You’re probably already aware of this, but Facebook has algorithms that monitor posts for inappropriate behaviour, but sometimes their idea of inappropriate behaviour misses the mark. Case in point, I’m fresh out of purgatory. I just spent the last 24 hours in Facebook jail for a picture that I posted in July of last year. Really Facebook? Were you guys bored at work one day and thought you’d go digging through old posts just to see what you’d find? This is the picture I got in trouble for…
That’s a picture of my Dad competing in the steer wrestling competition at the Kinistino Rodeo on July 6th, 1969… the same day I was born. It’s the only picture I have of him steer wrestling, and it was a winning run too.
Now why would you think that this picture ended up getting me in Facebook jail? Well apparently, the folks at Facebook need to re-set their algorithms to recognize that a 50+ year old photo of a guy steer wrestling doesn’t constitute animal harassment/abuse.
Now I know that there are some people who would vehemently disagree with me about rodeo events not being animal abuse, but you must remember that all rodeo events are monitored by the SPCA, and I haven’t heard of any in Canada getting cancelled because of animal harassment or abuse.
A lot of people may not realize this, but rodeo livestock actually gets treated better than most humans. Rodeo animals are considered athletes, just as much as the cowboys are. They are usually bred from previous rodeo champions and have the sport in their blood. They work 8 seconds a day, they get the best feed, the best veterinary treatment, and when they retire, most are put out to stud. We wish our lives could be like that.
And for the livestock contractor that owns the animals, they represent a huge financial investment. The last thing they want is for one of their animals to be injured.
The reason they buck and kick is because of an itchy wool strap on their underbelly, and they are trying to kick it off. That’s it! As for the person on their back… a 2000lb animal doesn’t really notice a 150lb person on top of them, any more than you would carrying around a newborn infant on your back.
Most of these animals are docile except for when it’s their time to shine. And of the ones that that I have encountered, they seem to know when it’s ‘game time’ – and as soon as it’s over they know to head to the gate and back to that life of food, water and relaxation.
But what about the spurs? Doesn’t that hurt them? In North America, the spurs are not sharp, and the animals (especially the bulls) have incredibly tough hides. If you saw how livestock behave around each other you’d be surprised how tough these animals are. Head butting and neck wrestling is common among cattle, and horses kick and bite each other.
That leads me into the steer wrestling and steer roping events. Doesn’t it hurt their necks? If you have never been around these animals you wouldn’t be aware of just how incredibly strong these animals are, necks included. With a flick of their head, they can send a grown man flying. I know this because I’m a grown man and I’ve been sent flying.
Do I appreciate what Facebook is trying to do? Yes, by all means. By not allowing animal abusers to have a forum to post pictures of their sick twisted handiwork will hopefully stop some from doing it, and at the same time, save some poor defenseless animals. I just think that Facebook needs to re-think their process rather than allowing a computer to make decisions.
I did appeal, but their appeal process is a joke. You aren’t given any chance to explain your post, only a button to click that says you disagree. And once they have made their decision, it’s final, and you have to wait out their arbitrary ban.
So just be aware that when you post something that might be taken the wrong way, no matter how innocuous, Facebook will probably flag it… even if it’s almost a year later. Maybe take some time today to give your Facebook page a once over and see if there’s anything from your past that may end up putting you in Facebook jail with me and thousands of other innocent inmates.
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