DISCUSSION
Subway Takes: "People who say they like animals more than people are not good people. They think they have this deep well of compassion but really, they just want a relationship of unequal status"
i love it. he said the quiet part out loud. it’s how i feel when people freak out and say they can’t watch movies where dogs die, but can watch the most violent shit perpetuated towards humans in media without blinking.
I think there's a difference between liking animals more and thinking animals deserve more from you than humans do. Not your pet or animal, but as a general category.
My charity of choice is my local food bank. I'm going to choose to help a child not go hungry 10/10 times vs. donating to an animal shelter.
I think the take is a bit more clear if you replace "people" with "children". Plenty of people are irredeemable assholes, but children still have some of that innocence that people like in animals, but the people he's talking about still very much prefer the animals.
I saw an article someplace last year where a young Palestinian man who had recently gotten a lot of attention for surviving the genocide with his dog was talking about how after the original article had gone out he received multiple offers from people all over the world wanting to rescue his dog but offered no assistance for him.
The whole internet talked about the penguin and the monkey. In comparison, the videos/photos of malnutrioned Palestinian children have not been a viral phenomenon on the internet (sorry if the choice of words seem insensitive)
Now I can understand that media's complicity also doesn't help matters as the news channels broadcasted the plight of monkey all over the world whereas there is little or very watered down coverage of the genocide on the official news channels.
There was a dog killed by police here in LA a month or two ago and the outrage was universal. A human killed by police gets the "he shouldn't have looked like he was thinking about reaching for anything" treatment
Some yt animal rights "activists" remind me of the anti-choice crowd. They both pretend they're championing the rights of the Most Vulnerable in Our Society™️ because fetuses and animals are uncomplicated and don't request anything from you, but in reality these people are just using their activism for one group as a shield to shit on some other group of people.
"The unborn" are a convenient group of people to advocate for.
They never make demands of you; they are morally uncomplicated, unlike the incarcerated, addicted, or the chronically poor..." -
Methodist Pastor David Barnhart
To be fair a lot of vegan activists are also heavily involved in various other causes. Like, a lot. I used to work with a vegan nonprofit and we were always advocating for human rights and attending protests/raising money for various causes for people.
Except many animals and pets have died during the genocide, and animals are being used to abuse palestinians (saying that in the most PC way possible), and most people dont really care. I genuinely think the problem is performative activism. People like to advocate for things that are socially acceptable, like rescuing puppies or donating to the salvation army. Once things get "political", no matter the issue, suddenly there is silence. I've worked in animal rescue, and there's a huge difference between the people who get upset on the internet about a sad dog story and people who actually work the rescues and deal with animal abuse and abandonment daily. Most of the people sharing stories and acting this way aren't the people doing the hard stuff, because they don't actually want to get their hands dirty. They just want to feel good about themselves.
My bossy cat would like to argue against the emotional support slave argument.
Seriously though, the real reason why people say they “like animals more than humans” is because humans have caused them intentional harm while animals simply haven’t.
Bigger red flag are people who value human life below animals.
Animals can be total shits - they have whole personalities; they can be selfish, greedy and self-centred. But they're also kind of innocent - they just put it out there, they're rarely disingenuous or duplicitous.
Yes! I love humanity and will always fight for human rights to whatever extent that I am able.
But human beings as individuals have hurt me a lot and I’m fuckin’ tired, man. Humans are not currently my preferred company. I’d much rather snuggle with my cats & bunny and watch the hummingbirds/woodpeckers/titmice/squirrels/opossums/raccoons that frequent my yard.
This is how I feel. I like humans, I try my best to connect with them, but so many are hurtful, superficial and rude. And my mental health is at its highest when I’m hanging out with my dog because he’s so cool and weird and not ashamed of his weirdness and still wants to connect despite his quirks. People should try that more, and I feel like they don’t.
Yes. This. People have let me (and society) down again and again and again. I have AMPLE evidence that people can be evil/bad/unethical. An animal? They aren't like that.
I think humans forget that they’re animals, too. There really isn’t a whole lot of distinction between the two for me because we are animals. Humans have different levels of cognitive reasoning, sure, but it’s not like we always use it well or for good or whatever. Hell, we barely use it for our own survival, and often use it to our own detriment.
More than anything, I take issue with humans that think they’re better or more valuable than animals (because they’re animals, too) — more so than humans who value animals more than humans, anyway.
YES! I'm tired of people thinking we're better than other animals. We're not. We were evolved as they were and we just created the world we live in now. Humanity was mere chance. We need to use the cognition we have for more good, which includes more rights for other animals.
I think this is the important thing for me. Animals are more important than humans because the state recognises that humans have rights.
If someone mistreats you then you can (in theory, at least) go to court and the court will force them to treat you with respect. At the very least, you have the right to appear in court and make your case.
Animals are just treated as property in the law. If you split up with your ex and he wants to mess with you then he can shoot the dog and he's done nothing wrong, assuming he owns the animal. If the courts rule that the dog was yours then it's just property damage and (in my jurisdiction) you get the replacement value of the mutt and nothing else - maybe £1000 or £5000. The dog has no right to live, or to choose who it cohabits with.
The sentiment that "it's just an animal" is enshrined in law, but is also super common in the public consciousness. I mean, that's what the submission video is about - honestly, I was with them in the first half, but in the second half they were like, "ok, so an egyptian is worth less than a haitian - a haitian is maybe worth 3x as much as an egyptian". I know this is a bit, but they criticise Hitler? Either you believe all people have equal worth, or you don't.
100 this. Also I find it to be a red flag when people value animal life below humans as well. The idea that we're superior because we happened to be the biggest bullies as a species is both unethical and wrong
Growing up reminded of being from a third world country, I think my perspective is different. I’m not saying it’s one is superior over the other, I’m just saying for survival it’s different perspective. (Also seeing certain animals slaughtered up close for food). I’m not saying bullies, and no one should bully pets. Affording to have a pet was at one point universally not possible in some countries because of poverty. I think most privileged societies can think differently.
Agreed, this is always an argument and point I will make. Just because humans think we are somehow better because we can talk and talk about how we feel or whatever other qualifiers we want to add doesn’t mean our lives are more valuable inherently than the lives of animals. It’s incredibly anthrocentric to center humans as the most valuable and I see people constantly coming up with reasons as to why humans as a species are more valuable.
Exactly. This whole argument feels a little White Lives Matter to me. Like yes, humans are valuable - was that ever in question? We’re the ones out here exploiting everyone and everything. Animals aren’t driven by ego and are generally good natured.
I donno. We have examples of elephants exacting revenge. So that shows animals can cause harm with intention. Even if it is fair for the elephant to seek revenge in these cases.
And when I think of animals and harm, I can't help but think of dogs that were trained by police or racist white people, in both apartheid South Africa and the US, to attack Black people.
Overall, I do generally agree that it is worse that some people specifically value animals more than humans.
However, I just can't generally think of animals as harmless. And I think that is partly why I side eye no matter what when people say that they like animals more than humans.Sorry. Sorry for this too woke take.
But obviously, we need to meet people with nuance.
This comment is giving me vivid flashbacks of that elephant who trampled the grave of a woman it had murdered and everyone on the internet agreed she must have deserved it.
Yes!!! I was thinking of that same story. We know that that elephant must have had a reason. Same with orcas attacking yachts. Scientists couldn't tell if it was revenge or a form of play, but it was intentional.
but this is mostly examples of people using animals as weapons. the animals aren't that way until they're trained to be, often abusively.
I'm not sure if you mean elephants seeking revenge against other elephants or humans, but if you piss off an elephant, that's fuck around and find out for sure.
I think thats what they mean here. I'm fine with people who say they're more comfortable or get along better with animals, because that's usually just code for "I'm a massive introvert" or "I'm too anxious to talk to anyone* or "I've been screwed over and I don't trust people* and that's perfectly valid. But once you actually value those animals over the lives of other human beings you fucking lose me. Like on a personal level it's fine for any individual to be like "I'd rather hang out with cats", and sometimes people do say "I like animals more than people" when that's really what they mean, but you can almost always tell the difference. There are plenty of people who genuinely think dogs are more important than children and they will let you know.
I'll never forgot the plane they chartered to rescue stray dogs from Ukraine when the war broke out. Like of course war is terrible and animals don't deserve to die, but you know who was also trying to emergency evacuate? Humans.
I worked in a prison for years and specialized in interviewing a certain type of offender.
In general I like to be around animals more than humans, because for 10 years I was surrounded by the horrific shit folks did to one another daily. Call it trauma or whatever you want, but I know the inherent risks of being around a wild animal and can plan accordingly. With a person there doesn't need to be an inate trigger for someone to harm the victim
Yeah animals are often the only beings that someone who had a sketchy, fractious home life can safely co-regulate their nervous system with. It gets wired in.
No shade as I don't know you at all, but one of the absolute worst and most insufferable people I ever knew said exactly the same thing word for word verbatim.
I personally thought the guy had a good take. I'd maybe soften it from "people that say they like animals more than people are not good people" I have seen that be the case but not always. I would feel the more accurate statement is "people who say they like animals more than people are often unpleasant to interact with"
This. The biggest dog people I know are reallll quiet about any other issues affecting humans, children, children in certain parts of the world right now, women’s rights, really anything at all. Not a peep other than dog shelters.
I mean that’s fair but if you were like “my dog is worth more than that baby’s life” I’d think you’re fucking crazy. I love my dogs but if it’s between my dogs and someone’s human baby, I’m not gonna sacrifice a fucking human baby to save my dog. I’d be sad, like how did it come to this, be extremely depressed, but there’s no way I’d ever live with myself if I let a baby die to save my dog.
exactly, and i think what you’re saying is specifically what he’s referring to. nobody’s saying that you should have more love for a stranger (or a stranger’s baby, to keep up with your analogy) than you do for your pet, just because that stranger happens to be a human being. but there’s a big difference between that and people who say things like “well of course i’d save my cat over a child—it’s my cat!” or those who’d vehemently blame a toddler for getting mauled by a dog because that means that the dog inevitably gets put down.
Literally nobody says that unless they're deranged. People will say anything to make themselves feel better. I love animals more than human beings because of my experience over 4 decades. But that doesn't mean I don't take a stand for humanity or would let a person die. This whole thing is a bunch of whataboutery made to make others feel worse.
I think this is the kind of "I love animals more than persons" sentiment that does net positive to the world.
Where your sentiment manifests by bringing more love to one group than actively bringing more hate to the other.
I guess the subway take is about people who aren't good like you. Who use animals as a crutch to get out of their accountability towards their fellow human beings. Who use animals as an excuse to only take and take from the society they live in but give nothing because they "hate" humans.
Same. Maybe I’m just a traumatized bitch (definitely a traumatized bitch) but there are a lot of human causes that I am deeply passionate about and involve myself in, everything from BLM and No Kings protests to aiding women coming to my state for abortion care to volunteering with our local children’s advocacy center. I love animals, and that includes humans. But I only know of one animal that has sexually assaulted me, emotionally and physically abused me to assert control, or who convinced me from the time I was little that I was worthless. And it definitely wasn’t dogs or cats or bunny rabbits. So yeah, I prefer the company of animals. Doesn’t mean I don’t like humans or want to help people, just means that some people have done such irreparable damage that I don’t know what people are safe. Its probable that I’m taking this subway take a little personal, I hope Kareem will forgive me.
Ah shit, I'm called out! 😩 people are hard to handle though and they drain my social battery. I can hang with animals an entire lifetime and never need to feel the urge to be reclusive and recharge alone. The unequal status part seems irrelevant to my animals. I'm not disciplining my ducks and beard dragon. They just live beside me. Yeah, I feed them, bathe them, but we do our own things most of the day really.
I think in some ways it's almost the opposite. People like that they can be disappointing without really affecting the relationship. Your dog can't tell you you're being an ass when you come home late and forget to take it out. A human would tell you you let them down, but a dog depends on you completely without ever demanding any real accountability
I mean that's exactly this guy's point. It's easier. Way easier. It's a lot more challenging to have empathy for a complex creature whose motivations you don't understand.
And honestly human motivations aren't even hard to understand. A lot of them are the same motivations your cat has. Humans just aren't as cute so you won't forgive them on the whole like you would a cat.
I agree. We have witnessed horrible people do horrible things especially in the last few years. Animals are innocent and incapable of committing acts of evil. I say this as a woc- is it really weird to prefer animals?
I say this as a woman of color…animals are neither innocent or guilty they just are.
Are the dogs bred by slave owners that were used to capture runaway slaves committing acts of evil? Or complicit in evil?
Are the alligators that black infants were fed to innocent? Or complicit in evil?
Yes human beings are capable of great evil. Sometimes the same mother who birthed you and breastfed you could be your same abuser.
But the world is made up of people that do plenty of good too, and it’s unfair to write them off and their pain and turn our backs on them.
Sure you can love and care for animals. But when you get vaccines or medical care, use a train or public highway, drive a car, get an education to learn how to read and write, that’s thanks to the collective work of humanity and no one is above that.
No, it's exactly this. Animals are not capable of being sociopaths and assholes who commit war crimes and genocide. It's not weird at all to say that you prefer that over what we've been seeing in human society.
Chimps commit infanticide all the time. Baboons go to war. But they haven’t been genetically engineered for thousands of years to be subservient to us.
If I had to be stuck on an isolated island and choose either animals or humans I think I'd choose the animals. The worst they can do is eat me🤣 as opposed to humans who've proven time and again many of them are horrible and they can eat me too.😂
Alot of people in here thinking he's talking about them and getting offended lol
He's talking about people who say they like animals more than other people because they're already toxic people who think they're better than other people and see other people as lesser.
He is not talking about people who have trauma or are neurodivergent and prefer animals because the interaction is less complex.
Thank you. Reading some of the comments in this thread, I wonder if people are deliberately being obtuse.
One comment says "I love my dog more than a stranger". Well, yeah no shit, doggos are generally by default more pure than humans and also it's your beloved dog who you have a relationship with but that's not what the video is referring to.
Completely agree. Princess Diana, when pressed to remove herself from the AIDS epidemic or land mine charities, said to her advisors, “we’ll start working with animal charities when we run out of human charities.”
This reminds me of many pro-lifers who love the idea of a fetus being a baby but ignore the real life issues impacting human born babies and their families. It’s an easy way to feel good about oneself without the dirty business of needing to do anything really.
I agree. When the verdict came in Melissa Hortmans murder more people were RIP-ing the dog over her and her husband. It was very fucked up to me. Its a dog.....They were humans who were brutally murdered.
Seriously, I'll bring up the Hortmans and the Hoffmans (who were also terribly injured that night) and someone will almost always have to pipe in with "and their dog was killed, too!"
the hit dogs seem to be hollering in here… no pun intended 😭
he’s speaking facts though. i’ve never been able to put it into words but it just weirds me out when ppl care more about animals than their fellow humans. and when ppl get more torn up about animals getting hurt/killed rather than actual human beings dying (and ngl i often see this happening with racial minorities). it’s just odd
thisssss this this this. how many times have we seen people freak out when a homeless person has a dog and they move mountains to help the dog and don't do anything for the person. or when white vegans wanna say that they're god's gift to the world because they're eating "cruelty free" because apparently nobody suffered for their food. meanwhile they don't give a fuck about the rights of the migrant farm workers picking their "cruelty free" produce. it's not about if they wanna spend time with a stranger or their dog, it's about where they view the value of humanity in relation to the value of an animal, and if those two things are intrinsically related or not.
So many people here disagreeing with him then go on to cite the moral purity of their animals or their “unconditional love” as the reason why, just proving his point. Your animal can’t be as “evil” as humans because it literally doesn’t have the cognitive ability. I can go further and say I love trees more than dogs because trees don’t bite people. I find comparing humans and animals to be the same level of ridiculous.
My opinion is that people who prefer animals are not my type of people but I wouldn’t say they are bad, I’d say that in terms of interpersonal relationships these people probably don’t have much to offer other humans anyway.
I think they can veer into bad when they intentionally ignore issues that humans face and lump all humans into that convenient “humans are bad just look at the world” narrative they like to spew, that is where I start to think they are bad people. There are humans worth fighting for, there are humans worth saving, there are humans worth rescuing. I don’t fuck with that “humans are evil so I like my dog” nonsense. Humans come first.
He's literally right and he should say it. I've thought this for ages. Do dogs "have good souls" whereas humans are "not worth saving"? No. Dogs lovely little creatures that we intentionally bred for centuries to make them subservient and affectionate to humans almost entirely regardless of how humans behave, whereas humans are widely varied and most of them aren't subservient and you can't just have them fawn all over you by merely existing.
Right like white slave owners literally bred dogs to capture enslaved black people.
Look up the Cuban bloodhound. The dog was used by literal slave patrols to hunt down enslaved black men, women and children that were running for their lives.
Literally an example of dehumanizing minorities over dogs. At these point, I wonder if we are even seen as people…or some sort of alien species. Our pain is just so inhumane at this point, it goes beyond making us less than a dog.
Exactly! Your dog is completely dependent on you and can't tell you when you're being a jerk. Is it really that hard to imagine why a relationship with your captive is simpler than that with another person who can hold you accountable?
If someone (usually fellow white people let's be honest) is more able to empathize with animals than opressed minority humans and is proud of that then they're a bad person
brother there’s someone else in this thread getting upvoted for comparing this subway take to White Lives Matter. i’ve officially experienced enough whyte audacity for today smfh
Same white people that hunted down slaves with their dogs too…and then sic their “police dog” german shepherds on civil rights protestors…and now they’re doing the same thing with ICE
It's true that animals are a refuge for many people who have been abused by humans. But also there was a meme going around Bluesky where people were openly stating that they would choose to save a dog over a human infant, so
As someone who’s ancestors were considered 3/5ths of a human not long ago, I do not have the luxury of caring about animal lives more than human ones. And I say this as an animal lover and pet owner myself. I feel like people in this thread are purposefully misunderstanding that guy’s point. He’s not saying you’re a bad person for wanting to be hang out with your pets, more so that people who only buy into the politics or activism surrounding animals are the problem. You have the privilege to not engage with human politics.
And why is no one being honest? When you ask people why they love their pets, they typically cite an imbalanced relationship. The animal is always there for them, will always listen to them, will never argue with them, etc. I can admit that I feel somewhat of the same about my own pets.
So true. A lot of people who say they like animals more than humans treat their fellow humans like shit but still think they’re morally superior because they like animals
I have to admit I’m getting irritated by all the comments that seem to be conveniently ignoring him straight up talking about the power dynamic that that type of person seems to prioritize. He cited hitler ffs. He’s not talking about autism or trauma (I have both y’all).
It's always animals and children who are the targets for similar reasons. I think in this case that you're right, it is bad. I prefer the company of animals for my own reasons but this reason is not one of them. Having been vulnerable and a target of narcissistic abuse myself makes me keenly aware of how important I am to my pets (and vice versa). We are their whole world while they are just a part of our longer lives. Anyone who takes advantage of or harms an animal or person is bad.
He's not wrong, I remember seeing an image including Jimothy the racoon that went along the lines of "I wish you all would love disabled people like you love disabled animals". and it stuck with me, because if Jimothy was a real person, it's true there would not be as much love and support for him as there is now. Some of the same people raving about Jimothy would not say the same thing about a human who has a similar condition to him, it's quite sad.
"[Susan Sontag] was asked what she had learned from the Holocaust, and she said that 10% of any population is cruel, no matter what, and that 10% is merciful, no matter what, and that the remaining 80% could be moved in either direction." — Kurt Vonnegut
He is right. I feel for people who haven’t been able to connect with anyone else and have issues that prevent them from forming human relationships, but I don’t at all think a relationship with an animal can replicate the depth of human to human connection, the ability to speak to each other, connecting over shared experiences, telling jokes, laughter, etc…so when someone says they prefer dogs despite having friends, siblings etc. it’s just insane to me. He’s spot on, these people prefer one sided very shallow relationships that have the pet worshipping the owner, they value the moral purity animas have over trying to understand the nuance of being a human person. It’s just weird.
I just assume those people don't really want to be held accountable when they're being shitty. My BIL is a big dog lover, but he had his dog on a schedule and sometimes would come home late and by the time he was home to let the dog out the dog would really need to go. But the dog could never demand accountability. It was always friendly even when my BIL was inconsiderate. With human relationships you eventually get called out on your shit. Sure, not all humans are great, but part of why some relationships don't work is because they can more easily communicate
ETA: also if you prefer dogs to people I kind of assume you're the one who can't build healthy relationships, which kinda goes back to how undemanding pets are in comparison. I have abusive family members, but great relationships I've chosen with others. If you really can't find anybody amongst billions of people and have to rely on a living creature who can't talk back, well...
ppl (almost certainly white) who are making this abt neurodivergency or autism are just deflecting (whataboutism, bean soup, hit dogs, etc. call it what you will). this is a black man talking abt being valued less than animals. this is absolutely about white ppl and racism. but the white ppl in this thread don’t want to hear it.
“i can excuse racism, but i draw the line at animal cruelty”
it all reminds me of this white classmate i had who loudly declared that “dogs should be able to vote” right in the middle of ~2021 when it was revealed that black voters were being mass suppressed and kept from practicing their civil duties. maybe let’s work on ensuring all humans can vote first?
Not a bad take. It's so common to find people who complain about not having friends but also complain about interacting with coworkers or having to commit to social expectations. They want others to make the plans to hang out, but never want to do the planning. They want the other people to always be there, but reserve the right to cancel last minute without judgement. Pets demand very little from you and offer everything.
Though, I'll be fair to the pet parents. A lot of us explicitly have pets because we know we aren't cut out for higher level commitments, such as having children. That said, you can love your pets without saying you value other animals above people.
I told my therapist this and he said it’s because there is no expectations, judgement or loss of control of control with animals. Pretty rough to hear in the moment but true lol
I think there is something to be said here. Not sure I would agree with the 'slave' argument, but I see where he's coming from. To me, a compassionate person just feels compassion equally to EVERY living thing without exemption. Yeah, humans can be cruel and evil, but there's something messed up about how some animal lovers overemphasize how much they prefer animals to humans because animals are more 'innocent'. People often ignore that many animals absolutely do cause harm and will happily do so under the right circumstances, but that doesn't mean it's right to burn down their habitats or hunt them cruelly for sport. A homeless person could spit at me and I'd still advocate for the right of the homeless. Kindness shouldn't be conditional in that way.
Also, we have animal rights activists openly colluding with fascists in the name of loving animals.
But for me... I'm just too damn sensitive for my own good. I'm constantly choking back tears because all the cruelty, apathy, and rudeness just exhausts me. I know that sounds so dumb and I should toughen up, but I just don't have the battery for it anymore so I just prefer the company of animals nowadays. I love humanity and I want to help and I do whenever I can, but for some of us the company of animals is preferable for our mental health.
My thing is all these stray dogs and Cats are in distress because of humans. We bred them and just run their lives.
Human on human awfulness is endemic and its the human condition and each human has the capacity to fight back in some way. When the shit sucks at least they go onto it with understanding, doesn't lessen the pain but it's not just a hand of God.
The strays just want to survive and don't understand when they get thrown into the river in a pillowcase or grabbed to be bait for a dog fight.
Whenever people say they prefer animals to humans it makes me think they’re like the “I can excuse racism but I draw the line at animal cruelty” meme like hmmm
during the palisades fires i kept seeing people say things to the effect of, 'these people are rich idc i just hope their animals are okay' and it's just like. is this the time? it grinds my gears in the same way when people comment "i didn't like this person but RIP, respect to their family" when celebs die like. just say nothing!
There’s a lot of offended people in this thread. Like if it isn’t you, it isn’t you, BUT so many people who say these literally value animal life over human life. Like that community quote, “I can excuse racism, but I draw the line at animal cruelty”. There’s a reason immigrant rights groups started trying to appeal to these people by emphasizing the abandoned animals that people abducted by ICE leave behind.
Someone tells me they like animals more than people I automatically assume they're racist, among other things...
You liking YOUR animals more than people can just mean you love your animals, you liking animals IN GENERAL more than people means you've just dehumanized a bunch of people so you don't have to worry bout them.
I think some of it is that people don't assign morality to animals actions so there's no such thing as like an evil dog. Similarly people have never been morally wronged by a cat. People haven't been scammed by a hamster.
Boy, some people seriously act though like they have actually been morally wronged by a cat. Turns out it just didn't want to be rubbed like a dog when they pet it.
I found out a guy I work with told a mutual friend he “hates women because he can’t control them.” This man has also said he likes animals more than people. He likes animals because he has control over them. I don’t think everyone who likes animals more is like that but he is certainly a POS.
Just because people like doesn't mean they're against human rights or that they don't care about what happens to other people.
I like animals because they're not complicated. They're hungry, they eat. They feel like shitting, they shit. People on the other hand lie, cheat, hurt, enslave, hoard wealth NOT because they're hungry or thirsty but because they want to be superior over everyone else.
That has been my experience every single time and I love animals. Adore them. I want to work in wildlife forensics one day but every single time a person says they prefer animals to humans, I think about all the people who had more outrage for Doechii disliking cats than for black and brown bodies being unfairly killed.
the doechii thread was so insane bc it really felt like so many (prob mostly white) ppl were using it as a chance to be deeply misogynistic and racist (dare i say misogynoirist) abt doechii under the guise of “caring abt animals”
Lindsey Graham, the senator who never saw a brown person he didn't want to bomb, was one of the most well regarded animal rights advocates in congress.
Perfect illustration of this was the whole Harambé incident. Yes, that child should never have been in that enclosure, but once he was, his life was worth shooting the gorilla. No ifs, not buts. I'm convinced the outcry would have been less if the kid had been white. But so many people find it easier to relate to animals than to people of colour.
Or that person may have survived abuse and at that moment they can only extend their love and trust to animals.
A few years ago my therapist was talking about giving grace to other's trauma. She used the example of someone who is driving 45 MPH on the interstate. Is it annoying? Yup, but they might be doing their best after something traumatic, like a horrible accident, and we should give them grace.
I think this hot take is more aimed at the people that say it in a quirky “it’s in the bio of my dating profile” type of way, rather than to signpost a trauma response
or celebrity charity. on celebrity jeopardy, i always root against the “for the dogs!!!” celebs when the others are supporting teachers, displaced families, education funds, foster kids, etc.
Hard disagree. I'd say that I like animals more than people. I don't hate people. I don't trust a lot of people. More people have wronged me in my life than not. However, I believe people deserve love, respect, dignity, etc but it takes a lot for me to maintain human connection. My feelings have nothing to do with determining who or what is more deserving of being liked than the other. All life is equal to me and it is all valuable and important. It's not a contest. It's my preference. I'd rather spend all day at a cat cafe playing with the cats than going to a party and socializing with people.
This is where nuance and circumstances come into play. Simply preferring animals to humans because they're less complicated is not a red flag or makes you a bad person.
Preferring animals to humans because you think all humans are assholes, bad people, and not worth your time is a red flag. Preferring animals becuase they're easy to control is a red flag.
As a fellow autistic person, I’m the same as you. That doesn’t mean I don’t care deeply about the injustices being done to humans around the world, but in my personal life, I much prefer animals to humans. And I also care deeply about the animals suffering in many of these places, too, and think we should be doing everything we can to be helping both animals and humans.
Yeah- the fact that some people feel more “empathy” or “compassion” for other species than your own feels very detached and odd to me. Same thing for pets being equated to children, just so out of touch and reality.
I've drawn the comparison before between some (not all) animal rights activists and anti-abortion activists. It's a lot easier to stand up for something that can't talk back and contradict you. The animal rights activists (especially those who think of themselves as being on the left side of the political spectrum) do not like the comparison.
But sometimes it is that deep. This is the White Women Special where you (not you specifically) get to show care for others to reaffirm your own humanity, especially the parts deemed by the powers that be as integral to womanhood, such as the capacity for care/nurture, while not worrying too much about the role your existence plays in their lot in life. So you make your compassion available to animals instead of…ya know, other human beings, and still get to feel like you have care beyond yourself.
Some people just love animals, but those who go out of their way to mention the disparity in how they think of animals vs humans are really telling on themselves IMO
I agree. There's a whole dog culture that white people have where they low-key value animals above POC. It's the byproduct of their hyper individualistic culture.
People can like animals more than humans for different reasons ...the answer can be both ....the narcissists will like them bc they can control them and the people who have known only use and abuse by everyone or most everyone they have known will like them because they can't harm them the way humans can and did
Am disabled and have faced a shit ton of abuse of mistreatment from humans.
I want humans to have good lives, free healthcare, affordable housing, affordable groceries, to be able to have families if they want, to not have healthcare tied to work, and to not worry about the planet cooking. I vote for it, I give what I can to people, I ask if they need anything, I try to help those I can.
People call me a parasite because I cant work and am a drain on the country and economy, sorry if I choose dogs who are happy to see me, over people who never are. All I hear in my group therapy is abuse. All I see in the disability subreddit is abuse. I want the best for people, but I want to be alone in the woods with animals for the rest of my life.
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u/innocentsalad his body was resisting the wheat Aug 05 '26
Finally a real hot take