Put your money where your mouth is

Pamela Anderson has joined the growing list of celebrities condemning Canada’s seal hunt, which now includes Paul McCartney, Morrissey, Brigitte Bardot and others.

They believe that the hunt is cruel, that the furs it produces are unnecessary, and that poor communities in Newfoundland and Labrador ought to have better ways to supplement their income.

I agree. Where we differ is that they’re rich, and I’m broke.

Sir Paul, in fact, has a net worth of $1.5 billion US. Anderson is worth millions at least, although I can’t seem to find out how many exactly.

In 2004, the seals killed in the hunt were worth $16.5 million CDN to the Eastern communities that participated.

If these entertainers-turned-activists really want to stop the seal hunt, I suggest they put their money where their mouths are, and invest in these communities.

Of course, after McCartney and Morrissey compared the hunt to the slave trade and the construction of gas chambers for the Holocaust, respectively – which, I suppose, means the hunters are like slave traders, the SS, or perhaps a mixture of both – the communities might not be too welcoming. But that’s what PR is for.

I’m sure the Canadian government would consider matching any investment dollar for dollar. And if these self-aggrandizing stars needed any extra motivation, they could always get their name stuck on the project.

I can picture it already: The Anderson Institute for Silicone Prosthetics in St. John’s.

Perhaps you can come up with some other worthy projects.