Backlash after Gorilla Shot in Cincinnati Zoo (Updated)
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I take the point, but all I was trying (and apparently failing!) to point out was that the social media outrage machine could maybe use a little fine-tuning with regard to it's sense of perspective, particularly when it comes to the death of animals! I'm still seeing people talking shite daily about how the parents should have been the ones shot, the petitions calling for justice for Harambe are reaching Donald Trump hate levels of signatures, and the parents in question have now received more death threats even than that dentist that killed Cecil the Lion - another time where everyone went "Oh noes, a fluffy animal is deaded!" and completely lost their shit!FirstNameLastName said:
Yes the violent death of an endangered Gorilla is a sad event, but damn people aren't getting this worked up about the parents that abandoned their son in the woods as a punishment and then couldn't find him again (fortunately that story's just turned out OK - http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36441612 ).
Why is it that so many people seem to reserve all of their empathy for animals rather than other humans? It reminds me of the episode of the Sopranos where Tony Soprano, a mostly cold-blooded murdering bastard, completely lost his shit when he found out that Ralph Cifaretto had killed Pie-O-My the horse. Article about the same thing after the Cecil the Lion outrage has some interesting points of view: http://www.hopesandfears.com/hopes/now/question/215977-cecil-animal-human
I actually agree with you on both of those points, but stand by my assertion that the existence of other disconnected problems shouldn't really determine how sensible people's actions are. The people sending death threats are assholes for sending death threats, but that's because it's a disproportionate response to an accident, not because people are dying overseas.CeeBod said:
Likewise for animals in general, although that is a more complicated issue. I think a lot of it comes down to the idea that one death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic, especially when the animal in question has a name and is of the correct species.
It might seem like I'm about to go against what I just said about not bringing in outside issues, but that only really applies when the issues in question have no bearing on one another, or when the people getting mad at some minor issue are simply not talking about the other issue rather than actually condoning it.
I guess I can somewhat agree with the point that people should be putting their ire towards more important issues, but since this is an animal rights issue I'd say it's more helpful to suggest they put their attention towards more pressing animal rights issues rather than disconnected human ones. As much as I love animals I can't really muster much anger or sadness about this, especially due to the complicated moral ambiguity of the situation.
As annoying as it is for a lot of people when the topic of vegetarianism/veganism is brought into these debates, it often rings rather insincere that most of the people getting horribly upset over this shooting are also fine with the meat industry because "bacon is tasty." This gorilla lived a nicer life and had a far more humane (and justified) death than the majority of the animals we eat.
I'm not saying you have to be a vegetarian or vegan to be upset over this, after all, I'm not, but if you aren't at least a little morally conflicted about indirectly causing the pain and misery of the animals you eat then maybe dial back the outrage just a bit, and perhaps don't start talking about how the child/parents should have been killed instead.
Of course not- that's why Hawaiian crows are extinct. And the currasow, too. And let's not forget the California Condor, an animal so extinct there's more than four hundred of them!Johnny Novgorod said:
Captive breeding programs aside, conservation money has to come from somewhere. If it comes from individuals, it's mostly going to be people who see them up close and in person, and not have to trek halfway around the world to do it- that's where zoos come in. And if the money is going to come from governments, they're going to need public approval, and that's mostly going to come from people who, again, can see these animals for themselves. Wildlife reserves are important, but without zoos, the money's not going to come. I realize they can be a double-edged sword, but pretending they do no good is pure and simple denial.
Based on the social media response to this, you'd think that systemic racism would be solved by now if white people had even half as much outrage every time a black person was brutalized or killed by cops.
Zoos are an outdated and pretty inhumane way of preserving animal life. Why can't we have nature reserves again exactly?
Zoos are an outdated and pretty inhumane way of preserving animal life. Why can't we have nature reserves again exactly?
http://newsthump.com/2016/05/31/nra-seeks-to-prevent-further-zoo-tragedies-with-call-to-arm-gorillas/
The NRA are right. We should have given the gorilla a rifle. We should have armed the gorillas and the bear.
Relax I know it's a joke article... I think. We can't arm Gorillas because... wait, why can't we are them? On right, they could rebel and try to take over and wipe out the humans. No thank you. We have Siri and other A.I. for that.
The NRA are right. We should have given the gorilla a rifle. We should have armed the gorillas and the bear.
Relax I know it's a joke article... I think. We can't arm Gorillas because... wait, why can't we are them? On right, they could rebel and try to take over and wipe out the humans. No thank you. We have Siri and other A.I. for that.
I've got a 5 year old and a 3 year old. They're like crazed ninjas on caffeine sometimes and no matter how well I try to teach them or instruct them, they occasionally get curious and do things I don't want them to and that I've specifically taught them not to do. I'm not saying this mother shouldn't be held somewhat accountable, as I think taking multiple kids to the zoo by yourself is a recipe for stress, headache, and wandering children, but most of the folks accusing her of being a shitty parent probably have no idea what the situation was or what it's like to manage kids.cthulhuspawn82 said:
I've taken both kiddos to the zoo, with another adult accompanying us, and it's been fine. My point was mostly that sometimes kids go or do something we don't expect. Leashes are perfectly fine if that's what is required for a parent to maintain control, but even when a child is capable of usually behaving, there will be moments where they do not and potential mischief can be perpetrated. Most situations that means something simple, like getting into a snack or whatnot that they're not supposed to be into at the moment, and then there's this scenario in the news.....I don't know the woman or her kids, so aside from thinking it a poor choice to try and wrangle them all at the zoo, I'd withhold attacks on her character or such judgements.Terminalchaos said:
The only innocent in the story got shot to death.
The absurdly incompetent Zoo that couldn't make barriers to stop a dumb 4 years old to fall inside the Gorilla's area and the shitty parents who couldn't stop their own damn son from almost succeeding in killing himself are to blame.
The absurdly incompetent Zoo that couldn't make barriers to stop a dumb 4 years old to fall inside the Gorilla's area and the shitty parents who couldn't stop their own damn son from almost succeeding in killing himself are to blame.
