#StopYulin2015

There’s a festival in China that you’ve probably never heard of, that you really need to hear about. And then shout about, because sometimes social media slacktivism can make a difference. In this case, it’s about the only thing any of us can do, and it looks like it’s working. Or at least has a chance.

The festival in question takes place in Yulin, China and involves eating dogs. And that’s about it.

There’s a lot of alcohol involved too, apparently, but mostly it’s about eating dogs. And puppies. And people’s pets.

That’s right. In order to meet the demand of this ancient Chinese festival (which it’s not – but more on that in a minute), people go around snatching up pets and puppies and basically anything that goes Woof, then stuff them into cages. I’m purposefully not showing any pictures from the event in this post because, trust me, you don’t want to see them. (Instead, I’m only showing adorable pictures of my own dogs. Which is heartbreaking enough.)

But to give you an idea, imagine watching one of those Sarah McLaughlin commercials right after your dog just died. And your boyfriend/girlfriend broke up with you. And your house burned down. All at the same time. That should come close to the empty feeling of utter hopeless and despair seeing pictures of this nightmare would leave you with. The only thing missing is the revulsion and disgust.

And anger.

Now, I know that some people eat dog meat. I know it’s traditional food in some cultures. I get that. I think it’s horrible and wrong personally, but a lot of people think the same thing about me eating steak. Others feel the same about pork, yet this country has a freaking Dads and Hipsters infatuation with bacon. Different strokes for different folks, or whatever.

But the Yulin Festival isn’t about eating dog meat. It’s about passing off a VERY RECENT “festival” as an “ancient tradition” when it’s anything but, while snatching up and murdering family pets in order to fuel it.

You see, dog eating is common in Yulin. It’s sort of their claim to fame, for some reason I don’t understand any more than you. But they’re proud of it, and a few years back decided to do something to PROMOTE the region and its dog meat. So they created a dog eating festival, because it’s China and of course they did.

This isn’t some ancient spiritual or cultural observation. It’s not some sacred event. It’s fucking marketing. That’s all.

It’s hard to pin down exactly when the festival started, but the earliest it could’ve been was the mid to late ’90s. More accounts tend toward the mid to late ’00s. Either way, it’s hardly ancient by any definition, up to and including Hollywood’s ridiculous cut-off age for leading female actresses.

In recent years, there has been a growing swell against the festival on social media – and it looks like it’s working.

Of course, it’s China and China just doesn’t give a fuck. China does what China wants, but the pressure being put onto the government as a direct result of social media outcry (#StopYuLin2015 on Twitter, for instance) is having an effect. The average Chinese citizen is opposed to the festival now, and with efforts from organizations like Humane Society International, there’s a very real chance that this festival can finally be stopped.

Or at least driven underground to such an extent that 10,000 dogs aren’t needlessly slaughtered for the 500,000 pounds of dog meat the festival has gathered in the past – from strays, from pets. From puppies.

PUPPIES.

I don’t care if you share this exact post on your Facebooks or your Twitters, but please do SOMETHING. Tweet the #StopYuLin2015 hashtag. Share one of the articles I’ve linked to here, or just post a status about it on your own. Anything.

Too often, “awareness” campaigns are bullshit. We all know what cancer is, after all. We don’t really need to raise awareness for it so much as we need to raise a fucking cure, but we still pour millions of dollars and hours into such campaigns every year. But in this case – with this stupid, senseless, puppy murdering festival of bullshit – awareness is EXACTLY what’s needed.

Because you probably never heard of it until just now. I hadn’t heard of it until Emma Caufield tweeted about it, which led me to Ricky Gervais’ campaign against it, and now I’m writing a post about it, so I can help get the word out in my own small way.

And the more people who hear about it, the more people will spread the news. And the more people spread the news, the more people will start talking about it. And the more people start talking about it, the more people will start screaming for it to stop. And the more people start screaming for it stop, the greater the likelihood that it will stop.

So make like Jamie Lee-Curtis and scream.

PLEASE.

Click here to sign Humane Society International’s petition to #StopYuLin2015.

Want some books? 'Course ya do!

NOTE:  I know times are hard and yeah, I need to make a living too, but if you want to read any of my books but can't afford to buy them right now, hit me up.

I'll take care of it.

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If so, then grab a snack, get comfortable, and prepare to have all of your own poor life choices seem just a little bit more bearable.

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Part One starts way back in 1975 and meanders down various digital pathways until, oh, around about 1993 or so.

If you're feeling nostalgic for the early days of gaming or if you just want to understand why the gamer in your life loves this hobby so much, take a seat in your favorite comfy chair and crack this bad boy open.

I'll try to not be boring.

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What you are about to read is not a story. There is no beginning, middle, or end.

What follows is nothing more than a series of journal entries involving shadow people, sleep paralysis, and crippling fear. It’s not pretty, it doesn’t follow story logic, and nothing works out well in the end.

You've been warned.