Human nature question

[Roderick Usher]

I bring up topics like this at the school pick-up gate and now all the moms think I'm a freak.

So here's one for you. Say I showed you two photographs; one of a man who was shot by police, one of a rabid dog that had to be put down in a similar manner.

Why is it that nearly EVERYONE would find the dead dog more disturbing than the dead human?

I understand many of you out there are pet owners/lovers. That's fine, not my bag, but I'll certainly not condemn the love of a pet.

RANT
***but I hate gourmet doggie bakeries!!! there are starving PEOPLE in every city, yet the rich jackasses take their pooches to a fucking dog bakery!***

[ItsAlive75]

Cuz we're desensitized to the human deaths? How many movies and shows have you seen where animals are brutally tortured and murdered? PETA would have a field day...

[stubbornforgey]

Thas a good question...
I think that its supposedly the helplessness of the animals.
Man can decide thier own destination..
fate...(not all...but most of the time)
When pics of ppl getting shot by police
are displayed..
the 1st question on everybodies lips are..
wonder what he did wrong??
who did this man rape/murder/burgle..etc.
Or..if its a shooting by a trigger happy cop..investigation done...cop let off because its never thier fault.
Public are sick of that sceanario..
and so it becomes an everyday occurance..and unfortunately accepted by the public at large.
With animals however..thier fates are decided by man so therefore cannot dispute what ever happens to them.

[Roderick Usher]

exactly. I was watching the making of Halloween and Debra Hill was talking about how she hated to see Micheal Myers kill the dog. Who cares about the teens, but the dog, not the dog.

I find this to be a rather perverse form of sentimentalism. That animal life (well cute animal life, that is - watch how we treat a roach or a rat) is somehow more precious than a humans life.

My mantra when writing is "kill the kid, kill the dog"

[stubbornforgey]

Originally posted by Roderick Usher
exactly. I was watching the making of Halloween and Debra Hill was talking about how she hated to see Micheal Myers kill the dog. Who cares about the teens, but the dog, not the dog.

I find this to be a rather perverse form of sentimentalism. That animal life (well cute animal life, that is - watch how we treat a roach or a rat) is somehow more precious than a humans life.

My mantra when writing is "kill the kid, kill the dog"

I find that our sentiment toward rats n roaches are a different matter altogether.
These 2 forms of creatures are pests..and its in our nature to stamp them out..using
all means plausable to do so.

We are a perverse race when we see things like this..
2 food charity bins at the local supermarket..
one for animals...
one for homeless/starving ppl..
The animal box is packed to the brim..
the other one has 3 or 4 cans in it.
'shrug'

[Vodstok]

Animals are generally regarded in amore sympathetic light than humans. Although we usually attribute human qualities to animals, we generally think of them as innocent, and sometimes even good, and especially in America, we tend to think of our fellow humans as less than animals. Sad but true. So an animal getting harmed or exploited is generally regarded as a greater offense, because they are considerec to be not as responsible fo rtheir actions, ie "they are just being an animal", whereas a human is considered to have thought out motive, and evil requires motive.


On the other subject. i love my dog, and we spoil her, but this kind of thing is ridiculous.

[Vodstok]

Originally posted by Roderick Usher
exactly. I was watching the making of Halloween and Debra Hill was talking about how she hated to see Micheal Myers kill the dog. Who cares about the teens, but the dog, not the dog.

I find this to be a rather perverse form of sentimentalism. That animal life (well cute animal life, that is - watch how we treat a roach or a rat) is somehow more precious than a humans life.

My mantra when writing is "kill the kid, kill the dog"

I have explained this one to my wife and she can pick it out now. You (Roderick) should be aware of this technique:

In order to make the bad guy BAD, have him kill a dog (or a kid). Road Warrior. Director's cut of T2. The Hills Have Eyes remake.

It's an act that makes the audience emotionally predisposed against the character.

[Phalanx]

Why is it that nearly EVERYONE would find the dead dog more disturbing than the dead human?

If the dog is rabid it's through no fault of its own, you didn't explain the humans story...but one would assume he acted in a more malicious and/or selfish manner.
That, and I personally prefer most animals to the majority of humans out there...not big on conversation, but soothing company to me. My personal feelings have had a HUGE difference in scale between the different animals I've owned and/or encountered.

but I hate gourmet doggie bakeries!!! there are starving PEOPLE in every city, yet the rich jackasses take their pooches to a fucking dog bakery!

No matter how much cash I ever had, this would strike me as stupid. My cat is now on a specific vetinary prescribed diet, which he actually needs to keep certain chemicals balanced, to avoid the recurrence of a potentially life threatening condition that I paid out the nose to fix. Had I any choice in the matter, I'd do what I always have, and make the food for him myself. Not really a spoiling thing, I just figure that the dietary values of what I'd prepare fot animals would be much greater. The rats I have get fresh vegetables, a seed bell here and there, chicken or meat once a week, bread, and a variable range of other things, always fresh unprocessed food, and occasional human leftovers, which in this house is usually pretty good stuff. "we" treat rats just fine.
S'just how we do things here.
But yeah...I'd have the same problems here with the gourmet doggy bakeries. I'm not some paris hilton fuckhead, that probably has something to do with it.

[Miss Olivia]

They just opened a gourmet dog bakery where I live. I went in, and the owner was looking at me funny, because I was laughing hysterically when I walked out.

[Vodstok]

quite frankly, dogs eat shit, even good dogs. i think gourmet food is wasted on them, they dont care. And if they do, then they are probably miserable in daily life. their owners should be euthanized.