In the era of gesture politics, when political discourse consists of an endless sequence of symbolic protests and counterprotests, there are few winners. The shouting and sign-waving protesters look bitter and sanctimonious, the objects of their disgust are obliged to defend themselves against frequently outrageous accusations, and no one comes away more enlightened.
In a recent exchange of gestures involving a protest and counterprotest, however, we’re pretty sure one of the participants won.
A group of animal rights activists assembled outside Antler Kitchen & Bar, a fashionable restaurant in downtown Toronto catering to carnivores, in order to protest the establishment’s policy of serving meat. The protesters held a large banner emblazoned with the word MURDER in front of the restaurant’s street window. Potential customers were availed of the protesters’ opinions on veganism and animal rights; the restaurant’s paying customers were made to see the banner’s accusation while they ate.
The protest, which was legal, went on for weeks. More protesters came; some brought megaphones. “I hoped it would fizzle out and go away,” Michael Hunter, the owner of Antler, told the Globe and Mail. But it didn’t.
So Hunter took a creative approach. He went to the front window of his restaurant with three items: a knife, a cutting board, and a large leg of raw venison. He sliced up the leg, separating meat from fat, and prepared the meat for roasting. Video of the exchange shows Hunter slowly and calmly exhibiting his talent, and the protesters shouting, “That deer did not want to die!” and “He’s mocking us!”
As of this writing, protests outside Antler Restaurant & Bar have noticeably diminished, and the Facebook page created by the protesters has been inundated with taunts from carnivorous commenters. It doesn’t seem to have occurred to the protesters that harassing and bullying law-abiding citizens isn’t the most effective way to persuade them.
