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psichick, I had a cat who lived to be 16, she died 2 1/2 years ago. The last couple years of her life she was very sick & I had to buy her special canned prescription food & specific medicine that I picked up at an apothecary that I had to administer every day. I took her to the vet more than once because she was so sick, x-rays, etc. It was a lot of money but she was worth it to me. I don't regret it for a moment.
because animals don't have the same brain capacity as humans and thus can be trained and controlled.
Perhaps those people who prefer pets would change their mind if humans they came in contact with had brain limitations and thus they could be trained and controlled to simply smile and nod their head at their master's commands.
They might even get rewarded with a cookie for doing so.
I do not consider my pets children.
They are more like friends/family.
And OF COURSE I value my friends/family over a stranger.
So basically a being's self worth is dictated by it's importance to YOU, not it's inherent worth? Like if you had a pet mouse you considered a friend you'd save it over a random stranger? A rather selfish way of looking at it, but sadly one that underpins the way people see the world.
As for the OP, yes, I think it's because animals are perceived as innocent, and as Hippie Lady said, animals seem to bring joy, adoration, and respect to owners: there is less reason to hate them than many humans. Humans are judgemental, cynical, and oftentimes too complex and judgemental to deal with.
Pets are guaranteed loyalists. They always show love and affection, like a baby. Children may not love you unconditionally. They may not greet you with open arms and enthusiasm every day past the age of 6. They need more than food and water and the occasional vet visit. They will disagree, talk back, give you headaches, may put your life in danger, live a lifestyle and associate with people that you do not approve or loathe, will give you heartaches, disappoint, disagree, excite, have a mind and opinion and life of their own unless they have some kind of condition that prevents them from ever being independent. A dog will always need care and attention an in return they will give you love and affection like an infant does. They aren't better than children, but they are easier in terms of care. I love dogs. I love children, but they aren't the same.
Not to sound cynical, but there's a biological basis for this. Humans bred wolves to be like infantile puppies: they bred traits like dependency, eagerness, friendliness, openness.etc, and traits like aggression, wariness, intractability so they would be more appealing as pets to humans, basically like surrogate pets. There's something almost diabolical about that, in a way, although I'm not saying people shouldn't own dogs, they're already here, and I still love most dogs. I just think that the domestication of dogs was another way of humans bending to their will.
From what you say you just want someone to love you, Moderator cut: language, and tell you you're the greatest. Is it any wonder that some people here would really save a dog's life over a human?
But some religions, Christianity included, teach that humans are superior to other life forms.
Those religious beliefs probably developed because humans are omnivorous mammals. We'll eat just about any other form of life to keep ourselves alive. Religions exist to explain morality, to teach us what is ok and what isn't. So people will justify killing and eating other life forms by citing whatever religion they believe. Even cannibalistic societies, which probably developed due to lack of availability of other forms of protein in their environment, use religion to justify eating other humans.
Humans with wealth and options can choose to be vegetarians and to reject moral systems that don't make sense now.
Humans who are poor and have few options will eat anything in order to maintain their own life, and will choose a moral system that justifies what they do.
Use the above to understand why wealthy people are more likely to treat other animals like humans while poorer people are less likely to treat other animals like humans.
Humans are just animals trying to stay alive, after all.
What makes any animal superior to another than? What makes a dog superior to a pig? What makes either superior to a mouse? Or a mouse to a spider? There's something called sentience. It can't simply be based on how much you love something, that's selfish. Or else you could say, say your pet mouse is worth more than a stranger's child.
I care more about animals than people, because animals aren't backstabbing, hypocritical, abusers and in general Moderator cut: language . Most humans only care about themselves, so truly, why should I care about them? I don't like kids. I put up with the ones in my life and lie lie lie about how cute and wonderful they are. In truth, I hate kids. I don't want to be near them. Period. Heck, I don't like most human beings. So yeah, I'd save my dog before I save anyone on this board. If it was between a loved one and my dog, I'd have to make a quick decision, but I'd still go for both. To me, that's like asking, do you save your mom or your dad first?
My dog got homecooked food for two years (and I hate cooking - he ate better than me). I moved closer to work so I could go home and take him out at lunch because he couldn't hold it that long anymore. When he had to wear diapers because he was having accidents, I paid a lot of money to make sure he was always dry, had good products, etc. In the end, he couldn't get up. I'd lift him up, help him walk, help him potty. He'd lie on my chest because it was the only way he could get a good night's rest. I did everything I possibly could to make his life the best it could be in the end. And I put him down humanely when it was time.
I'd do the same for my loved ones. So for all those that think, just because I love an animal more than a human means I'm sick and deranged, you're so wrong. I care more about my dogs because my dogs don't emotionally hurt me like many humans do because most humans aren't tolerant and definitely do not accept people who are "different". This thread alone proves my point. You put down people who love animals more, just because YOU don't get it. Nice judgement. It's no wonder people like animals better.
And animals don't care about themselves? Most animals are selfish, they will eat first, even trample over infants to get their fill. Murder, deception, rape, infanticide, torture are all part of the animal world, don't believe nature is so naive and gentle. Not saying animals are 'evil', but all those 'bad' traits we find in humans have their roots in nature, since we are animals. Same with the good. On one hand if you say 'animals don't know they are doing wrong', how can you credit them with doing good either? It's either one or the other. I love animals, but would you seriously save your cat or dog over a person? Maybe ask yourself why people hurt you so? I notice a lot of people seem to complain about how terrible people are, and they often aren't angels themselves.
Humans destroying the planet we live on, dogs and cats don't. Many people view themselves as a cancer to the planet and animals that are roaming around are just more innocent. Are the people that view humans as a cancer to the planet right? Kind of obvious. We are making a mess of this place. We like the cash though and of course our lifestyle.
And animals don't care about themselves? Most animals are selfish, they will eat first, even trample over infants to get their fill. Murder, deception, rape, infanticide, torture are all part of the animal world, don't believe nature is so naive and gentle. Not saying animals are 'evil', but all those 'bad' traits we find in humans have their roots in nature, since we are animals. Same with the good. On one hand if you say 'animals don't know they are doing wrong', how can you credit them with doing good either? It's either one or the other. I love animals, but would you seriously save your cat or dog over a person? Maybe ask yourself why people hurt you so? I notice a lot of people seem to complain about how terrible people are, and they often aren't angels themselves.
Of course I would save my dog over some random person. I don't understand people who wouldn't. You've had this dog for years and he is like a member of your family. Why would you rather save the life of someone you don't know?
I remember watching a documentary about the war in Rwanda, and during the evacuation the expats were taking their family pets with them and leaving their hired help behind.
But really, I can understand... I often feel the same way.
Animals are easier to provide for, aren't demanding, they don't require paperwork or all kinds of legal insanity, they are cheaper, they are more dependent on you which tends to ensure loyalty, they tend to give their affection more easily, they are easier to content, easier to please... the stakes are lower but the rewards are often higher. They don't demand a certain salary, a certain standard of living... they don't chastise you for not being ambitious, for not making something out of your life, for not wanting to do what they do, for not having enough in common, etc. You don't have to be perfect, you don't have to put all kinds of effort into amusing them, you don't have to worry about what others will think about their jobs or their marks in school or their physical appearance and how that reflects on you... all you need to do is feed them, give them some basic amusements, and be nice to them-- they will love you for just that.
I also think a big part of the reason is because animals haven't gone through the same degree of alienation that we have under capitalism... they are 'pure'.
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