Poll: Legal responsiblity

[AntiAntagonist]

Plants don't have a central nervous system.

Insects have a central nervous system, but are a problematic nuisance that can't be deterred.

 

[Logan Westbrook]

Hey now, don't tell me you've never pulled out some weeds or stepped on some ants before.

But no one cared about those, right? So why dogs? What's so special about them?

Well perhaps that dogs can actually feel pain, unlike a weed and won't die instantly when you step on them, like ants.

I was at least expecting you to say pulling the legs off spiders or something. The acts you describe aren't really 'cruelty', are they?

 

[aussiesniper]

Do you really think that?

Well...yes, that's why I said it.

Why the hell not?

So you think animal cruelty is perfectly acceptable behaviour?

We don't seem to mind plant- or insect-cruelty.
So why not animals? Because they're cute?

Plants have no nervous system. They have no emotions and they feel no pain. Killing of plants is slightly more cruel than taking antibiotics for a cold.

Insects have minute nervous systems and it is arguable as to whether or not they have emotions. There is also a practical reason to kill insects. They can spread disease, they eat our foods and they can hurt us. Would you think twice about spraying a wasp's nest?

Animal cruelty, on the other hand, is the harming of intelligent animals capable of feeling pain and emotions. Animal cruelty is not anywhere near as bad as torturing humans, but it is still cruel and violent. I think that the kid who bludgeoned lizards and fed them to a crocodile didn't really know what he was doing, but it can't exactly be a sign of his mental stability. In my opinion, he should be sent to a psychiatrist for examination to see if he is actually becoming unstable or if he is just a stupid and overly curious little kid.

EDIT: Beaten to the post.

 

[Ultrajoe]

Do you really think that?

Well...yes, that's why I said it.

Why the hell not?

Its cruel and represents a willing depravity on the behalf of those who commit the act.

If you can't see the reason we shouldn't kill animals on a whim then i despair for the state of your mind.

 

[aussiesniper]

If you can't see the reason we shouldn't kill animals on a whim then i despair for the state of your mind.

And you are who, exactly, to dictate what the state of my mind is?
Animals kill things, just as we kill animals. I feel it is natural. Apologies if you think I'm insane, but that's how I feel.

He didn't declare what the state of your mind is. He said that he despairs for it, but not what state it is in.

Also, animals killing other animals for survival is fine, but to kill simply to be cruel or to satisfy your curiosity as the child has done is an entirely different matter.

 

[qbert4ever]

Animals kill what is below them, just as we kill what is below us (i.e. animals). I feel it is natural. Apologies if you think I'm insane, but that's how I feel.

True, but I can't seem to recall a lion breaking into a zoo in order to bash in the heads of a dozen or so animals before feeding to a croc, nor have I seen a cheetah climb a tree and crush the skulls of baby birds, with all of this being for no other reason then shits and giggles.

Of course, if there is a youtube video of it, then by all means feel free to prove me wrong.

 

[BlueMage]

It is his dog. He may do with it as he pleases.

If what he "pleases" is torturing the animal, then no, he may not.

...

...Why the hell not?

No-one - not you, not me, not that kid - has the right to mistreat another for their own amusement. This includes animals. We are thinking beings, capable of empathy, reason and (miraculously) the fusion of these two. That you "own" an animal in no way entitles you to abuse it. Or are you going to go down the spurious path of "they're not human so it's ok" now?

I shouldn't have to add that animal-torture now is a frequent indicator of human-torture later.

 

[werepossum]

Animals kill what is below them, just as we kill what is below us (i.e. animals). I feel it is natural. Apologies if you think I'm insane, but that's how I feel.

True, but I can't seem to recall a lion breaking into a zoo in order to bash in the heads of a dozen or so animals before feeding to a croc, nor have I seen a cheetah climb a tree and crush the skulls of baby birds, with all of this being for no other reason then shits and giggles.

Of course, if there is a youtube video of it, then by all means feel free to prove me wrong.

Actually cats of all kinds kill for fun only, as anyone who has ever kept a cat in a place with mice can attest. As a country boy I can also attest that dogs and foxes and bobcats will kill for fun, and I've read (although not witnessed) the same about weasels, minks, and leopards. I'm not saying that has any bearing on the little zoo troll, just that it's easy (and wrong) to attribute that behavior only to humans. The part about feeding the dead animals to something else (other than its own young) is probably uniquely human.

 

[Pipotchi]

Plants have no nervous system. They have no emotions and they feel no pain. Killing of plants is slightly more cruel than taking antibiotics for a cold.

Insects have minute nervous systems and it is arguable as to whether or not they have emotions. There is also a practical reason to kill insects. They can spread disease, they eat our foods and they can hurt us. Would you think twice about spraying a wasp's nest?

I suppose that morality is due only to perception, and all up to someone else's feelings about what is "cruel" or not, but that's entirely another discussion.
Personally to me, seeing an animal being tortured is a gross sight indeed, but that's all it is. A gross sight.

If you can't see the reason we shouldn't kill animals on a whim then i despair for the state of your mind.

And you are who, exactly, to dictate what the state of my mind is?
Animals kill what is below them, just as we kill what is below us (i.e. animals). I feel it is natural. Apologies if you think I'm insane, but that's how I feel.

Jesus remind me never to ask you to watch my dog when i go out of town on Business, As human beings we are supposed to have involved to a stage where we can see something inherently wrong with inflicting pain on animals.

 

[Eyclonus]

Some of the opinions here worry me...

 

[James Raynor]

He should be sectioned, first of all too see if he's mentally ill or anything, if he's not then teach him what he did wrong.

Prison will not find out the cause, and will mess up his childhood.

Freedom will not prevent him from doing it again.