IF I could potentially influence the minds of 345,303 people on Facebook, 43,600 people on Instagram and a whopping 628,000 people on Twitter, what would I choose to do? How would I choose to act?
It’s not a question I’ve asked myself until I was shocked and horrified to discover that one of my most favoured artists, Lucy Spraggan had chosen to use her influence to make light of the barbaric murder of Cecil the Lion.
Lucy has chosen to dress up this Halloween as the vile dentist and hunter Walter Palmer who stalked and murdered Cecil for his own sick enjoyment.
Having read about how Cecil was brutally murdered, it shocks and appals me to think that an artist whom I’ve adored for many years has chosen to not only post the photo online but add a message to her fans, pre-empting any backlash she may be likely to take. Her message was: “Don’t take life too seriously”.
The fact that she pre-empted a backlash is proof she knew what she was doing was wrong, not funny.
I don’t believe I do take like too seriously, I’m not shy of embarrassing myself or having a laugh when it comes to Halloween. Or even making a statement, this year I opted to dress as a used tampon to make light of the government’s laughable tampon tax.
For me though, Lucy is choosing to disregard the fact that this IS a serious matter, one often forgotten about. The fact that the issue has been highlighted in such a tasteless fashion by someone with this amount of influence disappoints me greatly.
I’ve travelled twice to see Lucy perform, I’ve stayed for meet and greet, beaming in a photographs beside her and I’ve als written a glowing review for this very magazine after her latest Belfast performance in the Limelight.
I don’t think that I could do any of the above again with a clear conscience. Am I taking life too seriously?
With less than 30,000 lions estimated to be left in the wild, is there time to not take this issue seriously?
