assholes who think cruelty to animals is funny

The BBQ Pit
1

This is in response to this thread in MPSIMS.

Stoidela posted a link to a site where she simply thought the dog was cute, then other posters started in. When I displayed my displeasure for their attitudes, the first response was from monkeylucifer who quoted from me:
“Making fun of the calendar and the pictures is one thing. Making fun of the animal itself because it’s different and making jokes about inflicting physical harm on the animal just because it’s different is not fucking funny. That’s just small-minded and cruel.”

And then he says:
“Somebody needs a sense of humor…”

What he seems to have missed was my other paragraph that said, “I have volunteered at animal shelters, I have seen what needless abuse to animals looks like. It’s disgusting. It’s heart-breaking. I had to stop volunteering because I couldn’t stand to see abused animals put to sleep because they had been so horribly mistreated that they could no longer function as someone’s pet.”

Stick your humor up your ass, monkeyfucker.

He follows that post with
"I find the fact that a woman takes a previously abused animal and then proceeds to dress it up in clothing and subject it to photo sessions absurd and cruel.

You know jack shit about cruelty to animals if you think that’s cruel. Yes, it’s stupid and absurd, and I mentioned I had no problems with people making fun of the pics and concept. But cruel? Not really, the dog’s not being harmed, just made to look stupid. I am pissed about the violent attitude toward the dog itself. I’m sure no one here would actually do any of that to the dog, but the concept alone disgusts me.

And monkeylicker goes on “. . . it’s not like we’re subjecting the dog directly to any type of cruelty or harm, we’re just expressing our dislike for the overly cute.”

No dickmunch, you were expressing dislike for the dog itself, not the pics.

Why don’t you volunteer at a shelter for a while, trying to rehab abused animals? Why don’t you walk into a room and watch the dog start cowering in a corner, simply because you entered the fucking room! Spend hours a day just trying to get the animal to trust you - not eat out of your hand or do tricks for you, but just to come to you when you call and not roll over on its back and piss itself when you reach down to pet it. You rub ointment on the cigarette burns of some poor labrador because its asshole owner thought he made a good ashtray.

When you’re done with that, carry a dachsund outside so he can take a shit - he can’t go by himself because he’s got 2 broken legs from being thrown from a moving car by some fuckwad who didn’t want to take the time to find a new owner.

When you’re done there, they need you to hold and pet a mixed breed that has damn near every bone in his body visible through his skin because he hasn’t been fed in weeks. You do this to comfort and relax him while he gets anti-bacterial shots from an infection he has from being bit by the other underfed and malnourished dog some dipshit kept chained in his backyard. This dipshit owner by the way, never cleaned up after either of them, so they were basically chained and forced to live in their own feces. Do this every day for a while, petting this poor diseased dog to comfort him while they try to heal him.

Then learn that the mutt died because he was just too dam sick. Christ, I’m crying just thinking about all this stuff again.

You do that for a year and half, asshole, then you’ll see why I don’t have a sense of humor on the subject of cruelty to animals.

I know the posts were meant as a joke, and I posted that I didn’t think they were funny and gave my reasons why. But monkeylucifer, having read my post, told me to get a sense of humor. I’m sorry, dickhead, I don’t see humor in it at all, and if you’ve seen the shit I’ve seen, you wouldn’t either.

2

There’s a special place in hell for folks who would condone cruelty to animals. It’s right between the right-wing fundy zealots and the schoolyard bullies.

3

Well, I don’t think you really got the thrust of my post, and sense you have resorted to name calling and vulgarity, this will be my sole response. My follow-up to your post was meant to be a friendly jest, and I’m sorry if you took it as anything else. My second post was to take any bite out of my knee-jerk post and it was not ill-mannered in any way, shape or form (in fact, I was making the opinion reference to point out the fact that we might very well be assholes for making these comments, but so be it.)

I am an animal lover, and I do not agree with cruelty to animals. Just because I have never worked at a shelter, it does not make me any less of a humane person, and it does not mean that I should be made a target of spitefullness either.

That is all the time I will spend on this topic.

4

The ironic thing monkeylucifer, is that your post in that MPSIMS thread, in comparision with the others wasn’t even that bad. You simply called the dog a foul creature as opposed to threatening bodily harm. I’m not offended at your post so much as I am about you telling me to get a sense of humor about such a horrible topic.

It’s also ironic that when someone a while back posted a link to fugly.com, everyone jumped in to tell him what an as he was for being so shallow as to laugh at the ugly people. But it’s ok as long as they’re ‘too cute’ to threaten killing it.

No, your posts were not ill-mannered, but were extremely disrespectful considering in my original post there I had said I had seen disgustingly hideous things done to animals, but you still told me to get a sense of humor, then in your second post told me again to lighten up. And say what you want about your second post, to me it still looks like a defense of the cruelity to the dog jokes, rationalizing reasons for joking about hurting the dog.

Yes I resorted to name-calling and vulgarity. The name calling is to get your attention, the vulgarity is because when I get pissed I tend to use more cuss words than usual (apparently you’re above that sort of thing).

What if instead of a dog, it was an extremely adorable autistic child? Yes, we make fun of and are angry at the person for exploiting the child. We ridicule the idea. But who would joke about violence to the child just for looking the way he does? Would that be funny too? Would we call him a ‘foul creature’? Of course, we’re not talking about an autistic child are we? We talking about a small, defenseless animal. That makes it ok then, huh?

See, if people had joked about the woman for taking the sickeningly sweet pictures, or devising ways to stop her from ever taking any more pictures of that dog, I wouldn’t have said anything. But the venom was all in the direction of the dog, as if it was the dog’s fault.

I made it clear in the OP here I have no sense of humor about abusing animals and I think I have very strong reasons for it. It breaks my heart to think that somewhere right now, more animals are being subjected to that kind of abuse. It breaks my heart that I wasn’t more emotionally suited to continue helping those poor animals. (Got attached to them too easily, it was too much to see them die.)

monkeylucifer you were made my target not so much because of your post about the dog, but because you were the one who disregarded my feelings on the subject and told me to get a sense of humor about it. Then you rationalized it by saying you were expressing your dislike for the overly cute. See the paragraph above about the posibility of a sickeningly cute autistic child so you realize what a huge double-standard I think that statement is.

5

As a neutral observer, but the one who created the space for this all to occur, let me say:

Crunchy: your feelings, especially in light of your personal experiences, are completely understandable. But I’d like to suggest that your sensitivity meter is jacked up to 11, and you are being rather harsh. I am a serious animal lover and I never for a moment believed that ML was in any way serious about his hostile comments. He just thought Mr. Winkle was freaky-looking, which I can completely appreciate…I think that’s Mr. Winkle’s appeal. So maybe you need to calm down just a tad.

And Monkey: Well, as I said, I understood. But, rather than get too offended yourself, it’s quite evident that Frog has some serious sensitivities on this particular topic. Don’t take it too harshly.

There…group hug, everybody!

stoid

6

As I said in the OP here "I’m sure no one here would actually do any of that to the dog, but the concept alone disgusts me. "

I wouldn’t have started this thread except fot the fact that I was told to get a sense of humor and lighten up about a topic I had made clear deeply disturbs me.

I will admit my sensitivity meter being jacked up on this. I have had time to calm (which I think you can see from my OP to the second post here: calmer language, no insult slinging) but I still do not find the humor in purposely hurting an animal. I don’t think I ever will. And I’m insulted and offended by being told I need a sense of humor about it from someone who hasn’t first hand seen the things I’ve seen.

I admitted already that monkeylucifer’s post wasn’t that bad. I said my peace in your thread Stoidela and was willing to let it go at that. I singled him out here because he’s the one who told me I needed to lighten up. Everyone else let it go.

7

I agree with you, Crunchy. I too was bothered by some of the comments made in Stoidela’s thread. For those of you who haven’t taken a look at it yet, here are some of the highlights:

“I think I could probably kick him 35-40 yards through the uprights for 3 points, but he’ll get no points for cuteness.” - xizor

“I (sic) little duct tape to hold his legs into his body will accomplish two things. He won’t be able to go anywhere and you could probably get some good spin on the kick.” - Aglarond

“If it were alive, I’d bring the loveable, little waif home and feed it to the snake.” - filthy

“I’m calling Letterman to see if he can bring back ‘Things you would like to see crushed in a 10,000 pound press’. This qualifies.” - Feynn

Hey, you don’t like pictures of animals dressed in costumes, no problem. I don’t particulary like those stupid Anne Geddes baby pictures. But I wouldn’t suggest using the tots as sporting equipment or snake food. I mean, it’s not their fault that some hack photographer dressed them up as butterflies and daisies and such.

I can’t imagine that anyone would even jokingly suggest doing violent harm such as this to a defenseless, innocent child. I don’t see why they should get a free-ride here just because the subject of their “joke” is a dog.

8

Thanks Kepi, it was getting lonely here by myself.

But like I said, it wasn’t those comments that I started this thread about. I said my peace about those statements in Stoidela’s thread and was ready to let it go at that. I took offense to being told to get a sense of humor and to lighten up after I explained I had worked at a shelter and had seen terrible things done to animals.

I’m not really so mad at monkeylucifer anymore for that, but I still think it’s a double-standard that we can joke about the cute things and threaten violence, but if I was to say something about shooting a person with a deformity to put him out of his butt-ugly misery, I would be berated for being an insensitive prick. Someone may even say, “Making fun because it’s different and making jokes about inflicting physical harm because it’s different is not fucking funny. That’s just small-minded and cruel.”

That quote BTW, is mine from the thread in MPSIMS, also seen in the OP here.

So basically, we’re insensitive pricks if we judge and persecute the ugly just for being too ugly, but it’s open season on anything we deem too cute. Either way, it’s persecution based solely on looks. It’s a double-standard. It’s small-minded and cruel.

9

Okay, found my way over here now. I’m backing you up, Crunchy. I also think that the time you put in at that job has sharpened your antipathy towards jokes like this, but if I had had that same job, I’d probably be way more touchy.

As I mentioned, us small dog lovers hear a lot of this and I try to ignore it. My husband was the same way at first; hated “little putzy dogs,” only liked “real” big dogs, etc. Then I brought home the first pug pup and he was deeply in love with her from the first second. I know that small dogs aren’t the only ones to get abuse, but somehow people who’d be ashamed of speaking abuse against big dogs aren’t ashamed to vocalize hostility towards the little ones.

Kudos to you for doing that heartbreaking, but desperately needed job. I’m sure the burnout rate is high.

10

You don’t need to get a sense of humor, no one should tell you how to take a joke or get over something.

However, I don’t think it’s necessary to get all holier-than-thou over it, either. From your first post:

One’s sense of humor has little to do with intellect. This is the same sort of nasal down-looking with which people insult the intelligence of South Park fans. You can be totally offended by ‘Kick the Baby!’, but I don’t think you have a leg to stand on to say that someone who laughs out loud at it is morally repugnant or intellectually inferior.

Cruel to the animal? Mr. Winkle is reading the SDMB and having its little ego crushed? This is about you. What you meant to say is

Are you offended by Road Runner cartoons? You have every right to be! I laugh when Wile E. Coyote falls faster than his anvil and pokes his head up just in time to have it fall on him. It’s freaking funny - for me. I don’t expect you to laugh at it, or even watch it if you don’t like it. It is perfectly legitimate for you to say “It’s not funny,” because taste varies. But don’t tell me I’m being cruel to coyotes by laughing, or that I’m immature.

Don’t tell someone they shouldn’t enjoy watching Die Hard because people get shot and that is insensitive to people who have been shot, or people who have lost loved ones to being shot. If my grandfather slipped on a banana peel and fell to his death, would I have to forever more eschew bad physical comedy, and insult those who find it funny?

You are a good person to have volunteered, and I’m sorry that you have seen some of the horrors of man’s inhumanity to animals. You have a right to be upset, to not think it is funny, or to go on a 40 day hiking trip to cleanse your mind of the emotional trauma encountered at the SDMB. I just don’t think your accusations of intellectual midgetry are about anything other than your hurt feelings that someone made you remember your traumatic past.

I’m not telling you to ‘get over it’, you can hold on to your disdain for animal cruelty and the pain you have experienced because of it all you want. I just think you should try to realize that not everyone will be similarly traumatized and that doesn’t make them bad people..

You don’t have to think it’s funny. I think ‘Kick the Baby’ is freaking hilarious. Does that make me small-minded? Is it cruel to little paper cut-out animated beings? Will I think it’s funny when I’m burning in the Lake of Fire?

Again, I don’t think it is cruel to the animal, I think it is cruel to you. And telling you to get a sense of humor or take a joke is doubly cruel to you, and definitely not justified.

11

YK Crunchy Frog, I probably would not describe a dog which is being allowed to be a freaking dog as a monstrosity. However I do think that a dog which is shaved and dressed up and posed does look like a monstrosity. I don’t think that it is cute in any way whatsoever. I think it is abusive to do this to animals.

I also hate and detest those vile Anne Geddes photos which look like kiddie soft porn.

So OK, Mr Winkle is not a monstrosity, but he sure as shit is being dressed up and tortured into looking like a monstrosity. As I sincerely doubt that the little beastie can read the SDMB, I can’t see how we are being cruel to the dog by laughing like drains at the sentimentality of that site. I guess the true monstrosities are the people who are choosing to dress up the dog and profit from the dog.

12

I don’t get this at all. In what way is it abusive to the dog to dress it up and take pictures of it? How in the world do you think this “tortures” the dog? And what in the world is “monstrous” about profiting from dressing up the dog and taking pictures of it?

Do you own dogs? Do you know anything about dogs? Cuz I do, both. Lemme tell ya: there is NOTHING abusive about dressing a dog up. The dog is thrilled at the attention. All dogs want is to be part of the action. They want to be talked to, petted and played with. Period. The form this comes in makes no difference to them at all, believe me.

As I said before, I am quite certain that Mr. Winkle is an absurdly happy dog. Not only does he appear to be so, he gets tons of attention, and that’s what dogs live for.

So don’t waste an ounce of energy feeling sorry for Mr. Winkle, he’s fine.

13

:rolleyes: Yep I see dogs volunteering to be dressed up all the time. It’s an activity that left to their own devices they seek out constantly.

Come on! Show me where it is a part of canine nature to dress up in silly costumes. Every dog I know given a choice would prefer to chase a ball, roll in shit or eat. Dressing up hasn’t been a first choice for them.

So OK you think it’s a fine and dandy thing to do to an animal. I don’t. I think it is extremely distasteful and not something I would do to any self respecting dog. I also wouldn’t let my kids be photographed by Anne Geddes.

I agree that dogs like being played with and petted. Dressing them up in dumb costumes doesn’t qualify as playing or petting in my box. ::shrug::. YMobviouslyV

14

I apologize to crunchyfrog and anybody else who was insulted by my post regarding the odd looking dog. The point of my post was to say that the dog was more likely to score points as a football than in a cuteness contest. My post was meant to exagerate the situation beyond believability, not to imply animal cruelty. Once again I apologize to anyone who was offended by my attempt at humor.

15

You are giving dogs far too much credit when you differentiate between “played with and petted” and “dressing up”. They really don’t make these fine distinctions. You are touching them, talking to them, petting them, giving them attention. That’s what they understand…the fact that you are including bits of cloth is fine by them.

I happen to think it’s silly, and except for Mr. Winkle don’t even think it’s cute. But it’s completely and utterly harmless. It may offend your sensibilities, but it does not faze the dog.

stoid

PS: I adore Wegman’s photos of his Weimeraners, and they are the ultimate dressed-up dogs. They also love it, according to him. Some more than others, but they all love it. Dogs just love participating, that’s the bottom line.

16

Won’t get involved in the conflict, but there are (since it’s being discussed) some nicely dressed dogs in this series of photos. I especially like the French Circus dog. I’d agree that there isn’t that much difference to a dog between playing fetch and getting dressed up. The attention is the thing, really; although clothes probably aren’t their outfit of choice.

17

So tell me exactly how many times and how many places I need to say this - I ADMITTED TO OVERREACTING IN THAT POST ALREADY I saw the things being said, I got angry and hastily posted in Stoidela’s thread. I have apologized for that already. This post is about telling me what I should and shouldn’t think is funny, after I had gave reasons for why I didn’t think it was funny.

Oh douglips Thank you ever so much for letting me know what I meant to say! So what kind of holier-than-thou intellectually superior person tells others what they are really trying to think and say? Now can you tell me what I want to have for lunch today, cuz I’m still undecided?
I said exactly what I meant, the cruelty was being directed to the dog. Let’s bring up the analogy given here before:

If you find those Anne Geddes pictures to be cloyingly cute - do you talk about punting the babies in them? Do you joke about squashing it with 10,000 ponds? No you don’t because it isn’t the babies’ fault, it’s Anne’s. Besides abuse of children isn’t funny is it. It’s only funny when it’s an animal.

This is probably the dumbest defense for animal abuse humor I’ve ever heard. (They do it in the cartoons, so it must be ok to joke about doing it to a real animal!)
Yes, cartoons are funny. I love the Looney Tunes especially. The difference is that I find it hard to feel that much empathy for ink and paint. ::rolleyes::
[/quote]

Let me direct you again to my statement above - I have admitted being overly sensitive on this topic and admitted I shouldn’t have chastized the people there for cracking a few jokes. Christ, boy, did you read anything past the OP?

But what about the other point I brought up here: We’re insensitive pricks if we judge and persecute the ugly just for being too ugly, but it’s open season on anything we deem too cute. Either way, it’s persecution based solely on looks. It’s a double-standard. Persecution based solely on looks (or color of the skin, or country of origin) is small-minded and cruel. Why defend the ugly and attack the cute? What rationale do you have for that? And don’t say it’s just in fun, cuz when somebody linked to fugly.com and was laughing at people just for fun, he was called shallow and insensitive.

So I’m a little fuzzy on this. When is it ok and when is it not to make fun of something for the way it looks?

.
I never meant to imply that I think poor Mr Wiggles is sitting at home chain smoking Camels, drinking a quadruple-espresso thinking to himself “Why don’t they like me?” But the things in those posts were directed at the dog, that’s what I meant, cruelty directed at the dog rather than cruelty to the dog itself.

Thank you, that’s why the Pit thread is open, not because of the comments made in MPSIMS about the dog (A point nobody seems to be catchy on to), but the fact someone told me to get a sense of humor about it after I had said, “I have volunteered at animal shelters, I have seen what needless abuse to animals looks like. It’s disgusting. It’s heart-breaking. I had to stop volunteering because I couldn’t stand to see abused animals put to sleep because they had been so horribly mistreated that they could no longer function as someone’s pet.”
And xizor - no need to apologize to me. You were having a bit a fun and it just hit one of my hot-topic buttons. I’m sure I’ve offened people here myself, but they haven’t pointed it out to me yet.