Weak rant… but godammit!
Prosthetic dolphin tail? WTF?
What the fuck is wrong with people? OK, good for the dolphin. But why aren’t these people helping with the numerous problems facing actual humans these days.
It’s not this particular case but this kind of thinking in general.
Sure it’s sad for the dolphin, yes humans caused it but, hey, It’s a fucking animal. There are humans in need in the world.
It’s their time and their efforts and they can spend them as they wish but it makes my head spin.
You heard him, boys and girls! Stop feeding all the dogs, cats, ferrets, birds and tropical fish you have, because that food and effort could better be used feeding the homeless or curing cancer or discovering the secret of the Universe. Forget the fact that the design and fabrication of the dolphin prosthesis will probaly aid in the design of more efficient human replacement limbs. All waking efforts must be dedicated to humans only! Homo sapiens uber alles! :rolleyes:
How do you know their NOT helping humans?
You can do both, you know.
Hell, even if they were helping humans, somebody would complain they not helping the most needy or something. C’mon, dude, it’s not like the prosthetic tail is made from poor people limbs.
Some days I might agree with you, but today, while arguing about global warming on another messageboard, I realized that in the past 100 years the human population has gone from 1.6 billion to 6.5 billion. Fuck it, there are just too many of us!
Watching the news with an animal lover friend:
NEWS: Two police officers were shot today in the quiet town…
FRIEND: [No response]
NEWS: … and the suspect also shot a police K9.
FRIEND: (GASP!) OH MY GOD, HOW COULD ANYONE DO THAT?! [Distraught]
I thought it was funny (not the shooting).
Well, the police officers knew that they could be killed in the line of duty. I don’t think the K9 officer fully realized that.
Still, cop-killers (human or K9) are scum, and I’m very happy that there are people who are willing to take on the job of dealing with their ilk.
ETA: if that doesn’t seem clear: I’m glad there are people who want to be cops. I sure don’t.
The news report I saw this morning on this subject said that scientists working on this have created a new material for the tail that is also being used in human prosthetics. They showed a man who previously been unable to use a prosthesis walking with one made from this material.
No there aren’t, we could easily cope with fifteen billion… and the population is starting to stablise anyway.
Overpopulation warning are soooo 60s. Global cooling is very 70s… CFCs the worry in the 80s… Conservation in the 90s and now we have this Global warming nonsense.
I wouldn’t worry about it.
Just a gut reaction, here - I’m not sure that you can assume that this development won’t benefit people.
Not directly, of course, but my understanding is that in most fields of specialized engineering, and especially prosthetics, any advance anywhere will usually be incorporated throughout the industry in time. Certainly the stresses that the fluke will need to deal with seem to imply that there’s likely to be some innovation there. I’ll be surprised if the techniques used won’t be able to applied in a larger field.
Which doesn’t change that I tend to agree with the OP’s general point - it’s easier for many people to care about animals over people.
Just out of interest, have you ever gone to a movie, or purchased a computer game, gone to a bar for a drink? Why didn’t you use that money, time, and effort to help with “the numerous problems facing actual humans these days”? Surely many of the things you do with your money are just as unproductive as you claim the prosthetic dolphins tail to be?
For all you know, the people who paid for this device might be using money that they would otherwise spend on a weekend in the Florida Key or new flatscreen TV. If you believe that money and effort should always go to the places where it is most likely to fix the “numerous problems facing actual humans,” i’m curious to know whether you practice what you preach. Do you deny yourself all the little pleasures of life in order to give to charity or help the poor and downtrodden?
I have to agree with the OP.
Weak rant.
You gotta help the dolphins, because the dolphins help the humans. Haven’t you ever seen Flipper or read any Aquaman?
Or better yet - have you read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? Those dolphins just might be in charge. Better safe than sorry, I say.
That’s exactly what I was going to say. Guess what? A lot of human prostetics and hardware were tried out first in animals.
I am reminded of the Russian history class an acquaintance took in college. He told me they spent weeks going over this pogrom and that massacre, with nary an eyebrow raised. Then they were told how the Russians trained the bears to dance, by shoving them out onto a red-hot metal grid, and the whole class broke down into, “Awwww, those poor bears!”
Yeah, I heard that part. I think that’s what prompted this. I guess my question is why didn’t they put their resources to work for humans first? Amputees have to wait for developing technologies in animal prosthetics to get help?
But many medical techniques are tested on animals first - artificial hearts, as well as drugs. And people have to wait for the tested and approved products.
Except once when a co-worker asked me to donate to a breast cancer charity, all my charity work has been with animals. The reason: I fucking hate humans. Sure, I love my friends and I’m obligated to love my family, and when a homeless guy asks me for money for food, I give him a sandwich. Other than that, why the fuck should I care what the rest of you are doing with your life? I’m only here for about 90 years (give or take about 10), barring any unfortunate accidents. I plan on having no children because passing down my own brand of genes (to me) is incredibly selfish. Humans as a species are so far removed from the natural environment that few will find it easy to adapt when resources to run our current technology cease to exist. So should I invest my time and money into a species I am convinced will wipe themselves off the earth before the sun swells up and devours it? Or maybe the logical thing for me to do would be to try to save some animals and hope their species have more of a chance at survival. If you want to help fellow humans because you think we are ultimately the superior species - go right the fuck ahead. No one is going to stop you. On the other hand, when you bitch and complain about people who show kindness towards animals instead of what you think should be more appropriate (ie humans), it says nothing more than “what foolish arrogance!” to me.
Well, first of all, people who work with animals aren’t necessarily qualified to work with humans, and vice versa. We generally don’t have veterinarians coming in to the hospital to perform human surgeries, after all.*
Secondly, as OtakuLoki said, just think of it as animal testing, and you’ll feel better.
- I do know a pathologist who started out in veterinary school, but he still had to go through the usual training in (human) medicine.
Why don’t you just commit suicide?