You're right, they're angry. I had the opportunity to have The Shark Debate conversation with the Mother of one of my students. It didn't go well. She became visibly shaken, and indignant when i suggested sharks were inferior to humans and there were far too many of them. The indoctrination runs deep.
If a a mental illness, Michelle. Sharks have been around for millions of years, apparently. But not one of them has so much as written a cool three-minute pop song or invented a waterproof chocolate bar. Absolutely useless.
Maybe things are turning around in this next generation. My 18 year old son and his friends all Cronulla surfers are not woke shark huggers. They all agree the sharks should be pushed back from our beaches. And from my perspective, I think people have lost sight of the sanctity of human life. We are above the animals and are called to be good stewards of God’s creation. And if we ‘are’ animals, how is us protecting ourselves from predators any different from any other animal doing the same?
People today are so rude! What they write on social media is appalling. Where has respect gone? I was more concerned about what these people were saying about you more than the subject of your article. No wonder we have such a peculiar world today.
I have been surfing since I was 8. Now, at 73, it’s a bit harder to leap to my feet for those quick take-offs. Every time I entered the water—mostly on isolated, non-netted beaches—I was aware of the risk of sharks, but it was always in the back of my mind. My heart missed a beat each time I saw a dolphin fin, but not once did I see a shark, though I am sure they were lurking. This low visibility was likely due to historical commercial fishing pressures. Nowadays, however, the threat is top of mind. The establishment of protected marine sanctuaries and conservation laws have altered local ecosystems, concentrated marine life, and brought apex predators closer to recreational waters.Some argue the ocean is "their domain" and humans do not belong there. Yet, humanity has fished, sailed, and harvested from the ocean for eons. It is a shared space, not an exclusive animal sanctuary. Anyone with a sense of human-centric duty of care should prioritise human preservation over absolute environmental ownership.This is not a call for indiscriminate eradication. Instead, we need a targeted risk-reduction strategy. By using modern tracking technology, we can target specific high-risk species or aggressive individual sharks near heavily populated beaches. Society routinely and successfully manages terrestrial predators like bears, wolves, or crocodiles when they pose an imminent threat to human populations. Marine management should be no different. The thought of being torn limb from limb while drowning has no appeal, and it is a preventable horror.
Brilliant article, Fred! Even blind Freddy (no pun intended) can see what’s going on. So the brainwashing continues! It saddens me to see that the average young person has been destroyed by the system of being able to think and see both sides to an argument. 😡
I see most of the 'commentators' arent real people just keyboard warriors hiding behind false names. Zero credibility for those who cant put a name to their beliefs.
Fred, as usual you are spot on, I have a question " what happened to flake and chips " I remember as a kid in Tasmania having that most Friday evenings for tea. You can kill the unborn human, but dont dare kill man eating sharks. Or harm animals, I wonder why that is ? Our priorities are all wrong, we used to eat sharks they now eat us and you will be run out of town if you dare to suggest we should do something about it .....
I have to say, Fred, I couldn't keep reading the comments on Instagram. I was pretty upset by the hatred, the anger, and the dismissiveness toward not only your journalistic skills, but also your being a surfer, too. I was so shocked and appalled - and surprised. I thought there'd be more compassion and understanding. It just sounded like a lot of rudeness and ignorant confirmation bias.
I dare them all to say all of that to your face...
Esp from the senator; what a rude individual. Just more proof stacking up that being an a-hole is the best way into politics. I'm guessing you have a thicker skin than I, but I wanted to send you a big hug.
Thank you so much, UP. I have developed quite a thick skin over the years, but messages like yours have an even greater effect, in restoring my faith in humanity. It's reassuring to know that not everyone is as hateful as surfers!
(Oh, and here's a little insight to these people. I noticed one of the more vitriolic comments, childishly saying I was a supporter of Pauline Hanson's "One Neuron" Party, was from a name I recognised. I clicked on it, and realised it was a friend of mine from 20 years ago. We used to surf together often. He was also pretty broke at the time, and I gave him one of my old boards, just because I knew he needed it. Years later, here he was gleefully joining in the pile-on. These people are beneath contempt.)
Share your thoughts on your support of the genocide in Gaza Fred? Now Lebanon? Sudan? The Congo? The illegal airstrikes killing thousands of innocent civilians.The sanctity of human rights and life? Th
You're right, they're angry. I had the opportunity to have The Shark Debate conversation with the Mother of one of my students. It didn't go well. She became visibly shaken, and indignant when i suggested sharks were inferior to humans and there were far too many of them. The indoctrination runs deep.
If a a mental illness, Michelle. Sharks have been around for millions of years, apparently. But not one of them has so much as written a cool three-minute pop song or invented a waterproof chocolate bar. Absolutely useless.
Maybe things are turning around in this next generation. My 18 year old son and his friends all Cronulla surfers are not woke shark huggers. They all agree the sharks should be pushed back from our beaches. And from my perspective, I think people have lost sight of the sanctity of human life. We are above the animals and are called to be good stewards of God’s creation. And if we ‘are’ animals, how is us protecting ourselves from predators any different from any other animal doing the same?
Great stuff, Miffy. Trust the Shire to produce smart young men!
People today are so rude! What they write on social media is appalling. Where has respect gone? I was more concerned about what these people were saying about you more than the subject of your article. No wonder we have such a peculiar world today.
Thank you, Dianne. It’s nice knowing that people like us don’t need to be offensive to make a point.
Nets were and are sensible. Who are these brainwashed enviro idiots who think we should not be here?
Their hatred of humans is just projecting, FFP!
I'm impressed with the erudition and Socratic approach of those commentators politely disagreeing with you Fred.
I was completely outclassed, Gareth. I felt like Mehreen Faruqi at a nudist colony for retired supermodels 😂
I have been surfing since I was 8. Now, at 73, it’s a bit harder to leap to my feet for those quick take-offs. Every time I entered the water—mostly on isolated, non-netted beaches—I was aware of the risk of sharks, but it was always in the back of my mind. My heart missed a beat each time I saw a dolphin fin, but not once did I see a shark, though I am sure they were lurking. This low visibility was likely due to historical commercial fishing pressures. Nowadays, however, the threat is top of mind. The establishment of protected marine sanctuaries and conservation laws have altered local ecosystems, concentrated marine life, and brought apex predators closer to recreational waters.Some argue the ocean is "their domain" and humans do not belong there. Yet, humanity has fished, sailed, and harvested from the ocean for eons. It is a shared space, not an exclusive animal sanctuary. Anyone with a sense of human-centric duty of care should prioritise human preservation over absolute environmental ownership.This is not a call for indiscriminate eradication. Instead, we need a targeted risk-reduction strategy. By using modern tracking technology, we can target specific high-risk species or aggressive individual sharks near heavily populated beaches. Society routinely and successfully manages terrestrial predators like bears, wolves, or crocodiles when they pose an imminent threat to human populations. Marine management should be no different. The thought of being torn limb from limb while drowning has no appeal, and it is a preventable horror.
Brilliant article, Fred! Even blind Freddy (no pun intended) can see what’s going on. So the brainwashing continues! It saddens me to see that the average young person has been destroyed by the system of being able to think and see both sides to an argument. 😡
I see most of the 'commentators' arent real people just keyboard warriors hiding behind false names. Zero credibility for those who cant put a name to their beliefs.
Fred, as usual you are spot on, I have a question " what happened to flake and chips " I remember as a kid in Tasmania having that most Friday evenings for tea. You can kill the unborn human, but dont dare kill man eating sharks. Or harm animals, I wonder why that is ? Our priorities are all wrong, we used to eat sharks they now eat us and you will be run out of town if you dare to suggest we should do something about it .....
there’s an anti-human agenda at play. shame so many fall for it.
I have to say, Fred, I couldn't keep reading the comments on Instagram. I was pretty upset by the hatred, the anger, and the dismissiveness toward not only your journalistic skills, but also your being a surfer, too. I was so shocked and appalled - and surprised. I thought there'd be more compassion and understanding. It just sounded like a lot of rudeness and ignorant confirmation bias.
I dare them all to say all of that to your face...
Esp from the senator; what a rude individual. Just more proof stacking up that being an a-hole is the best way into politics. I'm guessing you have a thicker skin than I, but I wanted to send you a big hug.
Thank you so much, UP. I have developed quite a thick skin over the years, but messages like yours have an even greater effect, in restoring my faith in humanity. It's reassuring to know that not everyone is as hateful as surfers!
(Oh, and here's a little insight to these people. I noticed one of the more vitriolic comments, childishly saying I was a supporter of Pauline Hanson's "One Neuron" Party, was from a name I recognised. I clicked on it, and realised it was a friend of mine from 20 years ago. We used to surf together often. He was also pretty broke at the time, and I gave him one of my old boards, just because I knew he needed it. Years later, here he was gleefully joining in the pile-on. These people are beneath contempt.)
Makes me sad! For them, too. Pack mentality is so toxic.
Living behind the weight of so much distrust and hate. It reminds me of how mean the bullies were in primary school - it's that puerile.
Glad I could raise your spirits a bit, F.
How is valuing the life of a human above a fish that isn’t endangered even considered controversial? Good on you Fred. You are one of the good ones.
Thank you, Mark. Strange times we live in.
Share your thoughts on your support of the genocide in Gaza Fred? Now Lebanon? Sudan? The Congo? The illegal airstrikes killing thousands of innocent civilians.The sanctity of human rights and life? Th
Strange times indeed.
Keep up the great work Fred.
Its not “suicidal empathy” Fred. It is just plain stupidity.