I’ve been in a low place of late, but today I woke up in a really good mood. I had a great Happy Hour last night and was feeling mildly healthy.
A university student of mine just posted a few pictures of a trussed-up dog being hammered with nails. I don’t know the context, but there’s someone sitting there hammering large nails into a dog’s limbs. I’m weeping and feel utterly sick.
Has it altered my compassion? Has it made me a better person?
I know shit happens in the world, but why show me? My whole day is fucking ruined.
i kind of understand you point, and i have to say that i dont post anything that shows that kind of things even if I know they exist…
but i also understand the people who do post them, and its always “good” to have a reminder on how things happen because that is what keeps us conscious about how fucked up our world is and that we need to at least do something within our “nice life” to help the needed and also to pass let others know about such things… you never know who could be in that situation and then be willing to help or do something about it…
we all live nice lives, our problems in general are caused by ourselves and have no real impact in anything… we complain because the car had a noise today or my breakfast was cold or my salary is not that good… but hey out there there is people who really suffer… and animals that really die because of assholes like the ones that you mentioned…
the fact that it didn’t happened to me… or that its happening in a country far from us doesn’t mean that it does not affects us at the end of it all…
Next time you see one of those posts or videos, be thankful for your life and for the good things that happen, also be thankful that your pet is in your hands and is getting the best life they could ever have because of you…
I am not trying to be rude at all… i am just expressing my point…
The other side of the argument, which is mine is, why do we assume, that people are not aware of the sufferring that can be inflicted and is inflicted around the world?? People normally don’t live in a stupor. If a little boy or man was torturing a dog before me. I’d do everything in my power to stop it. By posting a ghastly picture, the poster is not helping anyone but just spreading the vileness.
When I see a war movie, I expect horrific scenes and sometimes I am completely shocked and break into tears, but that doesn’t mean, I want someone to post pics of dead/tortured/burnt children on FB - just because it happens. There are a lot of animal activists, on my FB who post in graphic detail how and when an animal was tortured, and what happened to it and how they rescued and treated it. I read with compassion, and I know when they post that, they are not focusing on the past, rather on the present where the animal is in rehabilitation. You get what I’m saying?? No point on focusing on an act and spreading it around just to let people know there are atrocities being committed.
Pics are very important and have a huge impact, and when they are being used for a cause, then they should be used sparingly. I am not saying, let’s turn a blind eye, but there is also desensitization. Seeing graphic pics at a charity to raise awareness for pets is one thing, to see it in your living room, means you get shocked, upset and ignore it.
I just posted a shared NYT article written by a mother who knows her kid is going to enter a vegetative state and die before he’s three years old. Your advice is spot-on.
I just posted a shared NYT article written by a mother who knows her kid is going to enter a vegetative state and die before he’s three years old. Your advice is spot-on.[/quote]
Really?? I am sure the article in question is filled with emotion and no one would want to trade places with the mother but no one needs to read about a tragedy to appreciate one’s own life. Somehow when I read such stories, they make me sad. Just plain sad for the family and people involved. And yet, every passing moment, every minute, each day I am thankful for what I have. I appreciate it, I know how fragile it all is.
An association back home posted a horrible case of neglect, and I couldn’t watch the pictures. I really couldn’t. Few people can stomach such suffering, I’d have a fit of anger and die of ulcer pain everytime I see a dog being hit here, let alone those cases. I know what I can take and that is not one of those things. If it is shock and awe, well, you are doing it right, but in efect I will not be watching those posts again.
However, the association did so because they were gathering funds for the unfortunate doggie’s treatment. Alas, he died of his previous wounds, but at least died with food in its belly and in good hands. The leader of the team wrote a long entry saying that what really killed pooor doggie was neglect, that people should act sooner when they see these cases and don’t let them get to that point. That they get many calls from people saying there is a dog in trouble here or there, and called on people to be more proactive and go out there, rescue the dog and do some of teh work by themselves. Otherwise, the poor doggie’s story would be repeated. This message was especially poignant now as Central America is under water from floods, 90 thousand people displaced in Guatemala alone. The association called on people to pick up the doggies they see covering in the cold and rain, to get involved as much as they can, and give them refuge as transportation is difficult under the storm. I am sure many people have the poor doggie’s horrible image in their brains and when they see a stray now they realize that it could end up like that sooner than they think.
This is really a strong topic, i just want to emphasize that i agree that i don’t have to see an animal die to know mine will die one day… I also agree with the fact that some people post things like that just because they enjoy them… or they like the have a post that many people would comment on or things like that… there is really that kind of people… i am also aware that sometimes there are just too many posts of that kind on FB and in the news and on TV and everywhere… and i also ignore most of them… but as we all know to be a sad true… humans only treasure something the most at the edge of losing it… let it be a husband losing his wife because of drinking or cheating, or when i lost my dog because of his cancer… i didnt realized how much i would missed him till he was gone… i have a little puppy with me now and I treasure every moment with him even more because i am aware that those moments are special… and its true that i dont have to lose one to love the other, but there is a difference in the way you see things ones it happened to you… so from time to time, maybe a month apart i decide to not ignore what happens around me, and i look into some of those posts and see what is happening in the “real” world…
as an example of how those pics “help” i will tell you how they helped me one time; some time ago i saw in one of the shelters in taiwan a dog who got a collar since he was a puppy and was never taken off… the pics were really nasty and the poor dog passed away after it was removed by the rescue organization… his pain was finally over… i think it was animals Taiwan or another organization… after i saw that i realized how many dogs are in the same situation and when i am on the streets and i see a street dog i unintentionally check if they have a collar and if its hurting them or not… one day i may see one that i can help and that will be worth it…
it definitely is up to each one of us to look at the posts or ignore them, but we all need to have a way to get the feet on the ground ones in a while so that we see the problems because as they are because only when you know in detail about a problem you can start to do something to fix it…
It can sometimes result in good things. This English family of chavs were constantly abusing their little Staffordshire Bull Terrier. A neighbour filmed it and posted it on Facebook. An angry mob descended on the house beating the guy. The police quickly arrived and put him under protection; the happy part is that the dog was rehomed :bravo: :bravo: :bravo:
Warning the link below is a report of what happened but does have a picture of the gorilla chav about to right hook the dog while pinning it down with his left hand. The ending of the story is heartening though and shows that the “good” humans triumphed over the “bad”.
I think it would be worthwhile for jimi to find out the “context” of that image. As has been said above, some people actually enjoy seeing that stuff (and yes, actually imagining that that’s even possible makes one sad for the state of the human race). Perhaps ask a Chinese-speaking friend to do it if you don’t want to look at it again. If that’s why the image is there, archive the entire page since it may be useful as evidence. People are getting legal slaps-on-the-wrist for this kind of thing. It’s a token effort, but one day it might evolve into a genuine concern for animal welfare.
If it’s there because he’s trying to bring attention to animal cruelty in some misguided way, it doesn’t need to be there. A note to FB (“get it removed”) should be enough.
I know it’s not the right thing to say, but one thing I am quite proud of when it comes to the UK: in cases of animal cruelty, there’s always a bunch of people who will deliver swift and unpleasant justice to the perpetrator. Uncivilised, maybe, but probably appropriate and effective. I’ve never heard of that happening in Taiwan, which is a shame. People here need to develop a bit more rage.
Update: The same uni student that I was referring to in my OP has just posted a picture of a dog with half of its face missing, minutes prior to its euthanasia. I really didn’t need to see that.
Does it create awareness? I dunno. To my mind, it’s just sensational nastiness. Blah.
i think it depends on the intent of the poster. sensationalism v. a call to act. as they say (actually MaoZedong said it apparently referring to the old dude from the Zhou times “one word is a thousand gold pieces”), a picture is worth a thousand words.
For YOU, individually, it is time to use the “do not show feeds from this person” option on Facebook for this particular individual. There may be other times in your life when you can look at this sort of stuff and it won’t bother you, but this isn’t one of them. Do yourself a favor and don’t clutter up your mind with stuff that isn’t getting you where you want to be right now.
[quote=“jimipresley”]Update: The same uni student that I was referring to in my OP has just posted a picture of a dog with half of its face missing, minutes prior to its euthanasia. I really didn’t need to see that.
Does it create awareness? I dunno. To my mind, it’s just sensational nastiness. Blah.[/quote]Maybe your student didn’t actually post it. theregister.co.uk/2011/11/16 … h_outrage/
It’s interesting that they use the wording ‘user error’ that seems a little unfair if it’s produced by malicious java code! One can only wonder how that code got into their Facebook page!
Yep, just how do they trick the user into pasting JavaScript? It could be user-error but, it might not be?
EDIT: for example; if the code is hidden and the user is just linking/liking something and can not see any harm in content, then it can’t be ‘user error’ can it not?