The subject matter I am about to broach will likely elicit strong reaction – the kind that, were we still living in Shakespearean times, would probably see me being pelted with rotten tomatoes.
So if you’re the sort who takes exception to divisive topics, or – bless – the faux intellectuals with a predilection for e-mail rants along the lines of “who are you to talk?” (this is, after all, an opinion-driven column), read no further.
Said subject pertains to he who will forever be remembered as the man who assaulted pop princess Rihanna, namely Chris Brown.
True to form, the loyal crooner has thrown himself to the wolves yet again, thanks to a tweet he posted earlier this week in which he stated: “I don’t know… But I think this Ebola epidemic is a form of population control. S*** is getting crazy bruh.” (sic)
Forgetting for a moment that (a) the comment comes from a person who is pretty much regarded as an all-around putz and (b) the notion of disease as a means of curbing burgeoning population numbers is hardly an original one (research Malthusianism), Mr Brown just might be onto something.
(Aaanndd, queue the tomatoes…)
Those clever folk with endless doctorates to their names predict that, by the end of the century, the number of people walking on this planet will have hit the 10 billion mark. And that’s an optimistic estimate.
Other studies (including those conducted by the UN), suggest that figure could catapult beyond 15bn by the year 2100.
Meanwhile, famine and poverty continue to escalate, with drastic (and often ill-informed) measures on man’s part to meet mushrooming demand by, for example, razing the rainforests to create more arable land, which radically alters ecosystems, with devastating results.
And that’s not even to speak of the catastrophic impact on the animal kingdom.
While we’re busily chopping away at trees and poisoning earth’s water sources with our waste, animals are being forced out of their natural habitats, often with fatal consequences that now border on extinction for some.
For the remaining few still desperately seeking a means of survival, we then hunt them down for food or, better yet, we sell them off (whole, or in parts) as decorative ornaments, sources of muti – that, in any rational mind, can only be described as ego-driven barbarism – or as play things for the rich.
(Globally, the illegal trade in wildlife garners between $10 to 20bn.)
Ebola, by definition, is a zoonotic disease, meaning it’s transmitted from animals to humans.
Previous outbreaks were attributed to the handling of wildlife like bats, gorillas and chimpanzees during illicit trafficking operations that mainly spanned Central and West Africa.
The current epidemic is largely believed to have initially been caused by the consumption of contaminated bat meat.
Now, before the human rights activists start sending me letter bombs, I’m not for one moment dismissing the suffering of those afflicted with, or who have succumbed to, the virus, nor am I discounting the pain felt by their families and loved ones.
But given our parasitic species’ relentless disregard for, and abuse of, planet Earth and our fellow inhabitants, perhaps this is Mother Nature’s way of warning us to cease and desist. And perhaps it’s time we finally took notice…