Friday, April 17, 2009

Kids Catch a Smile Day

This fish is on a mission:

To give all children, even the physically challenged, the opportunity to snag his face with a hook and drag him from the waters that have nurtured him his whole life, into the stifling air, twitching and writhing, his gills unable to breathe the mocking oxygen that surrounds him.

And sure, when put that way, his mission seems almost… odd.

But look at him! When these kids catch a smile, they're really catching a smile! That hook is piercing the fish's actual smile!

He loves this stuff. It's his chance—finally!—to give back. People have been so good to him all these years. Leaving him in peace. Not, you know, killing him. He owes them.

And so he's only too happy to clamp down on the hook and give the kids the thrill of a lifetime!

Pull hard, kids. He'll be thrashing around a bit.

7 comments:

katmandu said...

The artwork looks like it would appeal more to grandparents with fond memories of the '50s, rather than any modern kids. I can't imagine the iPod generation thinking these wide-eyed hillbilly kids are cool.

Becci said...

What the hell, that's really creepy.

Bea Elliott said...

I'm hoping too that today's kids are just too busy for such foolishness as animal killing -

Ironically though... that's how they start the brainwashing process with kids - the fishing. It's all so "harmless" - and the fish almost seem willing to latch on to the hook. Sick.

Anonymous said...

you people are stupid!! I volunteer for this event and this is great for these kids. The fish are pen raised for this purpose. These are not wild fish nor would they survive for than than 3 days in these little ponds. we are not brainwashing these kids. Half of the kids cant even hold the rod because of their disability. you folks need to get a life!! Heaven forbid we make some handicapped kids smile.

Bea Elliott said...

Hello Anonymous... I think you miss the point - why "pen raise" the fish to begin with? And of course no one has a problem with making kids smile - it's just that there are a million other ways to accomplish that without the needless killing of animals.

Anonymous said...

Who gives a shit if they are raised or wild, fish are yummy and fun to catch. I'd rather go hunting but different strokes and all that. Why tear down a kids' program? Hunters and fisherman are consistently the best conservationists.
-Erin

L said...

It's even more disturbing that Anonymous 1 and 2 do not find it at all sadistic that death elicits happiness in certain people...