Love one another as I loved you!

The amount of name calling, the absolute abuse that people had to put up with over the last two days has been a sobering experience. The reality is, its the state of the nation and the world that really shone through. The divide that is between anglers over this subject online turned bitter and violent. Its all down to a study that was completed by Debbie Pedreschi in 2013. If people read the report and the various theories made by it then they will see for themselves the picture Debbie was trying to paint. Most of the comments on my page are half truths about the report and do not do justice to the Trojan work done by Debbie and the team of scientists she had around her. The report clearly states that there some pike introduced in the 1500's and 1600's etc... It also states that through sampling 752 pike in 15 locations that another strain of pike could have been here from a lot earlier. The report is fantastic and here is the link to the report its well worth a read Debbi Pedreschi 2013

OK, so let me tell you this debate that took place on my Facebook page had nothing to do with pike, it had nothing to do with peoples love for our environment, it had absolutely nothing to do with angling. It started off with me posting a picture of pike scattered all along the ground after been killed in Galway by the people legally licenced to do so by the Inland Fisheries Ireland. OK so my original post stated that although I personally didn't believe pike are native to Ireland and that I taught the actions taken in the picture was wrong. That was it, this then started a huge online slagging match and as the slagging match kept going, I then picked out comments and pasted them into the page and the roaring of abuse continued practically all day long, Altogether the posts reached about 35,000 people throughout Facebook. 

Legally killed Pike, Galway 2020.

So here is my take on the whole situation and I can almost guarantee that this is going to divide people as well. I think throughout the whole debate I was called between 30 - 40 different names. Throughout the whole day it was full on, somehow this topic brought the worst out in people. Its funny because for me it doesn't bother me one single bit. Since starting the page I have never backed away from the hard subjects. I grew up around violence because of subjects like this but back then it wasn't name calling on Facebook. It was houses been burnt down and people going to jail. That is just the reality, that is not bravado or anything of the short, my family has been steeped in this stuff for the 50 years. No family in the country and to deal with the stuff we had to. So name calling, like children in the playground online is actually what the man of Ireland has become. I am not violent at all, if I be truthful I never was, I never wanted to be and please god I never have to be. I like people, I respect peoples right to their opinion and conclusion on different matters. I have had a very different path to most and some where along the way I have realised that people have the right to speak for what they believe in. That is why on the page I allow people to say what ever they want to say and only on the very rare occasion will anything be deleted.

Pike Fishing, Mayo, 2014

 

I believe that as a nation and a community of human beings on this planet that we have forgotten COMPLETELY who we are. I know that the great scatter-er is amongst us more so today than ever before. We are divided in all areas of our lives, if its not race, its gender, if its not gender, its sexuality, if its not sexuality, its religion etc.... Yesterday for me was a sure sign that we are going down a path where people will fight over anything that separates them. Its about the separation and not about the fight. Something deep in our souls wants us separated. Now after all the debate and as my day went on and I kept tapping into the comment section. Even though the shear violent outbursts at certain people and myself amused me at times, I was thinking how could I get these warring fractions together? So I decided to put it out there that I would set up an online debate where two people or more could argue out there points in real time. This was a way of maybe bringing together the two sides and working through things. Its obvious to me that one side of the argument believes that the pike in Ireland should not be culled and another side of the argument believes they should. Nobody was wiling to do so. After almost 700 comments, after a debate lasting 24 hours and still going, nobody was wiling to put themselves out there and make themselves known. This is who we are people, a bunch of spineless internet trolls who would prefer to mock and name call people online instead of having adult conversation in a grown up way on what we believe in to be right and wrong. Don't worry since yesterday I have been working away setting up this debate and will go ahead shortly. Obviously the people that are willing to do it are not the people online throwing their weight around, they actually have something with substance and meaning to say. Until next time, tight lines, and always remember to love one another as I love you, god bless...