able to survive in the wild.
    They don't.
    They struggle with their limp bodies, hoping to move (they cannot do so properly without their fins), while their wounds get infected from the countless bacteria in the sea, rotting as a result. They ROT while they are still alive, and continue rotting after they die (duh).

    All for the sake of satisfying the taste buds of humans, especially the Chinese.

    I personally no longer take shark fin, to much frustration from my mother. But my action isn't really gonna matter much, if everyone else do not wish to acknowledge the facts.

    Going back to your depiction of the slaughter of seals, why are they hunted? This time, for the sake of fashion.
    It's something to think about, really...whether we should blame only these hunters for these demonic acts, or we have ourselves to blame as well.

    Hope I'm making sense.

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  10. Shit, that's so cruel of the human beings!!

    Honestly, why those innocent seals and not cockroaches??? I mean, isn't cockroaches more challenging to kill? They are like much more smaller, fast-moving, some even fly, and they smell compared to those seal right?!

    And I'M SURE nobody will be against killing of cockroaches!!! Maybe next time there will be a 'Guiness World Record' on the "Man who killed the most cockroaches in a day" or something like that??

    Please think people.....
    zzzzz...

    Dumb Dumb girl, i wrote my comments to you, now your turn... HAHA!!!

    Cheeros,
    ShiWen

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  11. Yum Yum.. Sambal BBQ baby seals.. I think it would go well with rice..

    NAHH!!! Juz kidding...

    Man have been killing animals for food since ape-days. For me, i think it is ok to hunt if its for nourishment and survival. Im sure our friends living in the Alaskan tundra would be bored of eating fish all the time.

    But if the killing is for fun then its cruelty. Its murdering a poor defenseless animal. I wonder which human being has the audacity to look at those cute little things in the eyes and blasting a cap in its brains.

    Btw, are you vegan?

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  12. Hello SHERMIN!..I guess it's your long awaited Comment!!..Pai Seh abt the previous ONE!

    I love your this entry. In fact, it is really cruel to kill seals in order for the benefits that obviously can endanger the seal lives. This e-mail, I’ve one too. Just that I have deleted many months ago because my heart just can’t take those visual bloody wounded CUTE animals.

    Indeed, the emotional concept you put in can be of use. I don’t quite agree about the initial judgement. I think it is more about a matter of perspectives between an environmentalist and a seal hunting person’s mind.
    On how I personally feel, is that the pictures you placed out DEFINITELY makes one’s heart sink and OWWww at the cute appearances of the seals. Indeed man is cruel and may not know what they’re doing. Hopefully, it’s not an occupation if not only ZOO keep the seals saved.

    Should Ban Such Activity! =)!!

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