Friday 31 July 2015

humans // animals

As I sit down to write this post I have no idea what I'm going to call it, or whether I'll even publish it - it's the sort of thing I always want to comment on, but places like Twitter and Facebook are just completely the wrong platform to do so. My blog is an area where I can write my thoughts down as eloquently as possible, so here goes.

Cecil the lion has been killed; rightly so, millions of people across the world are outraged. Animals being killed for sport is disgusting in my opinion, and there really isn't any way to justify it. When Sandra Bland was found dead in her jail cell last week in very questionable circumstances, people were also outraged - but it was nowhere near on the same scale as the outrage that has flooded social media after the death of Cecil the lion. When did the lives of animals become more valuable than the lives of people? I don't want this post to become about these two instances in particular; as yet, we don't know the full details of what happened to Sandra Bland - only that her death further proves the unjust and disgusting nature of the American police force, who have killed just under 700 people this year alone (stats found here).

Last year, Manchester dog's home fell victim to arson. A horrendous crime, there's literally no doubt about that. In a matter of days, over two million pounds in donations flooded in. Where is the same compassion when it comes to charities (both local and national) that deal with the lives of humans? Don't get me wrong, I love dogs and I feel that people have the right to spend their money how they wish - but what baffles me is the scale on which the support for animals differs from the support offered for people.

I think people of all race, gender, sexuality, social class etc are important - and we should do everything we can to protect ourselves and those around us. People are, after all, the inventors. The entertainers. The educators. The lovers. The writers. The creators. The explorers. We are the ones that keep this world turning. Of course animals are important too, I'm not disputing that and I don't quite know how to put what I feel into words. But I hope this post has made sense and I hope you understand why I had to write it.


3 comments:

  1. I was just thinking about this the other day actually! I agree with you, I often wonder myself why people regard animals more important than humans. To be honest, I actually do feel more sympathetic towards animals than humans sometimes, I don't know why, I guess it has something to do with the fact that animals just don't have the mental capacity or intelligence to protect and defend themselves in the same way that humans do, they're more vulnerable. This was a good post to read though, and will be good to hear others thoughts! :)

    Heather Xx
    100waysto30.co.uk

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  2. I tweeted about this the other day and probably upset a lot of people! I'm afraid I just can't view animals as being on the same level of importance as humans.

    www.lunarlook.blogspot.co.uk

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  3. I'm so glad that someone has found the courage to write this, I can understand that it must have been hard since a lot of people would disagree with this. To me, both humans and animals are equal. However, when an 18 months old baby murdered by Israelis gets less media coverage than Cecil the lion, that's when I have a problem. We need both animals and humans in this world, however all of a sudden it seems that animals have become superior which shouldn't be the case. Great post, I really admire you for writing this. Hope you have a great day!!

    Nabeela xo
    http://nabsticle.blogspot.co.uk

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