Student Opinion
By NATALIE PROULX APRIL 11, 2018
Would you be surprised to hear that a study found that research subjects were more upset by stories of a dog beaten by a baseball bat than of an adult similarly beaten? Or that other researchers found that if forced to choose, 40 percent of people would save their pet dog over a foreign tourist? Why or why not?
In “Choosing Animals Over People?,” Nicholas Kristof writes:
The cutest primates on earth may be Inguka and Inganda, gorilla toddler twins who playfully tumble over each other here in the vast Dzanga Sangha rain forest, one of the best places to see gorillas, antelopes and elephants play.
The only risk: They are so heedless and unafraid of people that they may tumble almost into your lap — and then their 375-pound silverback dad may get upset. His name is Makumba and he expresses displeasure with a full-speed charge, hurtling toward you until he’s only inches away.
This area where Central African Republic, Cameroon and the Republic of Congo come together is one of the wildest and most remote parts of the world, and the three countries have established bordering national parks. I also visited a forest glade filled with 160 elephants and a large herd of bongo antelopes, plus a few African buffalo. It was like a scene from a Disney movie, and I felt myself melting.
Yet when I turn sentimental at the majesty of wildlife, I sometimes feel uneasy. I wonder: Does honoring animal rights come at the expense of human rights?
One study found that research subjects were more upset by stories of a dog beaten by a baseball bat than of an adult similarly beaten. Other researchers found that if forced to choose, 40 percent of people would save their pet dog over a foreign tourist.
When the shooting of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe attracted far more outraged signatures on a petition than the shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by a Cleveland police officer, the writer Roxane Gay tweeted, “I’m personally going to start wearing a lion costume when I leave my house so if I get shot, people will care.”
Students: Read the entire article, then answer the following questions in a well-written blog comment.
— Considering the causes about which you care most, are you more dedicated to helping animals or humans? Why?
— Why do you think many people are more empathetic toward the suffering of animals than that of people?
— In your opinion, is it wrong to focus on animal welfare when humans are suffering? Why do you think so?
By NATALIE PROULX APRIL 11, 2018
Would you be surprised to hear that a study found that research subjects were more upset by stories of a dog beaten by a baseball bat than of an adult similarly beaten? Or that other researchers found that if forced to choose, 40 percent of people would save their pet dog over a foreign tourist? Why or why not?
In “Choosing Animals Over People?,” Nicholas Kristof writes:
The cutest primates on earth may be Inguka and Inganda, gorilla toddler twins who playfully tumble over each other here in the vast Dzanga Sangha rain forest, one of the best places to see gorillas, antelopes and elephants play.
The only risk: They are so heedless and unafraid of people that they may tumble almost into your lap — and then their 375-pound silverback dad may get upset. His name is Makumba and he expresses displeasure with a full-speed charge, hurtling toward you until he’s only inches away.
This area where Central African Republic, Cameroon and the Republic of Congo come together is one of the wildest and most remote parts of the world, and the three countries have established bordering national parks. I also visited a forest glade filled with 160 elephants and a large herd of bongo antelopes, plus a few African buffalo. It was like a scene from a Disney movie, and I felt myself melting.
Yet when I turn sentimental at the majesty of wildlife, I sometimes feel uneasy. I wonder: Does honoring animal rights come at the expense of human rights?
One study found that research subjects were more upset by stories of a dog beaten by a baseball bat than of an adult similarly beaten. Other researchers found that if forced to choose, 40 percent of people would save their pet dog over a foreign tourist.
When the shooting of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe attracted far more outraged signatures on a petition than the shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by a Cleveland police officer, the writer Roxane Gay tweeted, “I’m personally going to start wearing a lion costume when I leave my house so if I get shot, people will care.”
Students: Read the entire article, then answer the following questions in a well-written blog comment.
— Considering the causes about which you care most, are you more dedicated to helping animals or humans? Why?
— Why do you think many people are more empathetic toward the suffering of animals than that of people?
— In your opinion, is it wrong to focus on animal welfare when humans are suffering? Why do you think so?