Individualism and the Dog

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

By Iftekhar Sayeed
Online Journal Contributing Writer

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_1668.shtml

<snip>

Animals constitute a kind of universal constituency. The priest, Bartoleme de Las Casas, was horrified by the suffering of Indian slaves in South America. He was so moved by the spectacle of enchained Indians that he requested the monarch, out of sheer humanity, that Indians be not enslaved anymore; certainly not! But then, who would take their place? He gave the matter a moment’s thought, and, Solomon-like, suggested: Africans!

When the African slaves began to arrive, again, to his horror, he began to notice their unmistakable similarity to human beings. They talked -- uttering strange sounds, it is true, but they definitely talked; they walked on two legs; and they wept. Convinced that he had imported human beings, he was again filled with remorse. But the damage had been done -- the slave trade had been started by a priest with noble intentions.

The point of this story is that the Western person conceives of the rest of mankind as animals. Only when faced with the irrefutable evidence of a creature’s humanity will they concede the fact. Conversely, they regard animals as universally human. The treatment of Palestinians and blacks testify to the first truth; the Royal Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals the other.

Every dog represents all other dogs. But every human being does not represent all other human beings. Humans have culture, ways of life, religious beliefs and values which differ from society to society. The attempt to find universal values on the part of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch is nothing but the attempt to rob us of our humanity, to dehumanise us, to make us more like animals...

[CrispyQ]

1. I don't believe in heaven, but I believe in dogs.

"If there are no dogs in heaven, then I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers

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I knew a man who thought black people look so different from white people that he wondered how they could possibly be human. He happened to have a Rottweiler dog that he loved & cared for more deeply than I think he cared for any human being. I also think he related more to our dog than he did to us. Anyway, I asked him if he thought Pekingese & Rottweiler's were both dogs. "Of course," he said. I gave him a sort of "Oh really?" look & a shrug of the shoulders. I'll never know if he made the connection.

I don't mean any disrespect with that story. But I wonder how a man who could see that dogs are dogs but look differently, did not also see that humans are humans & look differently.

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That is such a wonderful painting.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

2. The man you speak of is...

...I suspect, universal in that most of us have observed this same thing in a neighbor, coworker, friend, or acquaintance at some point in our lives.

I think it's true that dogs serve a certain need in more than a few of their owners to ease subconscious guilt about past and/or ongoing deeds of cruelty or mean spiritedness. The kindness and affection they express to their dog probably helps them feel decent and charitable.

[ninkasi]

3. Excellent article

I guess our viewpoints depend on our experiences. For several years, I worked in a small group of all women. The company we worked for was big, but our jobs were done by a few of us. We were pretty well divided between black, white, and Latina. What we discovered as we worked together, and formed strong friendships, was that we had more in common with each other, as women, than any individual one of us did with men of our own race.

We babysat each other's children, cried on each other's shoulders, and confided in each other. We sometimes loaned each other money. We could relate to each other's experiences, because they were experiences common to most women. I later worked in an office, for the same company, which had a few men doing the same work, and the result was the same. On breaks, and at lunch, those of us with common interests tended to hang out together, and without exception, these groups were racially balanced. The men tended to stay as a group, and not associate with us because they said they were afraid of what women's issues we would discuss.

Some of my friends and I have discussed how haunted we feel by the effects of the wars we have waged on other countries. I can relate, as a woman, and a mother, and a grandmother, what anguish the women in Iraq and Afghanistan must feel. I wish that I could sit and drink tea with them, and tell them how sorry I am that their lives have been ripped to pieces by the violence that has been done. I can imagine the pain, and shame, the men must feel, not being able to provide for their families because of the war and violence. I know how that would affect my husband, and would have caused my brothers pain.

I have always had dogs, and love them. To me, they have never been interchangeable. They have been individuals, each with his own personality and quirks. My own feeling is that since we humans domesticated the dog, bringing him into our world, and making him dependent on us, I owe a certain responsibility to their species. The dogs I have had have been rescues.

How other people view their dogs, and how they view their fellow human beings, is something I truly can't know. I do know, however, that we on the left seem to be far more moved by the plight of our fellow human beings in the countries we are now waging war with. My only prayer now is that the hatred and violence will somehow be brought to an end, and that the ones who beat the drums of war are not heard by the ones of us who desire, instead, peace and understanding.

How could anybody see the picture of an Iraqi grandfather, tears streaming down his face, cradling the body of a tiny grandchild in his arms, his grandchild's blood staining his clothes, and not be moved to compassion, and sorrow? When I see these images, they are not Iraqi, they are only people in pain, and I pray that it will stop. The child in his arms is not interchangeable with any other child, either. Some of us, most of us at DU, know the difference.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

4. Thank you for your excellent post -- deserves it's own thread.

I agree that most of us at DU do have great empathy and deep regret over the unnecessary misery and suffering being caused in our names. It's terribly frustrating that so many people in this country are somehow so readily able to do a complete emotional disconnect from the literal destruction of tens of thousands of innocent lives in Iraq -- ALL unnecessary not to mention illegal.

Maybe it's about coping with something they view as simply beyond their control.