Do you care more about your pet/s than a refugee?

I was moved to ask that after listening to a journalist talk about his 12 yr. old dog dying and how he got more responses for that as compared to a previous tweet about Syrian children being bombed out of their homes and often losing their life in the process.

I'm not heartless, I have compassion for those living in a war zone and those trying to escape it but yeah, I do care more about my pets.

(08-30-2016, 12:36 PM)Duchess Wrote:

Do you care more about your pet/s than a refugee?

I was moved to ask that after listening to a journalist talk about his 12 yr. old dog dying and how he got more responses for that as compared to a previous tweet about Syrian children being bombed out of their homes and often losing their life in the process.

I'm not heartless, I have compassion for those living in a war zone and those trying to escape it but yeah, I do care more about my pets.

The pet was "part of his family", the children were not. Simple as that.

Yeah, hands down, my pet over a refugee.

Yep

I remembered having this discussion before so I searched it. I agree with what this fat ass said. She was a biggin.

SyberBitch Wrote:
Each person has their own hierarchy of 'value' that they assign to other beings. You could no more argue a valid point that some random human has more 'value' than my beloved pet, than you could argue the point that your child has more value than another person's child. More value to YOU, yes, but to the cosmos? The greater scheme of things?

Screw syberbitch, the OP say the collective "you"!

Not the frikin cosmos and or the greater scheme of things, or other PC BS?

Depends if I can get away with dressing a refugee child up like a dog and pretending he's my pet.

(08-30-2016, 06:14 PM)Carsman Wrote: Screw syberbitch, the OP say the collective "you"!

Not the frikin cosmos and or the greater scheme of things, or other PC BS?

You are missing the point. I was at the ABC liquor store today and I'd like to know why the two weirdos standing in line dancing to "everybody's got a hungry heart" should be valued to me more than my beloved dog who happens to be my best friend? Because they're human? Because a god that no one knows exists says so?

I value human life the most, though I value animal lives too. I mean, I feel worse about about all the dead and suffering people who are refugees than I do about the dead or suffering pets of those refugees.

But, if I found one of the cats that lives with me dead, it would of course affect me more personally than hearing that a refugee I've never met just died (though not nearly as much as losing a member of my human family).

MJ is my baby. 'Nuff said.

(08-30-2016, 08:15 PM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: But, if I found one of the cats that lives with me dead, it would of course affect me more personally than hearing that a refugee I've never met just died (though not nearly as much as losing a member of my human family).

Not even if it was your creepy uncle Herman or aunt Ethel who forced you to eat Campbell's alphabet soup until you puked and then spanked you because of it? They'd be goners if I had to choose.

Luckily, I don't need to make that choice -- it would be a close call.

You see, Uncle Herman and Aunt Ethel committed double suicide when Aunt Lily and Uncle Fred left their sorry asses and ran off together. The child abusers were so angry and depressed about the betrayal, they locked themselves in the bomb shelter of the family compound and ate like 500 cans of high sodium processed foods. They just gorged and gorged, until their evil broken hearts exploded.

When the police first arrived at the scene, they thought it was a murder/suicide because Uncle Herman's penis appeared to have been dismembered and stuffed in his mouth. However, the lead detective quickly determined that he was simply trying to down his final Vienna Sausage when he passed away.

Uncle Herman and Aunt Ethel were buried in the back of the compound, next to the family pet cemetery. We kids put 'R I P' on each of their graves, using Campbell's Alphabet Soup letters.

Dude.

Yeah, it's a strange and sad story, Dude -- a convergence of Flowers in the Attack and the Alphabet Killer, featuring members of the Munster and Mertz families. No refugees or pets were killed in the fact-based fiction though, so there's that.

Actually their neighbors Gomez and Lucy told a different story, a pet did die. During a boating trip with the Munsters and Mertz the boat capsized and they had to sacrifice Cousin It to save little Eddie Munster from drowning. Cousin It paid the price for that Transylvanian refugee.

(08-31-2016, 03:57 PM)sally Wrote: Actually their neighbors Gomez and Lucy told a different story, a pet did die. During a boating trip with the Munsters and Mertz the boat capsized and they had to sacrifice Cousin It to save little Eddie Munster from drowning. Cousin It paid the price for that Transylvanian refugee.

I'd forgotten about that.

Now I remember how morose Morticia was for quite a while after losing her hapless hairy nephew. Though, she was of course also very pleased that little Eddie with the wicked widow's peak was rescued.

Come to think of it, Cousin It had come to this country on a visitor visa, but he failed to renew it on the Thursday it expired, despite being lent a helpful Hand by Wednesday.

So..........in the end, this strange and sad story is really one of an illegal immigrant pet who died due to an un-vetted refugee. I don't know which of the two should be considered more valuable in life and death, but I don't think that was the OP question anyway.

A refugee would make a nice slave, they could rake my leaves, something a pet would never consider doing for food or shelter. So ponder signing up to be the first to "rent a refugee" it has to be better than dodging bombs. Maybe farmers could get some FEMA houses to hold them until harvest time.

Up until a couple of years ago, I would have assumed you were kidding in suggesting the U.S. should only accept refugees under modern day indentured servant conditions, Mags. Now, I suspect you're mostly serious, but hope you're kidding. I thought of you several times when I was listening to Trump's speech last night.

I think we've discussed this before, my pet...the U.S.'s refugee assimilation program is nothing like Europe's and it works well. Refugees are thoroughly vetted and must wait almost two years before being allowed in; the most vulnerable refugees are prioritized for entry, most of whom are women and children who've been through hell before they arrive.

But, I wouldn't care if a questionnaire was added to the vetting process for all refugees, asking if they support honor killings, hate Americans, hate gays, etc.. like Trump is pushing. We already have too many people in this country who advocate or rationalize executions, hate other segments of our population, discriminate against gay people; lots and lots of born-and-raised US citizens who wouldn't pass The Test themselves, if they answered honestly.

Despite the repeated false bluster and white nationalist conspiracy theories, refugees and undocumented immigrants have lower crime rates than the native-born population in the U.S. and get very little financial support from the government/taxpayers. They aren't eligible for welfare and other social benefits paid for by tax payers.

If Trump were to get elected and seriously required all undocumented immigrants to leave the country and reapply (takes years), our agricultural industry would be screwed, in my opinion. Farmers would be in deep shit and we'd likely need to import a lot more food than we do now.

If refugees allowed into the U.S. are physically able to work the fields and will do so at legal low/ minimum wages in order to meet their self-sustaining residency requirements, that's of course a valid employment option for them too.

I wouldn't care if the big border wall was built either. More Mexicans are leaving the U.S. than coming in and that's been the case for years now, and illegal immigrants/unvetted refugees from Central and South America coming through Mexico are already being detained and deported in record numbers.

I also don't care if sanctuary cities are penalized by the federal government and agree with Obama and Trump and Clinton that undocumented/illegal immigrants who commit felonies or serious crimes should be deported immediately. Immigrants (legal and otherwise) have much lower crime rates than the native population, but we should deport violent and/or victimizing non-citizens without second chances, in my opinion.

My pets, for sure. My rats do not ask for much, food, water, a clean cage. And for that I get snuggles and kisses on the tip of my nose.

I agree with Sally & Syber in that people do place their own value on things. What is valuable to me may not mean jack to anyone else.