Connecting to the recent discussion here, about arrogant dog-owners, this case in Central Park, NYC is relevant.
The sister of the birdwatcher in the incident sent around his original film, which is going viral and reaching millions now: https://twitter.com/melodyMcooper/status/1264965252866641920 The BBC reports: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52759502 But, because the birdwatcher who reminded the woman she is required to have her dog leashed in the park, was a Black man, Christian Cooper, most attention has understandably turned to her astounding attempt to call in the police on account him being a Black person -- and less attention seems to be paid to her arrogance against our feathered friends ... which is why he told her. Some people online have tried to highlight the guy's identity as a birdwatcher also. Here is Christian Cooper the man talking about the excitement of birdwatching: https://twitter.com/JoshuaPotash/status/1265338098256424973 Also his friend said this - turns out he's a TV host, “Birds of North America”: https://twitter.com/JasonWardNY/status/1265353355150450690 All in all, I think this incident actually brought out how the arrogance of the dogowners setting their down on birds and people, is actually intimately related to the deeper history of colonialist appropriation (the "I, me, mine" selfishness of grabbing, owning, excluding others), and the racism that goes with it ... and apraently lurks right under the surface, consciously or not. (ps. I live in both Ithaca and NYC and often birded in Central Park, and I often have chatted with fellow birdwatchers while waiting for birds in the Ravine and other places. I think I may have run into Cooper a few years ago) --Sincerely, Magnus Fiskesjö, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Cornell University McGraw Hall, Room 201. Ithaca, NY 14853, USA E-mail: magnus.fiske...@cornell.edu, or: n...@cornell.edu -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
