Dreaded Comparison

Leserzuschrift , Mittwoch, 26.09.2012, 15:20 (vor 4639 Tagen) @ Zarathustra

Auszug aus "Dreaded Comparison"

Ein paar kleine Auszüge aus "Dreaded comparison", ein sehr empfehlenswertes kurzes Büchlein:

When obedient and subservient, an animal is a loyal companion, 'a good slave'. When independant, an animal is suddenly transformed in our eyes to an uncontrollable
beast...
Likewise, we might look at the relationship between a dog and her master, just one example of what is soemtimes a modern slave/slave-owner relationship.
The dog is considered by her owner to be a good dog if she walks to heel, displays no great interest when nearing other dogs, doesnt run except when allowed, doesnt bark
except when required, and has no emotional needs except when desired by the master.
Many dogs spend their entire lives in isolation, chained to a slab of concrete or a tree in their masters backyard.
If a dog wishes to do something other than what pleases her master - play with other dogs (socialize), for instance - she might be beaten or otherwise punished.
All independent actions are thus discouraged, and the dog learns that she will win approval... by suppressing her own desires and conforming to those of the omnipotent human who legally owns her.
If at one point the master grows tired of his slave, she can simply be turned over 'to the pound'...Or if she
is pure-bred (!), a high-quality slave, the master may sell her over to a new owner.

...One of the most tragic aspects of life as a slave comes about through destruction of the family, and in
a larger sense, the social structure...

...It has long been contended that, for some - and of course, never us, but always them - life as a slave proves
more beneficial than detrimental... Aristotle had used this same approach in his attempt to justify the subjugation and domestication of animals and some humans.
For this rationalization to be effective, the victims need to be transformed - in the mind of the captor/master -
from oppressed beings to thankful underlings (!); grateful for being used, appreciated and protected, while fulfilling the needs of their superiors...

"The first instinct the farmer frustrates in all animals... is that of the newborn animal turning to its mother for protection and comfort and, in some cases, for food. THe chick comes out of the incubator and never sees a hen; the calf which is to be fattened for veal or beaf, is taken from the cow at birth; and even the piglet is weened far earlier now than it used to be..."

"They administered beatings to dogs with perfect indifference, and made fun of those who pitied the creatures as if they felt pain.
They said the animals were clocks; that the cries they emitted when struck were only the noise of a little string
that had been touched, but that the whole body was without feeling.
They nailed poor animals up on boards by their four paws to vivisect them and see the circulation
of the blood which was a great subject of controversy"

Und als kleines Schmankerl für die Apologeten:

"The abolition of the slave trade would be extreme cruelty to the African savages, a portion of whom it
saves from massacre, or intolerable bondage in their own country, and introduces into a much happier life"
James Boswell 18. Jahrhundert

"In the 18. century it was widely urged that domestication was good for animals; it civilized them and increased their numbers: 'we multiply life, sensation and enjoyment'" aus "Man and the natural world"

"It was best for the beasts that they should be under man" The theological, philosophical, miscellaneous works of the Reverend WIlliam Jones, 1801