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Sunday, September 7, 2008
What's the Difference Between a Pit Bull and a Hockey Mom?
DogsBite.org - Over the past 4 weeks, there has been an inundation of politicians, journalists and bloggers using the terms: "attack dog" and "pit bull." Some recent headlines include: Obama Gets His Attack Dog, Giuliani Drafted as McCain's Lead Pit Bull and Pit Bull with Lipstick. The terms are most frequently used to describe politicians. In 2006, however, a Florida law firm was reprimanded by the Bar for using a pit bull logo.
The lipstick example involves Alaska governor Sarah Palin who asked a McCain aide, "Do you know what they say the difference is between a Hockey mom and a pit bull?" Palin answered, "A Hockey mom wears lipstick." Pit bulls, however, are far more ruthless than Hockey moms. Two weeks before Palin's comment, and in her city of Anchorage, Isis Krieger was attacked by the family pit bull. The dog broke her neck and killed her.
Irony and Responsibility
It is ironic that politicians posture themselves as "attack dogs" and "pit bulls" given that they are the very people responsible for developing policies to protect the public from them, particularly innocent children and senior citizens. Too often, politicians fail to address the brutal and continuous pit bull problem that plagues US cities from coast to coast. The issue instead falls beneath the "perceived problem" radar just days after a violent or deadly attack.
Politicians that call themselves pit bulls -- or allow others to label them as such -- readily accept the label to mean "relentless attack." The role of the political pit bull is to "attack" and "shred" the opposition and to do so tenaciously. It speaks volumes that the word "pit bull" has become interchangeable to these concepts. It means that as a culture, America recognizes the word "pit bull" to mean a tenacious, mean-spirited, attack.
Death and Injury by Pit Bulls
Since January 2006, pit bulls have killed 46 Americans. Based on an extrapolation of CDC data from 2001, it is estimated that in this same time frame (36 months), pit bulls have sent over one-half million Americans to emergency rooms. When viewed this way, the pit bull problem comes into tangible focus. DogsBite.org calls on policymakers to do what the public expects them to do: protect citizens from these widely recognized dangerous dogs.
Related articles:
08/22/08: Video: Isis Krieger, 6-Years Old, Killed by the Family Pit Bull
07/09/08: Proactive Dog Policy: Why Seattle Needs It
04/20/08: Flashback: The Pit Bull Problem is Over 20 Years Old
12/31/07: Grim 2007 Dog Bite Fatality StatisticsLabels: pit bull metaphor
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posted by bitbypit | permalink |
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4 comments:
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9/08/2008 3:19 PM | Flag as abusive
My guess is that you're right. The number of deaths by this dog is way out of whack for their numbers. This has been true for years and the big animal groups know this---The pit bull deaths are emblematic of a greater problem, very high bad bite rate. All the cities that have incorporated some kind of breed specific law have had tremendous bite rates by pits. Some cities include dog bites on other dogs (guess which dog naturally likes to do that?) The pit bull problem is real and recognized by the public. After 22 years as head dog killer too many people have been injured.
by
9/09/2008 2:30 AM | Flag as abusive
The US Supreme court ruled the the Lawyer profession could not advertise themselves as Pit Bulls. It was found to be detrimental to the profession...LMAO!
by
9/16/2008 10:32 AM | Flag as abusive
Writer appalled
I'm a 49-year-old women who some might have called a "working-class hockey mom." I am offended by Gov. Sarah Palin's statement that "the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is lipstick."
My impression of a pit bull is unpredictable, untrusting and will attack whomever and whatever gets in its way.
I worked for a township in Michigan where a 3-year-old little girl was attacked by their family dog (pit bull). It almost removed her face, and her parents' answer for the attack was that it was a 90-plus-degree day and the little girl's tricycle was squeaking.
Do the American people want someone who would compare herself to a pit bull to be the vice president: untrustworthy, unpredictable and could turn and attack at any time?
In addition, Palin's daughter is a fortunate young woman. She lives in a country where she has the choice to decide about her unborn child. Freedom of choice.
Tami J. Furney
Haslett
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080916/OPINION02/809160307/1087/OPINION02
by
3/16/2009 3:27 PM | Flag as abusive
Sports teams also use the "tenacious" and "relentless" nature of a pit bull to describe themselves:
'Pit Bull' will lead Louisville to national title
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/29713033/
“I think those guys do call themselves the Louisville Pit Bulls. That’s a good name for them.” Louisville senior guard Andre McGee describes the defensive attack as “relentless.”
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