Murder is the second worst crime going (perjury being the first). Misusing the term to describe the horrific slaughter of a fucking animal diminishes it.
But that's Brits for you. A child gets murdered and the police have to beg for information from the The Great British Public but when an animal gets 'slashed' then Copper Central can't handle the volume of calls!
from Wiki: "The first child cruelty case in Britain was brought by the RSPCA; the court charge list described the affected child as "a small animal", because at the time there were no laws in Britain to protect children from mistreatment. This case was successful.[3]"
Whilst homicide is quite specific, 'murder' has additional meaning to its legal definition. IMHO, the journalist properly described the barbarous slaughter of an animal.
The other animal(s) responsible for this horrific tale are beneath contempt.
You could say the same about the "sexual assault" in the blurb under the headline.
ReplyDeleteI can only presume that the horse didn't consent to the advances and was murdered as a result? ;)
Murder is not limited to the common and legal meanings and the journalistic interpretation was valid, Julia.
ReplyDeleteThere is an additional but rarely used sense, reserved to describe barbarous slaughter of an animal.
I was disappointed to see that they missed the word 'rape' while they were at it, and they did not refer to the alleged perpetrators as 'animals'.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Legal Dictionary ..
ReplyDelete"Murder" is, Legally speaking defined as being ..
"The unlawful killing of another human being without justification or excuse" ...
Therefore, it cannot be applied to a horse, or any other animal .. In just the same way that a horse cannot "murder" a human ..
Murder is the second worst crime going (perjury being the first). Misusing the term to describe the horrific slaughter of a fucking animal diminishes it.
ReplyDeleteBut that's Brits for you. A child gets murdered and the police have to beg for information from the The Great British Public but when an animal gets 'slashed' then Copper Central can't handle the volume of calls!
That explains why we have a "Royal" Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ..
ReplyDeleteBut only a "National" Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children ..
In do-as-you-like Britain .. just don't frighten the horses ..
I seem to remember reading that original Childrens Protection Society was actually an offshoot of the Cats League?
ReplyDeleteThat wouldn't surprise me in the least ..
ReplyDeleteThe RSPB only came about because of the over-killing of Great Crested Grebes for the use of their head feathers by the millinery trade ..
from Wiki: "The first child cruelty case in Britain was brought by the RSPCA; the court charge list described the affected child as "a small animal", because at the time there were no laws in Britain to protect children from mistreatment. This case was successful.[3]"
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that .. fascinating stuff, you learn here .. lol
ReplyDeleteWhilst homicide is quite specific, 'murder' has additional meaning to its legal definition. IMHO, the journalist properly described the barbarous slaughter of an animal.
ReplyDeleteThe other animal(s) responsible for this horrific tale are beneath contempt.
They certainly are..
ReplyDelete