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Pull pin, throw grenade
Contributed by: Jared Keller on 5/2/2008

Outrage is a funny thing. It's pretty easy to dredge up, but it doesn't always make sense.

Case in point? Remember the brouhaha over Joy Douglas - the owner of a Boulder salon who faced the possibility of a fine and jail time for dying her pet poodle pink (using beet juice) in support of breast cancer awareness? Granted, we're dealing with Boulder here, but the fact of the matter is that no small number of folks were ready to draw and quarter Ms. Douglas for her act of "abuse".

Google "pet custody", and you'll be greeted with any number of commentaries and news stories explaining the recent explosion of court cases wherein divorcing spouses engage in heated custody battles for their furry "kids", spending thousands of dollars in some cases, and burning through emotional tinder in others.

We live in a world where two of Leona Helmsley's grandkids got exactly squat from her estate (estimated at $5 billion in worth)...and her Maltese got $12 million.

Meanwhile, in North Korea, the regime of Kim Jong-Il intercepts food aid as a part of his "military first" campaign, and literally hundreds of thousands of kids face the prospect of an agonizing death, willfully imposed by their own leadership, while the world watches in silence. In China, countless thousands of kids languish in orphanages - either because they're disabled, or...because they're girls. Our own State Department - continuing a rather ignominious tradition that has now stretched for decades -rivals the UN for its incompetence and its willingness to turn a blind eye to human suffering for the sake of faux "peace", and the avoidance of any boat-rocking. You doubt? Read up a bit on the ways in which the US embassies in China have acted as China's surrogates in functionally preventing North Korean refugees from finding asylum- thus allowing Chinese authorities to return them to the DPRK, and an almost certain execution (all for the crime of wanting something other than a Stalinist hell for their children).

NFL quarterback Michael Vick now resides somewhere in the vicinity of Josef Mengele in the pantheon of despicable human beings in the minds of many - because of his abject cruelty to the animals in his care. He's sitting in jail as I write, and his future remains in doubt, as he's been suspended indefinitely by the NFL. Cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones, on the other hand, allegedly slammed the head of a (human) dancer into a stage at a Vegas strip joint, shot a (human) bouncer, and, stunningly, even bit the guy on the (human) ankle(!). He faces some criminal charges, and a civil suit, but his suspension ran 10 games.

In the year 1824, British politician William Wilberforce helped to found the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - the first organization of its kind anywhere in the world. He recognized the importance of protecting the defenseless, and giving voice to those who can't speak for themselves. He had his priorities straight, however.

His conscience was first pricked by something of greater import, I would argue. In 1791, Wilberforce introduced the first Parliamentary Bill calling for the abolition of the British slave trade. The first bill defeated, he would repeat the process in 1792, 1793, and1794, despite his repeated defeats. Following the demise of his Society for effecting the abolition of the slave trade in 1795, Wilberforce would press on - largely alone - in his fight to abolish the slave trade, and to force his society to recognize the monstrosity of trading human beings - made in the image of God - like so much chattel.

In 1806, he finally succeeded.

He would dedicate the remainder of his life to other causes that aroused his compassion, and his heart for the oppressed. Certainly, his compassion fell upon the animals. First, however, he recognized the absolute uniqueness of humanity, and sought its protection.

Maybe Princeton philosopher and ethicist Peter Singer is right when he says that human beings and animals should be treated in exactly the same way - in terms of rights, protections, and legal status. Maybe his views on bestiality, abortion, euthanasia and infanticide (he's cool with 'em all) are simply the first step in a bold new morality that encompasses all of the organisms of the world, providing extra protection to none, and true equality for all. Maybe.On the other hand, maybe he's a just a twisted nihilist with a hole right through the middle of him, where his soul should reside.

Obviously, there's nothing wrong with loving your pets, taking care of animals, or believing in the inherent evil of animal cruelty (and taking steps to stop it, and to punish it). I'm right there with you on each of those counts. It's not an either/or proposition, of course. We can be compassionate toward people and animals, but for some reason, we're struggling more and more with the order of things.

Currently, the ASPCA is running commercials that publicize a new program through which you can sponsor an animal in a shelter, and provide food, care, and medicine, etc. The approach is indestinguishable from that of Compassion International, World Vision, or any number of other groups who do the same things - but for kids. That's the somewhat frightening thing, here; those kids are now fighting dogs and cats for a limited pool of charitable resources...and it's a given that in many peoples' minds, it's a 50/50 proposition as to which group will get their donations.

When you honestly think - even for a second - that the dog in the shelter in Mumbai is more worthy of your $30 a month than the Dalit kid dying of dysentery in the street outside of that shelter? When you spend more mental and emotional energy worrying about the animals being displaced and killed by China's Three Gorges dam project than you do in trying to find a way to bring some semblance of hope to a North Korean family huddled in a safehouse in that country? You've lost me, and further convinced me that - as a culture - our perspective continues its slide off the rails.


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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments
Submitted By: Michael Rule
posted on 5/7/2008 @ 9:18:42 PM
Rated Story
I always wondered why they didn't do DNA tests on Michael Vicks' dogs. You know, to notify the next of kin. We have the technology but we don't pursue the ends. Ticks me off.
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Submitted By: William Boucher
posted on 5/6/2008 @ 11:03:28 PM
Rated Story
Great piece.
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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments
CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Jared Keller

Littleton

Jared Keller has posted 450 stories and 62 comments since joining on 12/1/2005. Jared Keller 's average story rating is 4.85.
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