Scumpup, you’re a vile cretin, so the names you call me don’t much matter.
An infant really doesn’t know much beyond the fact that if they cry, they’ll get fed and held. I was making a facetious comparison there. Trunk comes across as a bitter loser with this pit, desperate to find some way to bolster his own image by sneering at others. I was mocking him. Just like I’m mocking you.
Daniel
So you’ve definitely had yourself sterilized for the sake of the environment, right?
So what? AFAICT, nobody around here, not even the most devoted pet owners, is suggesting that they would sacrifice body parts of humans (even unrelated humans) for the sake of their beloved pets.
On the other hand, they probably wouldn’t sacrifice body parts of other people’s pets for the sake of their own pets either. So this comparison is kind of pointless.
Trunk, are you just trying to rationalize the unspoken guilt you feel from comparing yourself to other pet owners who are willing to make greater sacrifices for their pets than you are, or what? If so, quit worrying about it. Just because you wouldn’t want to go into debt to pay for medical treatment for your dogs does not make you a bad or neglectful pet owner. Everybody has to decide for themselves where to draw the line between the duty of caring for a pet and the unnecessary burden of excessive spending on a pet.
Just stop having a cow simply because other pet owners choose to draw that line for themselves farther along the sacrifice scale than you do.
(But if you absolutely insist on having a cow anyway, remember to milk it regularly and give it healthy food and pasturage, unless you couldn’t afford it without going into debt, in which case it’s perfectly okay to give the cow away. ;))
Don’t you have some therapizing to do somewhere? If that is the best you can do for mockery, you should play to your strengths.
Going back to the OP - since the people who bug him are taking their pets to a veterinarian, they actually do know that they aren’t human. Otherwise they’d be complaining about the fact that they were just kicked out of the local ER.
The “my pet is my kid” sentiment is on the rise in Western Civilizations. There’s no use fighting it. If you don’t like the role we’ve thrust our animals in - then you’d best move to some other place because it isn’t changing here.
There are 4 requirements in a society for this view of animals to hold sway:
Ubanization (All America is an Ubanized culture. Except, perhaps for the Amish, even folks on farms use the internet, watch American Idol on their dish TV’s and, often, work in town. And you aren’t going to hear an Amish farmer tell anyone that his pets are like his kids).
Acceptance of evolution (Yes, people are mammals, too. Except for a few chromosomes here or there, there is no difference between man and dogs).
Athropomorphism (Thank you, Micky Mouse). Right now it’s now unusual to see articles in the press in which people say that not only is their dog a person - they’re a better person than most people are. Your dog is the only child you can have that doesn’t become a surly teenager, and will always be there for them.
Egalitarianism (First only white, male landowners had rights. Then came women, persons of color, non-landowners. etc. If gays/lesbians have equal rights, can animals be far behind?)
Once those 4 conditions are met (and they’ve been met in spades in North America and Europe) - elevation of animals to “pseudo-human” status is inevitable.
What a load of shit. I remember when we first got married and people asked us all the time when we were going to have children. Our response at the time was, “We’re not sure we want to have kids.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, "Oh, you have to have children, as if my life wouldn’t be complete without them. Bullshit! Most people are astounded when we now tell them we don’t plan to have children at all.
On the other hand, I have never heard someone question someone’s decision not to have a pet. Some people don’t like pets. That’s understandable. And some of us don’t like kids. Which a lot more people seem to find hard to understand.
I know that my pets aren’t kids. Thank Christ for that. But they’re the closest thing I’m ever going to have. So please don’t say my love for them means nothing.
Thank you Tommy Tutone. I, and my three also adopted siblings, are wanted and loved every bit as much as biological children. In some cases, maybe more… couples rarely become adoptive parents in a car backseat after a cheap bottle of wine.
Thank you too, Ogre. Bravo. More people need to understand this.
Trunk, it is a pity that nobody loves you.
Understand that “My pets are my kids” is not the same as “My pets are equivalent to kids.” If you don’t get this distinction, then perhaps you’d be wise to study up on a concept called metaphor.
If someone says that a man is thinking with his “little head”, no one gets all bent out of shape about how a penis does not actually contain a cerebral cortex. Most people are smart enough to get this. Call a pet a kid, though, and it’s like you’ve killed a kid. Say buh bye to rationality.
**Eleanorigby, **
It’s truly unfortunate that your Mom is sacrificing a healthy relationship with your son in favor of her dog. I think there is a pathology there that goes beyond what the OP is whining about.
In my world, my pets are taken care of quite well. They are healthy and happy and we enjoy playing and cuddling with them. But no, I would not tell friend they could not sit on the loveseat because that’s where one of the dogs loves to lounge. I agree, that would be ridiculous.
… they might grow up and go on a killing spree.
This topic is stupid.
. . .they beat up your honor student?
Why don’t you ask those folks just how metaphorically they’re speaking. . .
We have well defined concepts of “kids” and “pets” already. They’re stating an equivalency in the importance of pets/kids existence to defend their decision to pay for any and all medical treatment.
We don’t need a metaphor for “pet”. When someone says “my car is like a woman. It has a lot of gas and can run all day” (or whatever) they’re using metaphor.
“My animals are my kids” is something else entirely.
Hell, not everyone cares for their kids like everyone else does. There are people out there that care less for their offspring than I do for my dog and others who would give far more than I would. Heck, I cared more for my ex’s kids when they were ‘mine’ than I do now.
Neither would I. Nor, for that matter, would I warn a house guest off of my kid’s favorite seat, either (if I had a kid). Nor would I tell a guest not to sit in my own favorite seat. The core issue is not specifically about over-pampering pets, it’s about not being properly hospitable to a guest.
(Exception: I would certainly warn a guest about sitting in a pet’s or kid’s favorite seat if I thought the guest might regret it. As in, “Oh dear, you might not want to sit in that chair because it’s got dog hair on it” or “That’s Junior’s kiddy-chair and it’s kind of flimsy, let me get you a sturdier chair.” )
Um…yes it does. This whole thread is about the way YOU feel, and how you think everyone else should feel the same way as you towards their animals. Newsflash - some people feel differently.
That isn’t my argument. I know my animals are not actual kids. If they were, they wouldn’t be here, because I don’t want kids. My point is we non-parents can have strong feelings too. Nobody has the right to tell us how we can and cannot feel about something.
Hey, let’s leave Inkleberry out of this.
[CBG]Worst Bumper Sticker Ever[/CBG]
For those of us who don’t have children, a pet is the closest “substitute”.
Note the quotes. I’m not equating human with quadriped. What I am equating, though, is the care and affection involved with both. There’s quite a similar line there.
Somebody earlier in this thread equated pet care with a small child who will never grow up. Many others chimed in with examples. There’s one similar line.
The other similar line is affection. I look at it this way: Some people anthropomorphicize* more than the average pet owner. There are others who bestow much love and affection but never lose the reality that this is a PET, not a child. Then there are those who simply aren’t “animal” people. That’s where the great divide comes in.
For those of us who are grounded animal-centric, it’s difficult to describe our affection for our pet(s) to someone who has never experienced it. It’s more difficult to describe it to someone who isn’t animal-centric…my in-laws are a perfect example.
It boils down to respect. You don’t want my girl dogs around you or in your house? That’s fine. I respect that. But I expect you to respect the fact that 1) they are part of my family, and 2) I’ll treat them as such. Simple as that.
Good ol’ Trunk. We can always depend on him to stir up a hornet’s nest.
I love my dog. He’s the cat’s ass (so to speak.) But he’s still just a dog.
I know pet owners who talk about their pets like they were kids, and a few that even *treat *their pets like kids. I think they’re a little looney, but y’know, what the fuck, everyone’s a little looney about something. I try not to let token whackiness get to me.
It is not “loving”, and stating that you never intend to have children generally opens you up to all sorts of “conversion” conversations, as others have mentioned.
Believe it or not, they may be thinking more of your comfort than the dog/cat’s. If the dog or cat is often on a particular piece of furniture, then it’s likely that there is a lot of hair/dander on said chair - no matter how well the owner cleans. Hence the warning - sitting in that chair may trigger allergies, and will most likely coat you in pet hair.