Comments on: Cockfighting: Cruelty or Culture?

By: Realist

Realist — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 03:15:50 +0000

Clean up your culture first on animal welfare before you point fingers on cockfight loving cultures!

By: tribyen

tribyen — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 05:16:29 +0000

I don’t see how that is an either/or question. Something can be linked to culture while at the same time being an undeniably cruel practice. All you have to do is replace “cock” with “dog” or “bull”. It’s causing animals to fight/injure/kill each other for enjoyment and profit by humans.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 23:38:12 +0000

Just because you may not morally agree with something, doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve to be seen. I don’t see this post as promoting cock fighting, it is as Alison said, a documentary project.

If we all agreed to never show projects that disgusted us we wouldn’t see half of the images we’re subjected to in the news. And most of these images are shown to enlighten us, despite our disgust…

By: Kimberly Fulton

Kimberly Fulton — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 23:07:18 +0000

Hi Jess & Mel, (and Alison!)
Thanks for your responses to the article. I’m Kim- I work with Fernando and helped write the article that goes with this feature.
Fernando and I both agree that cock fighting is a horrible and ugly practice. A colleague of Fernando invited us to go watch the fight- we were actually quite hesitant, “horrific,” I thought, when he mentioned it to me. Fer’s colleague, comes from a family who raises, trains, and preens the birds to fight. Of course, the consideration to pass up his offer crossed our minds. We talked about it for a little while, and decided that refusing the offer would have been a neutral act, while going and taking photographs would document a mysterious and dark side of the human psyche. I don’t know from where the drive to watch other living things suffer comes. It saddens and angers me, AND- it happens.
Over the phone, Fernando says to me, “I didn’t take these pictures to make people smile!” -I think that sums it up.
And Alison- you make a good point about chicken farms in the U.S. Maybe we’ll go there next.

By: Alison Zavos

Alison Zavos — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 20:59:10 +0000

Mel and Jess,
Thanks for your comments. I’ve been vegetarian for over a decade and I personally agree that cockfighting is cruel and inhumane. But I’m also aware of the cultural differences between myself and someone living in rural Columbia. And truthfully, a life of a cockfighter in Columbia is probably much preferable to the life of a chicken in a factory farm in the U.S…(too bad that does not stop people from eating chicken and supporting this massive industry).

This blog does not support animal abuse as art. This work is documentary photography and as disturbing as it may be, I believe it deserves to be seen.

By: rob

rob — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 20:51:39 +0000

Shameful, you’ve hit a new low

By: Mel Gregory

Mel Gregory — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 19:25:34 +0000

I am also saddened and outraged with your photo essay. Even if it is culture, that does not make it right. We had no problem with doing away with head hunting so why not cock fighting.

By: Jess Mahler

Jess Mahler — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:36:19 +0000

Disgusted with Feature Shoot for posting this. Animal abuse should never be considered art. Whoever made the curatorial decision to post this – how can you honestly ask the question: Cruelty or Culture? How it is even possible that we are still asking this question? I am blown away and saddened.