Where does the animal sympathy come from?

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2006-10-17 11:57pm

Junghalli wrote: Again, I'm curious as to whether you have the same reaction to people who collect snake or animal skins. They do the exact same thing, the only difference is the animals they kill and skin aren't generally considered cute.

I guess it's called hypocrisy.

I mean would you rather kill this?

Or this little fella?

Glocksman · Post by **Glocksman** » 2006-10-18 12:23am

Simple shock value probably plays a part.
After all, how many thousands of on screen homicides do we see over the years?
One hell of a lot, especially if you like Arnie's action movies.

The constant exposure desensitizes us to an extent WRT onscreen adult human homicides.
Whereas most movies, shows, etc. don't make a point of showing the onscreen killing of a human baby, puppy, kitten, etc., so it's more shocking than a simple onscreen adult homicide.

Ritterin Sophia · Post by **Ritterin Sophia** » 2006-10-18 05:35am

Stupid mammals... the reptiles got robbed of their title as the supreme animals by a fluke!

Post by **Kuja** » 2006-10-18 12:09pm

....I think that snake is flirting with me.

salm · Post by **salm** » 2006-10-18 12:11pm

I can not bring myself to find apes cute.
Snakes, while they surely don´t look cute, they at least look cool, but apes just look fucking annoying.

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2006-10-24 06:40pm

salm wrote:I can not bring myself to find apes cute.
Snakes, while they surely don´t look cute, they at least look cool, but apes just look fucking annoying.

Well I find some apes cute (the babies at least).

But of course you get nasty apes like him:

And big gruff geezers like him:

Cos Dashit · Post by **Cos Dashit** » 2006-10-24 10:17pm

While I agree that it is more gruesome to the audience, I doubt that a man would prefer to kill another man than a puppy, or something similar. The audience doesn't have to do the killing, they just have to watch it. I'm sure a soldier would rather kill a dozen puppies, baby monkeys, seals, whathaveyou than another soldier.

Post by **Edi** » 2006-10-25 04:38am

Cos Dashit wrote:While I agree that it is more gruesome to the audience, I doubt that a man would prefer to kill another man than a puppy, or something similar. The audience doesn't have to do the killing, they just have to watch it. I'm sure a soldier would rather kill a dozen puppies, baby monkeys, seals, whathaveyou than another soldier.

You might be surprised. If we're assuming a situation where a soldier is normally killing another human being, it's in combat and the other one is also trying to kill him. At that point killing the other man is much easier than killing a puppy, because we have a natural response to destroy physical threats and in a soldier's case it is augmented by training.

Depends on the individual too. You do need a certain degree of ruthlessness to hurt or kill others. Anyone attacks me, I do not see them as a person at all. They become a target, an object, something to be crushed, beaten, destroyed and pulped until they are no longer a threat. In that context, killing a man can be easier than killing something innocent like a puppy that has done nothing to provoke a violent response. Unless of course you're a sociopath or a sadist, in which case you hardly need an excuse to kill either man or puppy.

Basically it boils down to whether you can feel justified in dishing out violence or not. If you can and you do not have any second thoughts or regrets, there is no guilt mechanism to cause trouble. Killing is different in that it's permanent, there's no reversing or recovering from the consequences of that action, so presumably the feeling of being justified would have to be stronger to override the guilt mechanism.

Edi

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2006-10-25 04:47am

salm wrote:I can not bring myself to find apes cute.
Snakes, while they surely don´t look cute, they at least look cool, but apes just look fucking annoying.

That baby brown orange gorilla looks dumb. I'd like to unhinge my jaws and swallow it whole.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2006-10-25 05:32am

Big Orange wrote:Awwwwwww, but look at the sweet little poppet waddling through the snow! How could that not be cute?

Mmm. Delayed response.

Because I look at it, and I think 'it's going to grow up to become a lazy feckless creature that requires constant handouts from humans to live, and won't even, in its den of luxury, hump. How can these critters ever have flourished?'

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2006-10-25 07:22pm

Awwwww, you evil heartless C'Tan, the devourer of trillions and despoiler of galaxies, only you would be so heartless and wish harm upon the cute little balls of fluff…

Anyway, I think the Pandas in captivity are starting to reproduce more successfully in recent years, judging from the amount of the cute little things being born in the Panda nurseries.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2006-10-25 09:59pm

General Schatten wrote:
Big Orange wrote:Only sick, sociopathic fucks would ever want to <snip>club seal cubs<snip>
What you don't like clubbing baby seals? Mine like Eurobeat and Synthpop, but if it's wrong...

I've seen that u-tube including the drug use, the MADA dosing and the hiding the body of the prostitue in the trunk of the car....

although after S*P and Sluggy was done warping my mind, I think Clubbing Ferrets were a greater threat.

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2006-10-25 10:42pm

Anyone ever noticed that the smarter, more self-aware mammals tend to look cuter or at least less ugly than dumber, less self-aware animals? Is that some natural product of increasing intelligence?