Buddhists Release 534 Lobsters Into Ocean; Lobsterman Go To Site And Capture 534 Lobsters

A group of Buddhists announced recently that they were going to purchase 534 lobsters to return them to the sea. A group of lobstermen from Gloucester reportedly read about the designated site of the ceremony and followed the Buddhists — laying traps and capturing the lobsters and bringing them to market. This was viewed as really funny by the captain of the fishing vessel Degelyse — according to published reports. However, in an update below, Joe Ciaramitaro insists it is satire and not meant to be disrespectful.

The lobstermen then brag about destroying the purpose of the ceremony on their local blog, Goodmorninggloucester.org. Joe Ciaramitaro, who runs the blog, insisted oddly that “It’s really not meant as a slight toward Buddhism at all. We’re just having fun.’’ I would really like to know what constitutes a slight in Gloucester. I can now see what constitutes fun on the Degelyse. Here are some of the pictures.

Whether you agree with the monks or their faith, it is incredibly nasty and disrespectful to pull this type of stunt. In the video on the blog, the lobsterman taunt the Buddhists. I do not understand how adults could work so hard to be disrespectful to people in a religious-based ceremony. If this story is and these pictures are true, it is not just disrespectful, it is disgraceful. Even if satire, it released a torrent of anti-Buddhist mocking across the blogoshere.

Update: I reached out to speak with Joe Ciaramitaro who insists that they were just engaging in satire. He also noted that he is a practicing Buddhist. It is an ironic twist given the anti-Buddhist sentiment shown after the posting on this and other blogs. However, Mr. Ciaramitaro insists that his site often uses such satire.

Source: Boston.com