It is hard to fathom the boredom of pet fish.
...it's exactly like the boredom I felt scanning down this tired, hackneyed 'Guardian' column.
Written by Troy Vettese, who is 'an environmental historian at the European University Institute and co-author of Half-Earth Socialism (Verso 2020)'. His premise is that the world would be better if we gave up pets (because what else is socialism taken to the extreme?).
In a post-pets era, we could still enjoy the company and beauty of animals, but from afar as naturalists in a wilder world. We can only speculate what this new era might look like, but its realization begins once we accept that true happiness cannot be predicated on the suffering of others.
Not sure that's true. Seeing this joyless little twerp suffering would give me true happiness...
In the post pet era we could enjoy animals from afar? Can we not do that already? with a cat / dog / fish at home?
ReplyDelete‘Seeing this joyless little twerp suffering would give me true happiness....’
ReplyDelete...but not as much, surely, as watching him go to meet his maker via the jaws of the beautiful animals out there in a ‘wilder world’, assuming he decides to put his theory into practice and enjoy the company of some of the larger predators.
"support conservation programs that humanely capture feral animals"
ReplyDeleteThe bloke's an absolute nutter! Where do these sorts breed?
Nothing to do with animals.True Labour,looks like you are enjoying that stop it immediately.Years to come we will be able to imprison you.
ReplyDeleteOur cats could stop being pets any time they wanted to. The cat flap opens both ways. For some strange reason they prefer to stick around despite my happiness being predicated on their suffering. They have health insurance FFS.
ReplyDeleteA cry from the heart there, Stony!
ReplyDeleteMy dog is suffering so hard she's asleep at my feet. When she wakes, she'll roll over and beg for a tummy rub, then have dinner, a nice walkies, playtime, and back to sleep. On a bed, with a warm blanket. Poor suffering creature.
ReplyDelete"In the post pet era we could enjoy animals from afar? Can we not do that already?"
ReplyDeleteAs anon points out, this is nothing to do with happiness for animals, and EVERYTHING to do with misery for people.
"...but not as much, surely, as watching him go to meet his maker via the jaws of the beautiful animals out there in a ‘wilder world’"
Well, indeed!
"Our cats could stop being pets any time they wanted to. The cat flap opens both ways."
And being cats, they often do, if they feel the grass is greener at the neighbours!