Etymology - the Study of Linguistic Change

Now for something a little bit different....

Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning has changed over time. Words and their uses have always interested me, especially how words are twisted and turned from one meaning to another.  I believe that the power who be at Grey2K are good, extremely good, at twisting and turning words & their meanings. So...let's go down the rabbit hole together into the madness of Grey2K!

Grey2K USA is fond of excoriating racing people for "exploiting" their dogs. They use the word "exploit" because of its potentially negative connotations.  In fact, they focus on the negatives... always.  Regarding exploitation, however, they focus on the one meaning of the word which is to "use selfishly for one's own ends".  They seem to forget or perhaps they don't realize that the word, "exploit", also has several very positive meanings... Unlike the hate filled group, Grey2K, the racing community chooses to focus on the positives...  after all, life is too full of negativity and those bad feelings, which lead down a dark & lonely path, affect these sensitive & empathetic dogs.

A positive meaning of exploit, when used as a verb, is to further advance & to promote.  For instance,

"The adoption rep exploited the positive traits of the greyhound as a breed to encourage the family to adopt one to add to their family."

Or....

"Greyhounds really know how to exploit their humans by being cute. They can charm a cookie or treat out of anyone."

It can mean, when used as a noun, a striking & notable deed. Here's an example,

"The exploits of the great racing legend, Rural Rube, include setting a new world's record for the 5/16's mile by running the distance in 31 seconds flat. There were those who swear he was almost human. He posed to newsreels and cameras and at a dinner in his honor Rural Rube sat at the head of the table, a napkin tied around his neck. He even bowed to the delight of those present."

So, in looking at the positive, you're damn right I 'exploit' these dogs and I'm proud of it!  They are a great dog and they deserve to have all their positives celebrated by letting the world know of their 'exploits' throughout history!  I will continue to "exploit" them to the benefit of the dogs and the breed.

This little blurb also goes to show who truly advocates for the dogs.  But, you are the ones who need to decide who are the true advocates for the dogs and the breed.  You need to ask yourself, are the advocates  those people who exploit them in a positive manner, extolling the breed's virtues and the dogs exploits, those who show the dogs in the best possible light for what they are, an extraordinary athlete and creature?

OR,  is it those like Grey2K and its minions, who negatively "exploit" them, showing them as objects to be pitied, objects that are abused, to accomplish their political goal, caring naught for what happens to the breed in the long term should that goal be accomplished.  Make no mistake, Grey2K is exploiting these wonderful dogs to "take advantage of an animal, a situation either unethically or unjustly for their own ends."  The end of racing and, ultimately, the end of greyhounds & greyhound ownership.

When making that decision, please don't forget Grey2K's close ties with radical animal rights groups, groups which have called for the "extinction of domestic animals...  one generation and out".  It's a known fact that the President of Grey2K, Christine Dorchak, counts among her friends such noted animal rights radicals, including but not limited to:

Peter Singer, Animal Liberation Front

Peter Singer is of the opinion that "just being a human doesn't give you a right to live."  He supports euthanasia, infanticide, fair allocation of scarce healthcare resources, and embryo experimentation. Euthanasia & infanticide for those who are "severely disabled".  Does that include those children with autism?  What about children with cancer, a disabling illness?  What about children who are blind?  Deaf?

Yet, Peter Singer opposes killing any animal in almost ALL cases the notable exceptions being forms of animal experimentation.  Go figure...

"Should one break in and free the animals? That is illegal, but the obligation to obey the law is not absolute. It was justifiably broken by those who helped runaway slaves in the American South, to mention only one possible parallel."  Singer, Peter. Animal Liberation: A New Ethics for our Treatment of Animals. Random House. 1975.

"So far as this argument is concerned nonhuman animals and infants and retarded humans are in the same category; and if we use this argument to justify experiments on nonhuman animals we have to ask ourselves whether we are also prepared to allow experiments on human infants and retarded adults; and if we make a distinction between animals and these humans, on what basis can we do it, other than a bare-faced - and morally indefensible - preference for members of our own species?" Singer, Peter. Animal Liberation: A New Ethics for our Treatment of Animals. Random House. 1975.

John "JP" Goodwin, Animal Liberation Front & HSUS

John "JP" Goodwin is a member of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), who has been hired by HSUS as a "nationally recognized expert" on dog fighting.  It's a lie.  What isn't a lie is Goodwin's association with ALF, an organization that was characterized by J. F. Jarboe, the FBI's Domestic Terrorism Section Chief, during Congression testimony on eco-terrorism in 2002 as, ". . .one of the most active extremist elements in the United States."  Goodwin himself stated "my goal is the abolition of all animal agriculture."

In case you don't know, Goodwin is a convicted criminal with a long history of arrests & convictions.  In the 1990's, Goodwin was arrested and convicted for being the ringleader of a crew that vandalized fur retailers in multiple states. Animal People News profiled Goodwin in 2000, noting that he “gleefully announced a string of Animal Liberation Front mink releases and arsons against furriers and fur farms,” while acting as a “spokesman” for the terrorist group.  He was once again a "spokesman" in February 1997 after a Petaluma, California, slaughterhouse arson, and in March 1997, Goodwin truly shocked the public with his comments about an arson at a farmer’s feed co-op in Utah. Goodwin stated "We're ecstatic." when asked about a fire that caused almost $1 million in damage and could easily have killed a family sleeping on the premises.  Deseret News (Utah), Mar. 11, 1997

Bruce Friedrich (PeTA) & Peter Singer

With the exception of Ingrid Newkirk of the PeTA killing machine, Peter Singer & JP Goodwin are the most well known, radical animal rights activists who call themselves "friends" of Dorchak.  Other lesser well known individuals include:

Bruce Friedrich, Farm Sanctuary
Grace & Michael Markarian (HSUS),
Kim Bartlett (Animal People Inc),
Paul Shapiro (HSUS), and
Sara Amundson (Humane Society Legislative Fund).

Think about it...

Yours in greyhounds...