BRIAN JONES
The Telegram

The European Parliament's vote this week to ban the importation of seal products into that effete continent has been lambasted by one side for being based on lies and misrepresentation, and has been cheered by the other side as a worldwide victory for conservation and the humane treatment of animals.

Whichever side you agree with, the European Union's decision to ban seal product imports provides an abject lesson about politics, the media and public discourse.

Lesson 1 is that "truth" is not always absolute - it can be subjective and slippery.

Most journalists, by the third day of their career, hear the accusatory query, "Why does the media print such lies?"

Well, because to somebody, it was the truth, not a lie.

Bearing such slipperiness in mind, here are some aspects of the issue Europeans should bear in mind, but probably didn't think about.

Violent vs. cruel. One of the main arguments made against the seal hunt over the years has been that it is cruel and inhumane. But cruelty implies an intention to cause suffering. Sealers and Department of Fisheries and Oceans officials have repeatedly stated that hunters kill seals as quickly and painlessly as possible. Is the seal hunt violent? Absolutely. As has been pointed out many times, so is the killing of cows, pigs, chickens, etc., in slaughterhouses around the world. Death by slaughter is inherently violent. But cruel? No. Cruelty involves a desire to inflict pain.

Aboriginal hunt. The European ban will make exemptions for seals killed by aboriginal hunters. Some people might see this as an enlightened recognition of the central role of hunting in native culture. And yet, there is an odour of condescension in this. It reeks of European colonialism, and the view that the "savages," though noble, need guidance from their more sophisticated and advanced masters. There isn't much sense to granting an exemption for Inuit hunters. The seal products ban will destroy a major market. Decreeing that it's OK for Inuit sealers to carry on is nonsensical at best, and racist at worst.

Personal choice. There is a powerful worldwide movement to deny people their right to personal choice, even in free and democratic countries. Bureaucrats, busybodies, activists and politicians have smashed to smithereens the principle that people, in their own lives, have the right to personal choice. Want to wear fur? Be prepared to have fake blood spattered on it as someone "protests" your abuse of nature. Want to light up a smoke at your kid's soccer game? No way, you unfit parent. According to The Canadian Press, the EU's import ban will include seal oil pills. The health benefits of taking the omega-3 contained in seal oil has been proven, but their politicians, with the avid support of public opinion, will deny this option for heart health to Europeans.

Celebrity culture. There is something irritating and unsettling about celebrities who use their fame to sway public opinion and influence politicians. Brigitte Bardot, Pamela Anderson, Paul McCartney and others all have their versions of "truth," but none of their interpretations give any importance to the people who need to make a living and don't have bank accounts of multiple millions. Their influence in the seal hunt debate exposes a weakness among many people for independent thought.

Tough vs. wimpy. Say what you will about the seal hunt, you've got to admire the courage and toughness of the people who wage it. We can only wonder how many self-satisfied, self-styled "humane" Europeans came home from their office job this week, sipped a brandy, pondered early retirement or a Mediterranean vacation, and read about Rex Saunders, a Newfoundland sealer who was rescued this week after being adrift on an ice floe for two days after his boat capsized. When he was found Wednesday, Saunders was 44 kilometres offshore. If the story isn't amazing enough, add this: Saunders is 66 years old.

In a discussion about nature or wildlife, I'd be far more interested in what Saunders has to say than I would be in the opinions of any European.

Brian Jones is a desk editor at The Telegram. He can be reached by e-mail at bjones@thetelegram.com.