Quote:
Originally Posted by heep223
I agree. Just a weird feeling I had, the emotions of it I guess.
People tell you often that they think more highly of animals than humans?
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I think its not a matter of regarding human lives less than animal life. It is partly a product of all the extreme violence between/toward humans in movies, television and video games. Contrast that with the fact that imagined or real violence towards/between pet animals and toward those that humans generally have an interpersonal connection with are depicted at a
MUCH lower rate across those same media and you can see how people would have a strong reaction to the thought of their pet or another one dying. They simply haven't seen very many compared to human victims of violence. While an old statistic it is telling that when the average American child turns 18 they will have already witnessed 200,000 acts of violence against humans and 16,000 murders.
[1] Can you imagine how many depictions of those actions if you include video games(FPS, etc)? Our desensitization to human suffering is probably at historical heights.
People come to understand how pet animals are generally loving but nearly always defenseless to the violence that a human can deliver. They form relationships with their pets. They nurture them and they make bonds with them. When they hear of other pets being hurt or killed we almost always empathize with the humans that surround them in their lives and feel a tinge of that same emotion because many know how terrible that feels. Even if someone wasn't a "pet person" they(providing they're not a complete
"french shower" bag) can still generally appreciate the loss of a friend's pet.
People try to avoid this feeling as much as possible. The demand to avoid experiencing it comes in the form of web sites and forums like
Does The Dog Die?. That's how important it is for some to avoid feeling the empathy. That hurt is a hard hurt that comes on fast and can linger for years, even. They won't watch the movie if there are graphic depictions of violence towards animals.
So basically, I would argue that stories of animal abuse are more often met with enthusiastic condemnation because the empathy load hurts while loading and is harder to put down than for many than for a random stranger they've never met being reported dead on the news or online.
Just my two cents.
[1] Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Children, violence, and the media: a report for parents and policy makers. September 14, 1999.
