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Closed Season Controversy

Joe Winstanley said:
I'm not saying it's the lunatic animal extremists that we should be mindful of Graham, it's the views of the average person in the street who is currently ambivalent about angling. In a society that increasingly seems to jump at the chance of banning things they don't like (the tyranny of the majority...) and in a country where Veganism has increased 4-fold in the last decade and is predicted to increase at an even higher rate over the next, it's my view that we anglers cannot afford to be complacent about public opinion.
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You may be right Joe but I've always thought the public opinion point is exaggerated. You think there's loads of vegans because they're noisy and opinionated, but how many do you actually know? I don't know a single one, but it seems like they're everywhere but they are a classic "noisy minority". I am certain the non angling majority could not give two hoots whether there's a closed season or not, they probably wouldn't have a clue what it was all about, much less care. I have always hated the fact that, due to the implied "menace" of public opinion, many anglers seem to be almost apologetic for our sport. Don't be! The non-angling public doesn't care! I can easily defend the fact that I both fish and shoot to all bar out and out vegetarians, and in fact would never try to change their opinions anyway.
 
Alex Gowney said:
You may be right Joe but I've always thought the public opinion point is exaggerated. You think there's loads of vegans because they're noisy and opinionated, but how many do you actually know? I don't know a single one, but it seems like they're everywhere but they are a classic "noisy minority". I am certain the non angling majority could not give two hoots whether there's a closed season or not, they probably wouldn't have a clue what it was all about, much less care. I have always hated the fact that, due to the implied "menace" of public opinion, many anglers seem to be almost apologetic for our sport. Don't be! The non-angling public doesn't care! I can easily defend the fact that I both fish and shoot to all bar out and out vegetarians, and in fact would never try to change their opinions anyway.
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Do you reckon us Anglers should become a noisy minority like the vegans then Alex ?
 
Alex Gowney said:
You may be right Joe but I've always thought the public opinion point is exaggerated. You think there's loads of vegans because they're noisy and opinionated, but how many do you actually know? I don't know a single one, but it seems like they're everywhere but they are a classic "noisy minority". I am certain the non angling majority could not give two hoots whether there's a closed season or not, they probably wouldn't have a clue what it was all about, much less care. I have always hated the fact that, due to the implied "menace" of public opinion, many anglers seem to be almost apologetic for our sport. Don't be! The non-angling public doesn't care! I can easily defend the fact that I both fish and shoot to all bar out and out vegetarians, and in fact would never try to change their opinions anyway.
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My niece is a vegan, she rarely brings it up except for when she needs to and when I’m with her all the noise is from people telling her their opinion or giving her advice. She’s one of the cleverest people I know but she’s never rude to people who talk to her like she’s stupid for her beliefs
 
Mike Hodgkiss said:
Do you reckon us Anglers should become a noisy minority like the vegans then Alex ?
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I think, as ever, we should keep our heads down. There's nowt to be won by squabbling with the antis etc ... IMHO. We're weirdos, or invisible to most I reckon. A bit like Morris Dancers, or bell ringers, but less noisy :D
 
If you are talking about chaps with wicker baskets, bean sticks, deerstalkers and ancient centrepins, you are not wrong there Stephen.
 
Mike Thompson said:
This post is getting VERY weird !
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The Angler : Sits , often on his own, usually in appalling weather , sometimes in clothing that is supposed to make him invisible , trying to catch an enormous fish that probably doesn't even exist . If he does catch anything , he weighs it meticulously , lovingly takes a picture of himself balefully looking in to the creatures eyes , then puts it back in to the water . When a passer by or fellow angler asks if he has had any luck the answer is no , or ' just a few bits ' Sometimes the angler spends many hours wandering around in the dark on remote river banks , or weeks on end in a shelter by a windswept gravel pit . Many anglers like kissing fish .... Now this sort of behaviour is truly weird .Popular perception is that we are a harmless bunch ,and it is this view that allows to carry on our pursuit largely unchallenged . As for the cane and pin brigade . What was the most most viewed fishing programme on TV ever ? Passion for Angling ....
 
Dave Quinn said:
My niece is a vegan, she rarely brings it up except for when she needs to and when I’m with her all the noise is from people telling her their opinion or giving her advice. She’s one of the cleverest people I know but she’s never rude to people who talk to her like she’s stupid for her beliefs
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Obviously there are different types of vegans and non vegans but there is no doubt at all that many spend a lot of their time trying to change other peoples beliefs/lifestyles.
 
Mike Hodgkiss said:
The Angler : Sits , often on his own, usually in appalling weather , sometimes in clothing that is supposed to make him invisible , trying to catch an enormous fish that probably doesn't even exist . If he does catch anything , he weighs it meticulously , lovingly takes a picture of himself balefully looking in to the creatures eyes , then puts it back in to the water . When a passer by or fellow angler asks if he has had any luck the answer is no , or ' just a few bits ' Sometimes the angler spends many hours wandering around in the dark on remote river banks , or weeks on end in a shelter by a windswept gravel pit . Many anglers like kissing fish .... Now this sort of behaviour is truly weird .Popular perception is that we are a harmless bunch ,and it is this view that allows to carry on our pursuit largely unchallenged . As for the cane and pin brigade . What was the most most viewed fishing programme on TV ever ? Passion for Angling ....
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"Just a few bits" reminds me of a funny story Trefor West told one night when he did one of his shows in Bicester. He had a photo on the screen of a young lad fishing on the Bristol Avon. When he asked the lad what he had caught , the lad replied "Just a few bits, about 10 ounces total, mostly small stuff" :D
 
Alex Gowney said:
Obviously there are different types of vegans and non vegans but there is no doubt at all that many spend a lot of their time trying to change other peoples beliefs/lifestyles.
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Indeed there are, I used to date one. The standing joke though, is
“How do you tell if someone is a vegan, do t worry they will tell you.”
I personally came to the decision with her, that she had an eating disorder and it was a convenient thing to obsess over to cover up her illness. I don’t mean that in any nastiness but as an observation. I also know perfectly rational vegans, it certainly makes more sense than “vegetarians” that only eat chicken/fish or whatever, at least it’s a consistent approach :D
 
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