After the good Conservative Senator Nicole Eaton dissed Canada’s national animal, the beaver, as a “dentally defective rat” and extolled the virtues of the polar bear, readers may remember that I made a case for the elephant instead.
But I’ve been humbled and upstaged by the fine folks over at DAMMIT JANET! They realized, as I had not, that no choices these days are made with the whole country in mind: they are entirely partisan. When you come to think of it, the “stately polar bear” is a white predator—the very image of the Conservative party’s red-meat base.
So the is on for frankly partisan animals.
Here is deBeauxos’ contribution from DJ!:
She means the zebra mussels, but somehow that tired old crayfish conveys its own political meaning. On the one hand, it could be the long-suffering body politic, now encased in armour “for its own protection,” barely able to move these days so hobbled is it by the Conservative government’s policies. On the other, it might well stand for the Conservative party itself.
But DJ! reader Alison has gone one better. Meet the hagfish:
Here’s a vid she thoughtfully provides to accompany her explanation.
Readers are invited to suggest their own party animals, with illustrations if possible. Remember to keep things light, as the DJ! riot grrrls have. 🙂
Come on, don’t be a party pooper.
