How weird is this?

[allison443]

OK, another dissenting voice here.

I do love animals and really hate to see anyone or anything hurt, but people come first for me especially children.

I cannot stand to watch a moving with a rape scene. It really bothers me. And to see children suffer really tears me up.

I am a dog person and I consider my dog a part of my family, but they rank no where near my DH and children.

I agree with you!

I do know a number of people who feel like the OP, though, and care more about animals over humans even including children.

 

[Kimi313]

I am a huge dog lover, I finally can volunteer at the shelter and not bring them all home but then our shelter doesn't put unviolent dogs down so we are truly blessed with our shelter. But anyway, I always tear up at the shelter commercials, I have never seen Marley and Me, and I have left a movie if the dog dies. I think this is because during my life I have always been around dogs and there love is unconditional, they make you laugh when you are sad, and they never disappoint you. I was only able to have one child but I have 3 dogs, why, because I have a need to take care of things and now with DD off to college I have that need more than anything. Now don't get me wrong put I would run in front of a car for a small child I didn't know. But I probably have more compassion for dogs and children than I do a lot of people.

 

[Acklander]

While I care for animals and never want to see one hurt, I still consider them animals. I'm much more upset over human suffering vs. animal suffering (though both are upsetting). I've never understood when people say that it was just like losing a child when their pet dies. I've lost a pet and I've lost a child. Both were sad, but losing a child was much more heartbreaking.
I assume when someone makes that comment that they have just never lost a child before. I would consider it horrifying if someone had actually lost both a child and a pet and considered them to be the same.

 

[Motherofboys]

Guess I'll be the lone dissenter to say that I think it is disordered to feel more sympathy for an animal than a person.

Animals should never be mistreated but to say that they are voiceless is not true. Animals are able to hunt for their food and to fight to defend themselves. They have very effective ways of communicating their feelings to other animals.

Not all people are able to speak for themselves. Children, for instance, are not able to get their own food or fight to defend themselves or to make their concerns clearly heard.

I think our society has become extremely disordered about the roles of animals and people. So many folks say that the animal they own is "part of their family" and they treat it as a human. That's degrading to humans and is not what an animal actually needs.

I greatly admire and enjoy the animal kingdom. I think that people have a moral obligation to be good stewards of animals. But to feel more empathy for an animal than a person? That ain't right... even though it's become very common.

I absolutely 100% agree with you

Feeding hungry dogs instead of hungry children? Animals and humans are not the same.

I am really disturbed by the whole "We don't have children, we have dogs" thing. I find it really insulting to children, they are not the same as animals.

 

[Ilivetogo]

TOTALLY upset more over animals than humans.

I can watch those ER shows where people are hurt, and think of it more "medically-minded". However, I can NOT even watch the commercials for the animal shelters ... I have to change the channel FAST. I can't even watch animal "rescue" shows where I KNOW the animal will be rescued.

Glad I'm not alone.

.

 

[Motherofboys]

Okay so let me pose this question to the OP and to Ilivetogo:

There are two situations, one is a puppy being kicked by a man and the other is a 6 month old baby being kicked by a man...

You are honestly both going to tell me that you are going to feel worse for the puppy then you are for the baby?

Or is what you are really trying to say is that you have been so desentized to violence against adults in the media, on tv shows, games, etc that you don't really feel the same level of sympathy for adult humans in those situations as you do for helpless animals?

 

[Hoodie]

Domesticated animals and children, as they are both innocents. Both are completely reliant on us as adult humans to protect them. Both fully trust us as adult humans to care for them. Neither is responsible for their own suffering.

 

[iwrbnd]

Okay so let me pose this question to the OP and to Ilivetogo:

There are two situations, one is a puppy being kicked by a man and the other is a 6 month old baby being kicked by a man...

You are honestly both going to tell me that you are going to feel worse for the puppy then you are for the baby?

Or is what you are really trying to say is that you have been so desentized to violence against adults in the media, on tv shows, games, etc that you don't really feel the same level of sympathy for adult humans in those situations as you do for helpless animals?

Well, of course I would save that baby first! I'm not an idiot! But, I would go back and save the puppy, too!

 

[Motherofboys]

Well, of course I would save that baby first! I'm not an idiot! But, I would go back and save the puppy, too!

Of course you would, I don't think you're an idiot!

My question is in that situation which would you feel more sympathy for? Which is the point of your first post, right? That you find it strange that you feel more sympathy for animals than people?

 

[iwrbnd]

I absolutely 100% agree with you

Feeding hungry dogs instead of hungry children? Animals and humans are not the same.

I am really disturbed by the whole "We don't have children, we have dogs" thing. I find it really insulting to children, they are not the same as animals.

Well, if there was a starving child on the side of the road like some of the videos I've seen in Africa I would absolutely have fed them! The children I saw looked healthy. Poverty is so complicated. The people I saw needed things other than food! The dogs, however, just needed food!

 

[Motherofboys]

Well, if there was a starving child on the side of the road like some of the videos I've seen in Africa I would absolutely have fed them! The children I saw looked healthy. Poverty is so complicated. The people I saw needed things other than food! The dogs, however, just needed food!

I see what you mean...a homeless person and a homeless animal are very different. It complicates things when you don't know what a person's true situation or intention is.

A hungry cat or dog, you know they aren't trying to get one over on you

 

[iwrbnd]

Of course you would, I don't think you're an idiot!

My question is in that situation which would you feel more sympathy for? Which is the point of your first post, right? That you find it strange that you feel more sympathy for animals than people?

I get your point! You're right. It's true that in the real world my instinct would be more sympathetic for the human race. I still would do whatever is necessary to save both, though!

 

[Motherofboys]

I get your point! You're right. It's true that in the real world my instinct would be more sympathetic for the human race. I still would do whatever is necessary to save both, though!

You and me both

I'm not a cat person but I have two cat rescues at home to prove it. Spoiled, fat, and lazy....but I wouldn't have let them be put down for anything

 

[iwrbnd]

While I care for animals and never want to see one hurt, I still consider them animals. I'm much more upset over human suffering vs. animal suffering (though both are upsetting). I've never understood when people say that it was just like losing a child when their pet dies. I've lost a pet and I've lost a child. Both were sad, but losing a child was much more heartbreaking.
I assume when someone makes that comment that they have just never lost a child before. I would consider it horrifying if someone had actually lost both a child and a pet and considered them to be the same.

I lost a special dog in my life and mourned so deeply that my body ached and food tasted like cardboard! However, I would NEVER compare it to losing a child! I've never lost a child but I know it would be a million times harder! And, I'm very sorry for your loss!

 

[iwrbnd]

You and me both

I'm not a cat person but I have two cat rescues at home to prove it. Spoiled, fat, and lazy....but I wouldn't have let them be put down for anything

Me too! I'm not a cat person either but I have two strays we took in because they were homeless! They've been with us over 10 years. I wonder when I'll stop calling them "strays"!