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Original poster

Coca Cola and rodeo abuse

28 replies

Myleetlepony · 23/07/2010 21:01

OK, be careful because this is a truly awful video. The point being that Coca Cola sponsor dreadful cruelty in the US in the form of rodeo.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM1I8AnhGWY

Do you think we could mobilise the might of Mumsnet to get some action taken about this? There is more information here

www.sharkonline.org/?P=0000000351

This is the email of Muhtar Kent, President and CEO of the company.
[email protected]

I'd like to go on to deal with the wider issue of rodeo cruelty and wild horse racing by putting pressure on the US president, but thought that maybe some action with Coca Cola would be a start?

What do you think? Should I put something in Chat?

OP posts:
Tinytemper · 23/07/2010 22:37

Def put something in chat if you haven't done so already.

Eleison · 23/07/2010 22:46

Watched part of that and couldn't keep watching. Horrible. One more reason learnt via Mumsnet not to buy Coke products.

MitchyInge · 24/07/2010 12:11

Am not going to watch video but will pass info on to others

Original poster
Myleetlepony · 24/07/2010 17:27

Thanks very much, the more support the better!
I've put it in chat, not a lot of interest so far, but I can but hope.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/1008611-Another-reason-to-boycot-Coke

OP posts:
tazzle · 24/07/2010 21:51

I have decided not to ever drink the stuff ever again

Original poster
Myleetlepony · 24/07/2010 23:26

I've emailed. For some reason someone is kicking off and having a go about this attempt to support the campaign, but I still think it's worth it and will do anything I can to help.
It doesn't really matter what's being done to "improve" conditions at rodeo. The fact is that it is a sport that causes great suffering in the name of entertainment, and Coca Cola sponsor it in a big way.

OP posts:
tazzle · 01/08/2010 18:20

I have also looked at some of th eother sponsors of the rodeos..... th eone that surpised me the most was ... the animal hopital !!!!

Tchootnika · 26/06/2011 13:17

Is is known whether anything has been done about this? I've just watched (part of) the video and am shaking with horror/rage/sadness.

QuietTiger · 26/06/2011 20:12

Absolutely and unbelievably VILE.

I have a stunning (and very wild) mare, who has never been broken and at the age of 9, had never worn a head collar or been handled, because she had spent her life living wild in a 100 acre field.

It hasn't taken 4 men and brute force to catch her & "break" her in 5 minutes like those arseholes in a rodeo, it's taken hours of gentle bribery, natural horsemanship techniques and the building of a very strong bond of mutual trust. Her "spirit" is still her own and she is not "broken", she is "backed".

Ghandi said "I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent." He also said "The good man is the friend of all living things".

The rodeo is "Evil" and the people who take part are certainly not good men.

LordOfTheFlies · 26/06/2011 22:05

I watched a Coca-Cola/Rodeo video a few months back and it upset and angered me for months,still does.
You remember little snapshots of abuse.I think the 'wrangler'/prisoner kicking a chestnut horse on the flanks to get it on the floor then twisting its ears was the part that sickened me. It looks like the idea was to get the horse saddled and bridled and flat out ie completely submissive and vunerable.

And the little dark bay with two broken legs, pitifully hobbling to what he thought was safety, the other horses.He was herded off and left. Not shot/put out of misery.Just herded off Angry Sad.
Some things cannot be unseen

elephantpoo · 26/06/2011 22:08

That is disgusting.
That poor horse with his leg "hanging" Sad
What an evil thing.
Can't believe we live in a world with this kind of thing going on.
Sick

Tchootnika · 26/06/2011 22:16

I'm actually wanting to transfer this to AIBU first thing tomorrow morning - when as many MNers as possible will see it, as it just makes me absolutely, completely furious.
LOTF, thank you for pointing this out on 'coke' thread (even though since watching it, I've had waves of fury and nausea on what's ptherwise been a lovely day).

ManateeEquineOhara · 27/06/2011 14:51

I'm not going to watch, I will regret it, but can imagine. Starbucks also sponsor or have sponsored some rather hideous rodeos.

Tchootnika · 27/06/2011 15:08

Manatee - do you have a list of companies that sponsor rodeos? It looks like I'm going to be saving a fortune on caffeine from now on, and hope other people will do the same.
I haven't watched all of the video yet, but I'm totally freaked out by and furious about it.

SoloIsAHotCougar · 27/06/2011 15:09

I got to the words 'pays the ultimate price' and shut it down. My stomach is knotted. I'm not a horse person, but I love horses and indeed animals in general; can't bear cruelty. :(

SoloIsAHotCougar · 27/06/2011 15:10

Meant to say that I don't buy coka cola, don't drink it and discourage my Ds from drinking it too.

SoloIsAHotCougar · 27/06/2011 15:11

Coca cola. I can't even spell it Blush

Callisto · 27/06/2011 20:33

I'm not going to watch it - I can imagine how horrible it is. You need to get on to Fugly (if she is still going). She will point you in the direction of how to stop this sort of cruelty effectively.

ManateeEquineOhara · 27/06/2011 20:33

No list. I think from a quick google that it is the same rodeo - the Cheyenne Frontier Days? I know this particular rodeo has a particularly bad reputation for cruelty. I would not want to condemn rodeos as inherently bad though, I don't know enough about them to do that.

Callisto · 27/06/2011 20:37

The site doesn't seem to be working very well atm, but here is a taste of what she does: fuglyblog.com/?p=2857

If you want to google, try Fugly Horse of the Day.

LordOfTheFlies · 27/06/2011 22:17

I'm always a bit Hmm when people say they don't want to watch things like this.
Sadly I have become a bit de-sensitised at my stage in life.I'm 45 and I've been a vegetarian since 14yo so I've seen some horrible things.

Every animal lover ESPECIALLY horse lovers should watch this.

This kind of barbaric 'entertainment' happens. If you don't watch it, it doesn't stop it happening

Fire in the belly ladies, fire in the belly Sad Angry

Tchootnika · 27/06/2011 23:27

Manatee - thank you, will check.
Callisto - thank you also, will check and make contact, I hope.
LordOfTheFlies - I know - agree with you. Have to do something about it, though...
Back soon.

Callisto · 28/06/2011 08:25

You can be as Hmm as you like Lord Of The Flies, and you can stop making assumptions too. I've been a meat eater all my life and I've seen some horrible things - does being a vegetarian mean that you are somehow more empathic than me, or that you're more sensitive to animals suffering?

As for having to watch it - I've followed Fugly's blog for a long time and I have seen some particularly nasty things that are done to horses in the name of entertainment - have you heard about the Mexican 'rodeos' where 2 cowboys on horses round up another horse by roping it's legs and bringing it down at full gallop? Do you need to see it to realise how devastating this can be to the horse? Personally I don't and find a description is enough. I am also well aware of the disgusting way that greyhounds and galgos are treated in Spain, the revolting way that snakes are skinned and bears have their gall bladder 'harvested' in China. I am also aware of very many hideous human rights issues, such as female genital mutilation. I haven't seen video footage of any of these things but it doesn't stop me from feeling horror, pity for the victim and disgust at the perpatrator. I do what I can to stop such things and I don't need to see some poor horse with a broken leg to take action fgs.

Tchootnika · 28/06/2011 09:29

Sorry if I'm going on too much here - I don't mind whether people watch vids like one above or not, but I do feel very strongly that some sort of awareness and action is needed.
Thanks again for info.

MitchiestInge · 28/06/2011 10:47

I also don't see the value of exposing yourself to distressing images, it sounds almost pornographic in all its lurid detail. I'm interested in reading more about it but I don't need to SEE. My imagination is already helping with that.