| | ET: FWIW, I heard that Dr. Doolittle argued for such Orwellian "newspeak" (with regard to animals) in a courtroom. Question: Did Dr. Doolittle precede or follow Orwell's 1984? Ed
Ed, Dr. Do[o]little was not a real person.
Doctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by Hugh Lofting starting with the 1920 ... Doctor Dolittle first saw light in the author's illustrated letters to children, written from the trenches during World War I when actual news, he later said, was either too horrible or too dull. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Dolittle
I have seen Rex Harrison in the role, but you would have to threaten me to make me watch Eddie Murphy in anything: no amount of money would do it.
The Visoneer wrote: Cats, being independents, never were pets - companions yes, but at their pleasure, not yours... Dogs, on the other hand, being dependent, servile beings.
I am not a fan of keeping animals at all. Cats served a purpose when mice were a problem - and having lived in both the country - woods, not farms - the 'burbs and the city, once you start feeding cats, they stop being serious hunters, and like humans, they then hunt only for sport. I would never keep a bird in a cage. That's cruel.
Even when we lived in the country, I never considered a dog. We were not going be there long enough - like 15 years for a dog - and I do not hunt or have other real work for a dog to do, like herding and protecting flocks or whatever they do.
Same with horses. If lived far enough from petroleum on too much land to walk, I would consider it -- but when the Recession started back in 2000-whenever, there were stories from the 'burbs about yuppies abandoning the horses they could not feed. 1400 pounds is a lot to keep fed: that's like 10 of me -- and I will happily eat oats and grass myself.
We chase everything else outside, even flies. Of course, that always makes me wish I had kept the previous spider...
We have plants - but they are not mine and, again, I am not sold on the idea that nature is best enjoyed captive. You want green and wild? Go outside: there is a whole planetful of it.
Now, as for eating them... well... no problemo! When our veggie friends speak up, my wife silences them by insisting that carrots have feelings, too.
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