The Breeder's Cup

Because my boss doesn't come in until about 10:30 today, I've got the radio playing at the front desk; a luxury I am rarely afforded and take full advantage of whenever I get the chance. Listening to Vancouver's top-40, completlely mainstream station, the morning DJ came on between MB20's "Real World" and Dido's "White Flag", and announced a new contest that the station would be sponsoring. They're calling it the Breeder's Cup and they're accepting applications from couples to compete to conception. In case this makes you say "huh?", essentially what they're doing is taking three couples, and making them race to see who concieves a baby first. That's right - baby making as entertainment.

There are a huge number of things that are totally fucked up about this.

1. What if a couple is only entering the contest for the 20,000 worth of prizes, and never intended on having, never wanted and never thought about the responsibility of having a child?
2. What do you tell your kid when they grow up? "Mommy and Daddy loved each other very much. Also, you were a publicity stunt."
3. I honestly look at the idea of having children/creating a baby as one of the more sacred and miraculous things that two people can share together. Why cheapen it like this?

It's like when people gave pet pigs to their kids for christmas after Babe became a popular movie. Sure, a piglet is a cute thing to have around the house, but when it grew up into a 250 pound hog that rooted in the carpet and ate the cat, what happens then? Nobody really considered this. There are pig sanctuaries across Canada and the US housing hundreds of the Babe-craze ex-pets, saving them from being slaughtered in the backyard. Not that I'm suggesting that these kids are going to grow up and eat the cat, but I am thinking that more foresight might be necessary. Having a kid is a commitment for the rest of your life ... the radio station might only reap the benefits for a few weeks. Just my thoughts on the matter