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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.
You've got that completely backwards. I don't want to control other people, and I sure as heck don't like it when other people try to control me. A LOT of humans try to control each other. Animals don't do that garbage.
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.
Yes. Obviously another being's self worth to me is dictated by its importance to ME.
And I would never have a pet mouse. Or a pet bug. Or pick a mouse or bug life over a decent person's life. But a dog is not on par with a mice or bug or rabbit or anything. Not in my opinion, and it's only my opinion that matters when I decide what is important to ME.
Would I pick random dog vs random strange person's life? Dunno. I'd have to know more. I think I'd pick the person just in case they were a decent person who meant something to other people and brought some good into this world.
But MY dog is MY family. And I pick my family over you and/or any stranger any time of the day/night/week/year/etc. I think you'd pick your family, too, so don't get so freakin' sanctimonious.
Yes. Obviously another being's self worth to me is dictated by its importance to ME.
And I would never have a pet mouse. Or a pet bug. Or pick a mouse or bug life over a decent person's life. But a dog is not on par with a mice or bug or rabbit or anything. Not in my opinion, and it's only my opinion that matters when I decide what is important to ME.
Would I pick random dog vs random strange person's life? Dunno. I'd have to know more. I think I'd pick the person just in case they were a decent person who meant something to other people and brought some good into this world.
But MY dog is MY family. And I pick my family over you and/or any stranger any time of the day/night/week/year/etc. I think you'd pick your family, too, so don't get so freakin' sanctimonious.
I would pick my family over a stranger....not my pet.
I tend to think that people that have zero compassion for animals have a serious character flaw. Now I'm not saying that we need to anthropomorphize the famly gerbal but domestic animals will give unconditional love to their owners. That is the sad part, they will do this even when mistreated. Most humans won't do that. Not to mention humans have the capacity to pick and choose the situations they are in, domestic animals don't. Even the hunters I know have compassion for their animals and even the animals they hunt.
My wife has a daughter , my step and she has caused us and our family nothing but heartache the past 5 years. Our two dogs have brought us nothing but happiness. Most people in this world bring nothing but heartache and drama. It's easy to see why people care for animals more.
Now If both my daughter and my dogs were in a fire , I would save my daughter first but would still try to save my dogs.
This is hard, because I have a bullmastiff and although she's spoiled, she's a caring dog who loves children and meeting new people. My family and I also saved a stray dog during the winter who was abandoned by someone and brought him to an adoption center to find a new family. People sometimes like animals more than their common man due to the fact they've been hurt in the past by others, or have become so misanthropic that the only type of contact they prefer is from other animals. I've helped complete strangers around the city where I live, it's an interesting question.
I hear what you're saying, but I can honestly say that I don't know anyone who cares more about their animals than humans - I know a lot of people who care about their animals as MUCH as humans, but not more. I'm in that camp, where I love and respect all animal life equally - we as humans are a species of animal, after all, albeit the only seriously evolved one on this planet. Life is sacred in any form, I believe.
And for me, someone who worked as a paramedic for 16 years before becoming disabled, I certainly care very much for other humans, strangers and family alike, as it's 1) my job and 2) what I volunteered to do on my own time for completely free starting at 16 years old in high school as an EMT and did when I wasn't working for my home town's volunteer ambulance. So, being willing to volunteer hundreds of hours a year of my spare time to help strangers in emergencies simply because I love helping people and love giving back to my community, I don't think one could say I don't care much about strangers.
That being said, I tragically hit a dog one rainy night in my ambulance, and did absolutely everything I possibly could to save that dog, everything I would do for a person, and worked just as hard at it. Against all odds, the dog survived, and it was quite rewarding as for the first time in my career, I CAUSED the injury that nearly killed my "patient" and it was personally agonizing to me to do harm when my job is the opposite.
Also, I have to say, I consider my dog nearly the same thing as a child for me. I don't have kids, am not married, and probably won't ever have kids due to my disability. So, having a dog that has similar needs and care to that of a young child (obviously, not as much or the same needs and level of attention and care as a small child, but similar), to me he's like my son. Like a young child, he has to be fed, taken to the bathroom, brought to the doctor, given his medicine, played with, and given lots of love and attention. And being as he's my only companion all day, every day, as I spend all my time at home due to my disability and resulting difficulty moving around, we've grown very attached to each other and he's pretty much my best friend. He's the only other living, breathing, creature I have to keep me company and keep me from going crazy in my isolation! He gives me someone to love and is someone to love me back (and recent fascinating research with experiments involving MRI readings of dog's brains has found that dogs are indeed capable of loving us the way we love them, I found out about it initially from an interview on NPR with the scientist running the experiments, then read more about it on the web). He's very affectionate and sticks to me like glue, providing me great companionship.
While I don't think people deserve execution for animal abuse, I do honestly think they deserve the same punishment as they would receive for the same abuse against a child, for a few reasons. First of all, I consider an animal to be about the same as a young child as an abuse victim - they can't go tell anyone what's going on, they're virtually defenseless, they're totally innocent creatures, and they can't take care of their own injuries or go somewhere to get medical help. Abuse against children, the elderly, and animals is probably the worst, most vile, disgusting and evil type of abuse there is. These types of living beings rely on us to take care of them, and violating that kind of trust is despicable. And with very young children and animals, you can't explain to them that they didn't do anything wrong, it wasn't their fault, and not everyone is going to do this to them, you can trust other people. Emotionally damaging and scarring.
Not to mention it's been seen over and over again that people like serial killers and chronic abusers of spouses and children started out by torturing, abusing and killing defenseless animals when they were young, graduating to more heinous crimes as they became adults. People who beat dogs with baseball bats or bury cats up to their heads in the yard and then run them over with a lawnmower are sick, sick individuals, and need to be put in jail and psychiatrically evaluated before being released into the community again. It was learned that a kid in my high school that killed his mother by beating her to death with a baseball bat at age 17 had a habit of abusing animals as a kid, he in fact did that horrific act with his neighbors cat but not only was only given some community service, but not given any kind of mental evaluation which may have found his violent tendencies out and possibly prevented his mothers murder years later.
So, as someone who can honestly say I love all people just as much as animals, and provides the same medical care to people in police custody as I would anyone else (and have many times) without judging or caring about what they've done, every life form deserves the best care possible when in need, I don't see anything wrong with loving my dog (and animals in general) just as much as the rest of my family and other people. But oh, the one other point you made, I would (as a volunteer firefighter as well) definitely rescue a person over a dog if I could only save one or the other - I value all life equally, but a person lives for 75 or 80 years, a dog for only 10 or 15. Just like if I had to choose between a child and an adult, I'd take the child - a lot more life to live when the adult has already gotten to live for a while. Not to be cruel, but like you said, if I HAD to choose. Ordinarily I'd make every effort to rescue them both either at the same time or go back for the dog or adult. I'd feel the same way even if I wasn't a firefighter.
But I WOULD risk my life to save a dog or a cat in a house, in a second. Like I said, all life is sacred and precious, and I can't imagine dying in a fire. Horrific. If I thought I had a decent chance to rescue them without dying myself, I'd go for it. But I wouldn't if I was almost certain I'd die, just so people could say I tried. No point in both me and the victim dying.
So yeah, for me, my dog is like a son to me. I know he's not, and I know his life isn't more important than a human child's, but to me he's all I have and I pour all my love into him, and he returns it, and I think that's ok.
Simple and obvious: animals are consistent, do not plot, scheme, lie, cheat, steal. I'll take animals as companions any day over any human I've ever met or known.
If guests say............" my dogs are JUST LIKE kids and you allow kids? "
I reply, not the kids who lick their private parts while on my sofa !
That's funny because I don't allow children in my house.
I'm 100% serious.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeo123
It ultimately comes down to people like to have control and like the things they can control. You'll typically find the people who care about their pets more than other people also have the smaller and easier to control animals. I don't think I've met many people who consider their great dane more important than another person, but with the little dogs, you hear it all the time.
You have no idea how completely wrong you are.
My first dog as an adult was a St. Bernard. From there I graduated to Chinese Shar-Pei, greyhounds, and other assorted sizes.
And I'm only 5' and have always weighed under 100.
I'm also a firm believer in dog obedience training.
At any rate, usually the little dogs are the ones that are the most out of control.
I haven't read this entire thread but maybe it's because animals are, generally speaking, so defenseless and if you treat them right they will love you forever. Some people are not that dependable regardless of how you treat them. I have two inside shelter cats that I would go into a burning building to rescue. All they ask is to be watered, fed and loved.
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