Wednesday, April 29, 2009

In defense of pigs

Pearls before swine. Pork barrel spending. Gets your mitts off me you swine. Male chauvinist pig. And now swine flu (which may or may not have something to do with pigs flying).

Whatever did the noble, sweet-natured pig do to earn such abuse?

Just look at that face. Is that not a face that any mother could love?

Indeed, I believe that pigs are simply misunderstood. And apparently the pig-loving folks over at the PBS program NATURE, which aired a show entitled The Joy of Pigs, agree:
"Pigs are misunderstood in many ways. Many people think of them as portly and stupid, but the NATURE program The Joy of Pigs shows us how intelligent pigs really are. (They are naturally lean, too, unless they are overfed by humans.) Pigs are smarter than any other domestic animal. Their ability to solve problems, like the pig I.Q. test on The Joy of Pigs, is well-documented, and they are considered by animal experts to be more trainable than dogs or cats."
See! Pigs are smart, clean, lean, and trainable (which is more than I can say for some men I know).

So while I know the swine flu is a threat (though not as pig -- I mean BIG -- a threat as the media would have us believe), and people should practice good hygiene, like washing hands thoroughly before eating and covering their mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, to avoid catching it, it is no worse than other type of flu. And contrary to popular belief, you cannot get the swine flu from eating pork or pork products.

To slightly paraphrase John Lennon: All I am saying is give pigs a chance.

UPDATED: A friend of the blog in Colorado, in response to this post, sent me this picture with the heading "How swine flu is spread."














FYI: While it is safe to savor properly cooked pork, the partaking of raw pig is a big no-no.

11 comments:

Charlotte said...

Some pig!

Betty Cracker said...

You forgot to mention one of their chief attributes -- they're tasty! Having spent part of my tragic childhood on a farm, I know pigs well. They're at least as smart as dogs. And if they had a chance, they'd eat ME, which alleviates some of the guilt I occasionally feel about eating THEM.

Anonymous said...

Radiant

J. said...

Love the Charlotte's Web references. : )

And Betty I hear you. As a matter of fact, I packed my daughter four strips of crispy bacon for lunch today (in addition to some vegetarian items). Mea culpa. Btw, if you signed up to get email follow-ups, check out the new pic I added to the post. Don't think it's exactly what you had in mind re "tasty." ; )

Dave S. said...

That is an awesome picture, mostly because it is of someone else's kid.

Any word on whether that farm was swept by Toddler Flu?

larissa said...

Defending the pig
Someone has to take it on
We'll call you Charlotte

Anonymous said...

Just finished a BLT-take that Swine Flu!

Medical update: cough into your elbow not your hands...the germs go on you clothes not your hands which then go on to touch everything!

J. said...

"Toddler Flu." Hee hee. : )

EMM said...

All pigs are equal...Animal Farm anyone? Perhaps the pigs are taking over.

whatismyname said...

I cannot believe there is active discussion and debate about the appropriateness of the name of this outbreak....silly.

Interstingly, according to this source, the Maldives is taking it a step further and is actually lobbying to "sponsor" the name of the flu in the hope it will increase awareness of the islands:

http://tinyurl.com/maldivesflu

J. said...

I'm with you, whatismyname, though I'm surprised by the Maldives reaction. Is a potentially lethal form of flu really what you want to be known for? (Btw, loved the Kermit comment on the blog post you linked to, though Miss Piggy would probably be horrified.)