Using animals unethically... MEAN

Utilizing animals for research as insight into human behaviors is debatably helpful and unquestionably unethical. But as every great scientist discovered, “the road to benefits is often paved with harms (Gluck, 78).” Testing animals for harmful potential side effects on humans is silly because their body composition reacts differently than humans do. Ethically, “animals matter because their pain matters (Gluck, 79).” Many people chose to turn a blind eye to such research endeavors because as I have stressed in previous blogs, it is easier for people to plead ignorance than to actually feel something. This way, society can take comfort in continuing on with their lives worry free of the oppressed.

Honestly, I can understand why some people react in this way. For example, many cosmetic brands test their products on a variety of animals before exposing them to human specimen. It is easier for us to sacrifice lab rats than actual human beings, but why? Why does this societal constructed hierarchy appeasing our innate ethical concerns? Why do “humans view themselves as the elite species on the planet (Titus, 132)?” Animals have a life, they can feel, and thus they deserve similar consideration and sympathies as we share with other human beings. On the other hand, we also use humans deemed less valuable as research lab rats too. The Nazis used the Jews. The slave owners used the slaves. The powerful consistently take advantage of their power position to put others in harms way before subjecting oneself to such dangers. 

Personality test result

Your Type is ENFJ
Extraverted	Intuitive	Feeling	Judging
Strength of the preferences %
89	75	25	44

As an extravert, my ideal classroom environment would involve lots of interaction through class discussions and other activities. I learn the best working things out because I am action oriented. Through experiential learning, Bump has capitalized on my best learning environment. 

As an intuitive person, I thrive in environments that allow me the freedom to figure out original ways to solve problems. I do well with self-instruction paired with the opportunity to make my own choices in the classroom. Through leadership opportunities in the classroom, as well as creative based projects and blog freedom, Bump has sufficed these needs too! This class is ideal for my feeling side because it requires making a personal connection with classroom material and classmates (and Bump) alike. It is easy to see the relationship between the material and real life as they are one in the same. Lastly, for my judging side, I strive off of order and consistency. I love schedules and knowing deadlines in advance. Bump is true to his word, returning assignments when he promises, and keeping to the daily schedule. In retrospect, the classroom environment is clearly suitable to my ENFJ personality.

Other famous ENFJs

Bump, being an ISFJ, has a different ideal learning environment. As a teacher, he takes into account all the different types of personalities in the class and caters to them as much as possible. He allows time for reflection and independent thinking for the introverts in the class, as well as discussion for the extraverts. Extra credit opportunities allow for introverts to work independently to earn points. Bump, as a sensing type, caters to the five senses type of learning. Also incorporated in his experiential approach.

Wandering in Wonderland

Tonight I read through Alice and Wonderland (selections by Bump) by Lewis Carroll for the first time since my childhood. It brought back so many whimsical memories, but also relevant memories. This time, it reminded me of Tim Burton, pop culture, and the more mature side of Alice became apparent. Still, I pictured her as a sweet, innocent, dreamy little girl, and it took me awhile to understand why others view her character as sadistic or cruel. To me, she was dreaming of a world where she was on the same playing ground as the animals. To me, it was a story of equality and understanding. To me, it was an adventure in maturation. Some girl trying to find out who she is and where she fits in, in her mind, and in reality. So I read it again… 

Alice in Wonderland shoot by Annie Lebowitz

“'I wish I hadn’t cried so much!' said Alice, as she swam about, trying to find her way out. I shall be punished for it now, I suppose, by being drowned in my own tears! That WILL be a queer thing, to be sure! However, everything is queer to-day (Carroll,7).” Alice suddenly didn’t seem so sweet the second read through. She was only regretful of her actions when it comes back to be a burden for her. She didn’t think of the smaller creatures that might be affected by her puddle of tears, until she was forced down to their level to experience it herself. She didn’t think about those smaller when she was crying. In fact, such selfishness kept resurfacing when she interacted with animals. She never thinks of others, until she is put in the situation where she has to. She doesn’t have the ability or knowledge to know how to put herself in someone else’s shoes.

“Who in the world am I? Ah, THAT’S the great puzzle! (Carroll,5)” The story of Alice in wonderland is that of maturation. It happens naturally, all the time, when put in an unfamiliar situation. I could see how strange it would be to enter such a different world then what I’m used to, especially something I’ve been told is impossible. Like if you find a stray cat and take it in, the cat probably would be as scared as Alice in a strange house with a litter box. It’s like Cady in Mean Girls, where she thinks the rules in school are preposterous and foreign. Everyone handles situations differently, clinging to what they are familiar with to try to understand all the unfamiliar. 

The Capacity of Cruelty

Sadism (OED): Enthusiasm for inflicting, suffering, or humiliation on other others; spec. a psychological disorder characterized by sexual fantasies, urges, or behavior involving the subjection of another person to pain, humiliation, bondage, etc.

The Millgram experiment and the Stanford prison experiment results are uncannily similar. The details that shocked me the most were that the participants were white-middle class males, and that the results were so shockingly consistent. Dr. Blass “performed a meta-analysis on the results of repeated performances of the experiment… and found that the percentage of participants who are prepared to inflict fatal voltages remains remarkably constant, 61-66 percent, regardless of time or place (607).” Most people who read this experiment probably think that there are just a few “bad apples,” and that they would naturally be repulsed and not conditionally sadistic. These experiments prove that the problem is in the system, and not based on the individual psychological evaluative degrees. It is unbelievable how absorbed the guards, and prisoners alike, with their roles. 

The reasons for the quick impact on the participants change in behavior are attributed to their lack of responsibility for the consequences. Once they were assured that their actions wouldn’t be accounted for, their humanity went out the window, and evil desires smoothly took the place of once sympathetic, good, humans. The level of stress paired with the inescapable humiliation of the prisoners undoubtedly affected their behaviors, and fueled their desire to revolt and/or flee. After being stripped of privacy, power, and choice, the prisoners were rendered helpless, thus evoking fight or flight innate tendencies. The guards, on the other hand, inflicted damages surpassing the experimentation’s purpose. The guards conditioned themselves to be sadistic, even without being asked. Cruelty seemed to increase incrementally hour by hour, day by day, as the guards and participants lost individual identities, and group mentality took over. This made it easier for the guards to hide behind the experiment as an excuse for their inhumane, disgusting behavior, and this happens all the time...

        

“The link between animal abuse and interpersonal violence is becoming so well established that many U.S. communities now cross-train social-service and animal-control agencies in how to recognize signs of animal abuse as possible indicators of other abusive behaviors (Siebert, 619).” There is also a “mounting body of evidence about the link between such acts and serious crimes of more narrowly human concern, including illegal firearms possession, drug trafficking, gambling, spousal and child abuse, rape and homicide (Siebert, 618).” Domestic violence as well as serial and mass criminal violence often involves animals. For families suffering with domestic violence or abuse, the use or threat of abuse against companion animals is often used for leverage by the controlling/violent member of the family to keep others in line or silent. The violence may be in the form of spousal abuse, child abuse (both physical and sexual), or elder abuse. The statistics are chilling. Those who commit serial or mass criminal violence often use animals as "rehearsal" tools in their adolescence to work themselves up to the eventual abuse or killing of people. This link was first established 250 years ago, and it doesn’t seem to be changing. That means children who torture animals should be dealt with quickly, and it should be taken seriously. The child may be acting out because he/she is being abused or may be building up to something worse.

“The abuse of pit bulls [in particular] in dog-fighting activities, has achieved a higher profile after the 2007 arrest of the N.F.L. star Michael Vick for operating an illegal interstate dog-fighting operation in Surry County, Va. But the beleaguered pit bull is merely the most publicized victim of a phenomenon that a growing number of professionals — including police officers, prosecutors, psychologists, social workers, animal-control officers, veterinarians and dogcatchers — are now addressing with a newfound vigor: wanton cruelty toward animals. Before 1990, only six states had felony provisions in their animal-­cruelty laws; now 46 do (Siebert, 618).” History is replete with serial killers whose violent tendencies were first directed at animals. Albert DeSalvo (the “Boston Strangler”), who killed 13 women, trapped dogs and cats and shot arrows at them through boxes in his youth. Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer impaled frogs, cats, and dogs’ heads on sticks. Dennis Rader (the BTK killer), who terrorized people in Kansas, wrote in a chronological account of his childhood that he hanged a dog and a cat. During the trial of convicted sniper Lee Boyd Malvo, a psychology professor testified that the teenager, who killed 10 people with a rifle, had “pelted—and probably killed—numerous cats with marbles from a slingshot when he was about 14.

PETA suggestions to avoid further animal cruelty:

Urge your local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, judges, and schools to take cruelty to animals seriously. Those charged with protecting our communities and animals must send a strong message that violence against any feeling creature—human or nonhuman—is unacceptable.

Be aware of signs of neglect or abuse in children and animals, and immediately report suspected crimes to authorities. Take children seriously if they report that animals are being neglected or mistreated. Some children won’t talk about their own suffering but will talk about an animal’s.

Don't ignore even minor acts of cruelty to animals by children. Talk to the child and the child’s parents. If necessary, call a social worker.

http://www.peta.org/

“Not all who wander are lost” - J.R.R. Tolkien P1

“Not all who wander are lost” - J.R.R. Tolkien

It all started with the stealing of the worms. One summer, about fifteen years ago, my grandparents lived on Lake Conroe, and fishing was a mutually adored past time amongst adults and children alike. Lynne, the eldest of eventually twelve cousins, mysteriously disappeared while the rest of us were setting up our rods. When it came time to bait the hooks— the worms were nowhere to be found, but Lynne was. She was in the neighbor’s yard, putting the worms back in the earth thus saving them from a sure demise. And she’s been like that ever since.

Lynne dutifully continues to rescue those she can help. When we were younger, she saved all the miniature frogs in my hot tub, and the June bugs from drowning in the pool drain. I didn’t understand why we had to waste precious playtime on such trivial things. Another such instance took place when a blue bird crashed into the window of her apartment. She took it upon herself to nurse the bird back to health, and received the satisfaction of releasing it back into the wild after it recovered. Another instance involved the man-made lake behind her parent’s house. Naturally, Lynne took notice of the animals occupying it. She would feed the ducks daily, routinely, everyday before school, until one day she noticed that the number of ducks seemed to be slimming. So she decided to find out why. Eventually discovering that the culprits, for the disappearing ducks, were hungry snapping turtles she contacted the neighborhood in search of a solution. Within a few weeks of constant harassment, the neighborhood responded by separating the turtles from the ducks. She proactively saved them both.

Based on her track record for saving animals, it was only natural that eventually she would save or adopt pets of her own. Lynne says that she chose to save Kingston and Cosmo because she had the opportunity to offer the chance of a better life, without suffering, and without the risk of being put to sleep. She found Kingston on Craigslist, posted by a family ill equipped to handle a dog, and unwilling to put in the effort to fix it. So the family just left him outside so he would not shed in the house before finally putting him up for adoption. Lynne read the bio, saw the handsome face of the miniature golden retriever, and decided she could and would change his life for the better. Cosmo on the other hand, found Lynne. The cat was living on the street as a stray, and after Lynne spent days searching for her rightful owner, but never found it. Not normally a cat person, but an animal lover of all kinds, she took the cat into her home as a new member of the family.

Certain traits, expressed in the anecdotes above, set Lynne apart as a person and as a leader. She has an incredibly high moral standard, has an endless imagination, and has a positive, optimistic outlook on life and on those less fortunate. She is motivating, inspiring, helpful, encouraging, responsible, passionate, and selfless. She embraces change as a necessity, and isn’t too stifled by hubris to know when she needs to ask for help. Her patience, awareness, and sympathy towards others originated from her innately ability to listen, really listen. Listening attentively to those who speak: she exhibits a genuine interest in what people have to say. She reserves judgment, and resists the inclination to interrupt, so to truly hear what is being said. Active listening, along with her other expressed traits, plays a vital role in her recently founded business.

Lynne has volunteered with different special-need organizations since she was sixteen years old. She has worked with children with special needs in a variety of different environments including hospitals, inclusive classrooms, as well as pediatric therapy clinics. Last year, at twenty-three years old, she acquired the sufficient resources and qualifications to start her own program for special-need kids. Her fearless expression of love and passionate drive to care and nourish others began to spark interest within the community. She began to embrace and channel her sympathetic imagination into innovative ways to help disabled kids. Sympathetic imagination is the ability of a person to penetrate the barrier which space puts between him and his object, and, by actually entering into the object, so to speak, to secure a momentary but complete identification with it. [1] Thus, she created S t r e a t c h (website here), a unique program to help children with and without special needs. It creates an inclusive environment that enables children to enjoy a fun, social, and physical activity while gaining a greater sense of body control and awareness through yoga. Her mission is to stretch the body, mind, and imagination to help reach each individuals potential. [2] Through yoga, she teaches the children techniques to control their self-stimulating or hyperactive behavior, and to foster focus and concentration, thus creating a more confident, successful, and self-sufficient child.

There is an inarguable correlation between Lynne’s initial compassion for animals, and her more recently developed compassion for special-needs children. Compassion for animals is intimately connected with goodness of character and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man. [3] She says that both share similar characteristics, and thus need special care. She devotes her life to both because she has the ability to create new techniques to make them feel special in a world that has overlooked or neglected them. Both special needs children and animals, if left without help, are often voiceless, defenseless, helpless, and vulnerable. Lynne recognizes the obstacles they face daily, and takes it upon herself to ease such problems. She truly uses her power, gained from leadership, for good, and to transform lives and benefit society. [4]

Lynne’s leadership ability and approach is undeniably effective. Her ability to sense how others feel, and to understand their perspectives, has helped her articulate a truly authentic and inspirational vision. She utilizes her emotional intellect daily, as gifted leadership occurs where heart and head—feeling and thought—meet. [5] She possesses all four domains of emotional intelligence required for resonance leadership: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. Also, she achieves the main tasks [required] of a leader… to generate excitement, optimism, and passion for the job ahead, as well as to cultivate an atmosphere of cooperation and trust. [6] Her spiritual intelligence represents her drive for meaning and her connection with the infinite. Lynne, as an emotionally intell[ectual] leader builds resonance by tuning into people’s feelings—[her] own and others— and guiding them in the right direction. [7] No matter where life takes her, she wants to continue the yoga classes, stating how she could never give up on her students because she forms inexplicable bonds with them.

The lake in her parent's backyard (2006)

Even though we both share an extreme affinity for animals of all kinds, Lynne has always been a sort of conundrum to me because of our vast differences. Her endless capacity to love others, paired with her selflessness, simply baffles my Darwinian life outlook. She is my role model because she consistently lives her life for others, admirably sacrificing trivialities in life that others might become encompassed with. I admire her as an enigma to most societal members, as she is not afraid to feel or express emotion, whereas I try to bury my emotion and focus on my mental intelligence or IQ. The theory of emotional intelligence is destabilizing to people [like me] who have anchored their strategy for success [narrowly] on sheer mental intelligence or IQ—the ability to reason, analyze, think abstractly, use language, visualize, and comprehend. [8] Unlike my expressed emotion impoverished self, she freely embraces her emotions and utilizes them to spark change. [Her] emotions are, in a very real sense, more powerful than [my] intellect, [9] in degree and effective leadership ability. Also, she embraces risks head on to further her vision. She is much braver than I. She patiently works at finding solutions to make life for others a bit more bearable. She is not disillusioned, knowing she can’t change the world, but rather uses this knowledge to focus more arduously on the things she can change, a few at a time. 

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[1] Walter Jackson Bate “The Sympathetic Imagination in Eighteenth-Century English Criticism” (ELH Vol.12, June 1945) p.144-164

[2] http://Streatchitall.com

[3] Arthur Schopenhauer “The Basis of Morality” http://www.ivu.org/history/europe19b/schopenhauer_basis_of_morality.pdf

[4] University of Texas Core Purpose

[5] Daniel Goleman et al, “Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence (Harvard, 2002) p. 322

[6] Ibid. p. 324

[7] Ibid. p. 322

[8] Ibid. p. 87

[9] Ibid. p. 322

Animal Poetics

Animals play an important part in society and culture, thus such becomes apparent throughout art as outlets of emotion. Animals can be used to symbolize all sorts of things, but in particular, animals may represent the personality of a character. This is because as humans and animals co-exist in the same atmosphere, certain aspects of a character reveal themselves in the compassion or even hatred towards the animal. “Animals [also] stand for human qualities: the lion for courage, the owl for wisdom, and so forth (Coetzee, 95).” Furthermore, since animals are often known to trigger the interests of humans, the attitude of the humans towards the animals contributes much to character revelation. "Compassion for animals is intimately connected with goodness of character and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man (Arthur Schopenhauer, German Philosopher).” The simple mention of an animal, a pet, or a farm animal, or an exotic underwater creature, changes the entire depth of, for example, a poem or a painting. Mentioning a puppy instantly brings up thoughts of happiness and love.

Just as Mighty Meg mentioned during her leadership, viewing certain animals evokes a certain range of emotions. Coetzee speaks of “two varieties of animal lovers, hunters who value animals at a very elementary, unreflective level…and people who have little contact with animals yet want all animals to lead a utopian life in which everyone is miraculously fed and no one preys on anyone (110).” It is interesting to define a hunter as a type of animal lover, but it is entirely valid. If hunters “look [the animal] in the eyes before [they] kill him, and thank him afterwards (Coetzee, 95),” they take full advantage of an unfortunate loss of life.

Within the reading, several passages are written from an animals’ point of view, humanizing such experiences. Like zoo animals could be compared to jail prisoners, or pets to servants. Just something general enough to be relatable to both groups instantaneously. For example, zoo animals parallel to those on death row…“[they] [don’t] want freedom. Only a way out—to the right or left or anywhere at all (Kafka, 523).” The animals seem tired, worn down, and powerless. “His tired gaze— from passing endless bars—has turned into a vacant stare which nothing holds (Flemming, 528).” Another caged animal, Jaguar, suffers because “his head is like the worn down stump of another whole jaguar (Hughes, 532).” These shared sufferings, commiserations if you will, are expressed through poetry, through song, through art because such things are driven by pure emotion rather than reason. "His own opinion, which he does not air, is that the origin of speech lie in song, and the origins of song in the need to fill out with sound the overlarge and rather empty human soul. (Coetzee, Disgrace)." 

Dogs are more humane than humans

The problem with the English language is essential in considering the analogy between animal suffering and human suffering. There is such poverty of the English language! It is impoverished of emotional words and loaded with technical words. When comparing animal and human suffering; one tends to equate the two by focusing on the similarities and ignoring the differences. Equal to what? Singer explains, "when I say that all animals- all sentiment creatures- are equal, I mean that they are entitled to equal consideration of their interests, whatever those interests may be (501)." So animals and humans cannot be rightfully equated, but still their suffering is..."Pain is pain,  no matter what species of the being feels it (Singer, 501)." Is it possible to ignore parts of the analogy and still somehow validate it? Garber writes about the problems with language in terms of analogies and metaphors, and their function in moral and ethical questions. She speaks of a "false metaphor"- an argument that speaks directly to the use and abuse of literature and literary analysis in culture (Garber, 499)." For example, "if the Jews were treated like cattle, it does not follow that cattle are treated like Jews. The inversion insults the memory of the dead (Garber, 498)."

Another problem with language is the prospect of being a vegetarian. There are so many different types, some say if you eat fish you cannot be considered a vegetarian, or if you sometimes eat chicken... The English language restricts the naming of such types of people. Can you be a vegetarian or be a carnivore and still have a strong position supporting animal rights? Are those two correlated? 

What makes this book diverting is that while the protagonist is a self-proclaimed vegetarian, the story is told through the perspective of her meat-eating son. The Lives of Animals in Elizabeth Costello, captured many different persuasive arguments met with resistance. The rights of animals is thoroughly explored through a certain point of view, but I feel that the chapter had a gaping flaw. It failed to grasp, what I feel, seems like the central theme of alienation between the two sides. Is the division so deep that neither education nor societal teachings can bridge the gap? "Education is the best provision for the journey to old age (Aristotle)," so shouldn't the aging Costello be able to offer some suggestions? 

"The people who lived in the countryside around Treblinka...said that they did not know what was going on in the camp (Costello, 63), some "have no opinions one way or the other (Costello, 61)." Apathy towards human suffering is analogized with the suffering of animal slaughter. I have discussed the innate problem with equating the two above, and in previous blogs concerning the parallels between the two. Do I think that if the Poles actually did know what was happening, if Roosevelt let the SS St. Louis come into Florida, if anyone had stood up to Hitler, would anything have changed? Or is that even possible? The Jews were strangers to the inhabitants surrounding Treblinka, and like Eric said in class in reference to the hero dog saving the dog hit on the highway in Chile, would humans do the same for a fellow human, humanely?