Nearly two years ago, Bill de Blasio became the Mayor of New York City. Practically from the moment he assumed the office (or so it seems), he promised to ban horse carriages like the ones that carry tourists through and around Central Park.
He's faced a lot of opposition. About two weeks ago it was revealed that he's backing down and seeking only a partial ban, whatever that may mean.
As you can imagine, animal rights activists aren't happy. I can't blame them: After all, horses simply weren't meant to walk on asphalt or concrete or to breathe smog. (The streets around Central Park have some of the heaviest vehicular traffic in New York.) They are used to help perpetuate a romantic fantasy about New York: In the days when people rode carriages because there weren't other means of transportation (except, perhaps, for the horses themselves), this city was a darker, more dangerous and more squalid than it is now--unless you were very, very wealthy.
I have to wonder, though, how the animal rights activists (with whom I am in sympathy most of the time) would react to Santa and his reindeer. Now, because Donner, Blitzen, et al, fly through the air, their hooves aren't subjected to the impact that horses experience on Gotham streets. On the other hand, they are flying (I assume) at high altitudes. That means there would be less oxygen for them to breathe. Also, the effects of pollutants are magnified--which, in turn, could initiate or magnify respiratory conditions.
I think I might have found a solution for Santa--and Bill de Blasio--that just might make the animal rights activists happy:
He's faced a lot of opposition. About two weeks ago it was revealed that he's backing down and seeking only a partial ban, whatever that may mean.
As you can imagine, animal rights activists aren't happy. I can't blame them: After all, horses simply weren't meant to walk on asphalt or concrete or to breathe smog. (The streets around Central Park have some of the heaviest vehicular traffic in New York.) They are used to help perpetuate a romantic fantasy about New York: In the days when people rode carriages because there weren't other means of transportation (except, perhaps, for the horses themselves), this city was a darker, more dangerous and more squalid than it is now--unless you were very, very wealthy.
I have to wonder, though, how the animal rights activists (with whom I am in sympathy most of the time) would react to Santa and his reindeer. Now, because Donner, Blitzen, et al, fly through the air, their hooves aren't subjected to the impact that horses experience on Gotham streets. On the other hand, they are flying (I assume) at high altitudes. That means there would be less oxygen for them to breathe. Also, the effects of pollutants are magnified--which, in turn, could initiate or magnify respiratory conditions.
I think I might have found a solution for Santa--and Bill de Blasio--that just might make the animal rights activists happy:
 |
| From Bing images. |
No comments:
Post a Comment