# Papsett, "The Rainbow Bridge," dog killing, and bullshit New Age pet philosophy **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 21, 2005, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055 "2005-11-21T08:27:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/21 "2005-11-21T19:40:54Z")
Blah blah blah, knee-jerk dogpile. Bad man! Bad man! Shit chimp, kill, kill! Look, there’s _nothing_ in the OP that hints at it being a comforting metaphor, and **everything** implying that the person honestly, genuinely believes that there is a “magical rainbow bridge” that she’s sending her pet to, and that that makes it ok to put the pet down. That’s fine; other people have their heavens and so on. But when you take that metaphor too far by turning it into your reality, then use it to justify killing something, you’ve crossed a line. If a father puts a bullet in his sick daughter’s head because “I’m not killing her, I’m just sending her to heaven,” can’t we agree that a line has been crossed into irrationality, with the daughter paying the price? If a muslim suicide bombs a marketplace with the justification that he’s not killing the people but “sending the infidels to be with Allah,” can we not agree that the limits of metaphor have been far exceeded and that a line has been crossed? I genuinely feel that that’s what happened here, especially because we’re not exactly talking about a dog that savaged a child or tore out the mailman’s throat. The OP used the “Rainbow Bridge,” even saying things like “look up my old gang [of dead pets] when you’re there” and “I didn’t really feel bad about putting the dog down because he’s just going back to the Rainbow Bridge,” making it explicitly clear that this is a literal belief. What happened to the SDMB? You used to at least be able to find an even split on most issues, especially ones like this. This shit is like living in an episode of _Gilmore Girls_. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/22 "2005-11-21T19:43:45Z")
> [@elfbabe](#): > > . If you just reword “return him to the Rainbow Bridge” as “have him put down” in **PapSett** ’s post, the entire OP is basically nullified. I’m really not trying to exercise hyperbole here, but that’s like saying > [@](#): > > If you just reword “flew two planes into the world trade center” as “returned a bunch of lost souls to be in peace with Allah”… ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/23 "2005-11-21T19:47:04Z")
She had the dog put down because it attacked her other one, or was about to. I, for one, don’t blame her, or the dog. Fuck off. ---
**Author:** ![VegemiteMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/df788c/32.png) [@VegemiteMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VegemiteMoose)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/24 "2005-11-21T19:48:57Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > Blah blah blah, knee-jerk dogpile. Bad man! Bad man! Shit chimp, kill, kill! No, no. You have to use large, coloured fonts if you have any chance of pulling ahead of **andrewt85** to nab the ‘Stupidest Doper of 2005’ award. Glad to help. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/25 "2005-11-21T19:49:02Z")
Also, I just wanted to point out that not one person in this thread has actually tackled my OP in any meaningful way, instead resorting to all sorts of “Fuck you, Doodz!!!11111” and dredging up old threads of mine. Way to go, guys! Would you believe that I used to refer to the SDMB as a sort of “Mensa for smart people?” ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/26 "2005-11-21T19:50:51Z")
> [@VegemiteMoose](#): > > No, no. You have to use large, coloured fonts if you have any chance of pulling ahead of **andrewt85** to nab the ‘Stupidest Doper of 2005’ award. Obviously you don’t understand; that’s what everyone _else_ in this thread is saying with their sub-simian gangbang responses. Mob rule is the best! ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/27 "2005-11-21T19:54:01Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > If a father puts a bullet in his sick daughter’s head because “I’m not killing her, I’m just sending her to heaven,” can’t we agree that a line has been crossed into irrationality, with the daughter paying the price? If a muslim suicide bombs a marketplace with the justification that he’s not killing the people but “sending the infidels to be with Allah,” can we not agree that the limits of metaphor have been far exceeded and that a line has been crossed? There is a difference between a euphemism and a rationalisation, at least when it comes to having pets “put down”. Dogs are not people: comparing a harmless metaphor for the death of a loved pet with making excuses for political murder is inane and offensive. This is quite possibly the most tasteless and stupid analogy I have ever read. You are a stupid little fuck. ---
**Author:** ![VegemiteMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/df788c/32.png) [@VegemiteMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VegemiteMoose)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/28 "2005-11-21T19:58:24Z")
Oh I understand just fine, thanks. You misrepresent the thread you pit. You misrepresent and ignore the responses in your own thread. You are a savage, clueless asshole. ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/29 "2005-11-21T19:58:47Z")
Well, a good Pit would have included you researching \*\*PapSett’s \*\* posting history. You would have found that she loves her pets. Having pets go to the Rainbow Bridge is a substitute for death that many people use. And there was nothing in **PapSett’s** thread to indicate that she was using death as a punishment for the dog; just that it was unfortunate that this dog had issues that couldn’t be resolved and her obvious sorrow that the best course of action–for everyone–is putting the dog down. You mischaracterized PapSett’s thread and her use of the Rainbow Bridge. This is a poorly thought out Pitting and the Pitizens are unimpressed. In short, please fuck off. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/30 "2005-11-21T19:59:53Z")
VCO3, when everyone else is saying you’re wrong (and allow me to join everyone else in saying you’re wrong) you should pull back for a second and consider the possibility. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/31 "2005-11-21T20:00:09Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > Also, I just wanted to point out that not one person in this thread has actually tackled my OP in any meaningful way, instead resorting to all sorts of “Fuck you, Doodz!!!11111” and dredging up old threads of mine. Way to go, guys! No. Actually pretty much everybody in this thread (including me who had no idea how stupid your old threads were, until now) pointed out that she had a good reason for putting down her dog. Backed up by professional opinion. And the \*everything \* in that thread hints at it being a comforting metaphor. But if it helps I’m prefectly prepared to say "fuck you " now. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/32 "2005-11-21T20:17:31Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > The OP used the “Rainbow Bridge,” even saying things like “look up my old gang [of dead pets] when you’re there” and “I didn’t really feel bad about putting the dog down because he’s just going back to the Rainbow Bridge,” making it explicitly clear that this is a literal belief. Except that she didn’t say anything like that second “quote.” Don’t put words in other posters’ mouths. I don’t even like dogs, but you’re just being a dick here. ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/33 "2005-11-21T20:20:17Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > What happened to the SDMB? Idiots like you. ---
**Author:** ![VegemiteMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/df788c/32.png) [@VegemiteMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VegemiteMoose)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/34 "2005-11-21T20:27:54Z")
> [@VC03](#): > > Would you believe that I used to refer to the SDMB as a sort of “Mensa for smart people?” Yes, I have no trouble believing that at all. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/35 "2005-11-21T20:36:48Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > What happened to the SDMB? You used to at least be able to find an even split on most issues, especially ones like this. This shit is like living in an episode of Gilmore Girls You mean way back in the hoary old days of July of this year? ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/36 "2005-11-21T21:19:12Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > Blah blah blah, knee-jerk dogpile. Bad man! Bad man! Shit chimp, kill, kill! > > Look, there’s _nothing_ in the OP that hints at it being a comforting metaphor, and **everything** implying that the person honestly, genuinely believes that there is a “magical rainbow bridge” that she’s sending her pet to, and that that makes it ok to put the pet down. > > That’s fine; other people have their heavens and so on. But when you take that metaphor too far by turning it into your reality, then use it to justify killing something, you’ve crossed a line. > > If a father puts a bullet in his sick daughter’s head because “I’m not killing her, I’m just sending her to heaven,” can’t we agree that a line has been crossed into irrationality, with the daughter paying the price? If a muslim suicide bombs a marketplace with the justification that he’s not killing the people but “sending the infidels to be with Allah,” can we not agree that the limits of metaphor have been far exceeded and that a line has been crossed? > > I genuinely feel that that’s what happened here, especially because we’re not exactly talking about a dog that savaged a child or tore out the mailman’s throat. The OP used the “Rainbow Bridge,” even saying things like “look up my old gang [of dead pets] when you’re there” and “I didn’t really feel bad about putting the dog down because he’s just going back to the Rainbow Bridge,” making it explicitly clear that this is a literal belief. > > What happened to the SDMB? You used to at least be able to find an even split on most issues, especially ones like this. This shit is like living in an episode of _Gilmore Girls_. **VC03** may I introduce [**Updike**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6764970&postcount=49) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/37 "2005-11-21T21:25:23Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > Look, there’s _nothing_ in the OP that hints at it being a comforting metaphor, and **everything** implying that the person honestly, genuinely believes that there is a “magical rainbow bridge” that she’s sending her pet to, and that that makes it ok to put the pet down. > > That’s fine; other people have their heavens and so on. But when you take that metaphor too far by turning it into your reality, then use it to justify killing something, you’ve crossed a line. Look, **VCO3** , there’s a time and place for everything. I’ve made my position on things like afterlives clear, and if she had opened up a thread called “How many of you believe dead pets go to a magical rainbow bridge”, I’d be the first to rip into her. In this case, she opened a thread on how she had to kill a pet she liked to protect her other pets, and possibly people. I would no more pit her for that thread than I would if she had one about how her grandpa recently died and went to heaven. Browbeating grieving people is just not the way things should be done. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/38 "2005-11-21T21:30:38Z")
Ok now you’ve got the most militant atheist on board (I think you qualify at the moment Der Trihs 🙂 ) defending her particular use of New Age glurge. DOESN’T THAT TELL YOU SOMETHING!??? ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/39 "2005-11-21T21:38:27Z")
> [@VegemiteMoose](#): > > No, no. You have to use large, coloured fonts if you have any chance of pulling ahead of **andrewt85** to nab the ‘Stupidest Doper of 2005’ award. > > Glad to help. I don’t know if large, colored fonts are enough for **andrewt85** to catch up on **Scott Plaid** ’s 20 page pit thread. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/40 "2005-11-21T21:50:52Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > What I’m positing is that it seems that the OP allowed the idea of magical fairytale land of the “Rainbow Bridge” - a concept that’s based on a _piece of glurge_ - to justify killing her own dog, and as a sane and loving pet owner, I find that completely and utterly appalling and unacceptable. It wasn’t the Rainbow Bridge that justified putting her dog down, you fuckhead, it was the dog’s attack on another dog _and_ agressively behavior towards her _and_ a consultation with an expert. She used the RB as a way to comfort herself _after_ she’d decided to put the dog down. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055.md?page=3)