Mammals
Abandoned two books this week. One (older, non-fiction) involved so many ancient attitudes it was giving me nightmares, the other (fiction, recent) too picaresque without a compelling storyline - and the author betrayed a hatred of cats. I'm grateful to wikipedia, because I can get a synopsis and decide if I want to keep plugging away or not. Usually not, since, if I am smelling extreme belief or lack of direction, I can pretty much trust my instincts. This time, I'm also avoiding this author, who seems to be in with the tipped over Libertarians, who wind up sitting right next to the Right-wing nutjobs. Shouting at each other, but still sitting together.
Thinking about a great teacher, Mark Esper, who took us through the 'isms' and history. That all the dogma, in their extreme expressions, meet in the same place by different roads. They all become coercive, violent, inhumane, in order to get everyone thinking the same way. Left, right or weird, doesn't matter. It's the extremism that kills.
Not particularly liking cats, fine. I'm not really fond of rabbits or ferrets. But I wouldn't consider hating them to be a reasonable position. They are little furry critters, with their own species specific agendas, to which anger is not a rational response. Even going as far as admitting fear - away from facing the actual animal, is a bit off the scale. Ferrets have an odor that I would not want to live with, and taking in a pet who will steal my socks is not my idea of a good animal roommate. They are fun to watch, no question. Bunnies are very soft, but I'm not familiar with their habits. Don't feel any attraction to reptiles, snakes, birds, or other non-mammalian pets, but even there, hatred seems over the top. Dogs need to be walked and trained, and if I can't do right by a dog, I'm not going to take on the care of one. Cats fit with how we live, so we have Moby.
Waste of energy to go around attacking a species, or a class.*
TMBG, Mammal
Glass of milk,
Standing in between extinction in the cold
and explosive radiating growth
So the warm blood flows
Through the large four-chambered heart
Maintaining the very high metabolism rate they have
Mammal, mammal
Their names are called
They raise a paw
The bat, the cat
Dolphin and dog
Koala bear and hog
One of us might lose his hair
But you're reminded that it once was there
From the embryonic whale to the monkey with no tail
So the warm blood flows
with the red blood cells lacking nuclei
Through the large four-chambered heart
Maintaining the very high metabolism rate they have
Mammal, mammal
Their names are called
They raise a paw
The bat, the cat
Dolphin and dog
Koala bear and hog
Placental the sister of her brother Marsupial
Their cousin called Monotreme
Dead uncle Allotheria
Mammal, mammal
Their names are called
They raise a paw
The bat, the cat
Dolphin and dog
Koala bear and hog
The fox, the ox
Giraffe and shrew
Echidna, caribou
(New TMBG album out, called Join Us. Really enjoying it, the more I listen to it. 'Mammal' is not from the new one. )
Thinking about a great teacher, Mark Esper, who took us through the 'isms' and history. That all the dogma, in their extreme expressions, meet in the same place by different roads. They all become coercive, violent, inhumane, in order to get everyone thinking the same way. Left, right or weird, doesn't matter. It's the extremism that kills.
Not particularly liking cats, fine. I'm not really fond of rabbits or ferrets. But I wouldn't consider hating them to be a reasonable position. They are little furry critters, with their own species specific agendas, to which anger is not a rational response. Even going as far as admitting fear - away from facing the actual animal, is a bit off the scale. Ferrets have an odor that I would not want to live with, and taking in a pet who will steal my socks is not my idea of a good animal roommate. They are fun to watch, no question. Bunnies are very soft, but I'm not familiar with their habits. Don't feel any attraction to reptiles, snakes, birds, or other non-mammalian pets, but even there, hatred seems over the top. Dogs need to be walked and trained, and if I can't do right by a dog, I'm not going to take on the care of one. Cats fit with how we live, so we have Moby.
Waste of energy to go around attacking a species, or a class.*
TMBG, Mammal
Glass of milk,
Standing in between extinction in the cold
and explosive radiating growth
So the warm blood flows
Through the large four-chambered heart
Maintaining the very high metabolism rate they have
Mammal, mammal
Their names are called
They raise a paw
The bat, the cat
Dolphin and dog
Koala bear and hog
One of us might lose his hair
But you're reminded that it once was there
From the embryonic whale to the monkey with no tail
So the warm blood flows
with the red blood cells lacking nuclei
Through the large four-chambered heart
Maintaining the very high metabolism rate they have
Mammal, mammal
Their names are called
They raise a paw
The bat, the cat
Dolphin and dog
Koala bear and hog
Placental the sister of her brother Marsupial
Their cousin called Monotreme
Dead uncle Allotheria
Mammal, mammal
Their names are called
They raise a paw
The bat, the cat
Dolphin and dog
Koala bear and hog
The fox, the ox
Giraffe and shrew
Echidna, caribou
(New TMBG album out, called Join Us. Really enjoying it, the more I listen to it. 'Mammal' is not from the new one. )
Labels: conversations
Posted by Zhoen on Saturday, August 06, 2011
5 comments:
(o)
"This time, I'm also avoiding this author, who seems to be in with the tipped over Libertarians."
Not the book you mentioned to me, though? That author's a member of the Socialist Worker's Party
Pacian,
The terminology varies a bit, if he was over here, I suspect he'd more align with the other group. But, yes.
I agree - the hate is too strong a word for an emotion someone should feel with respect to an animal. I suppose an exception would be if a dog ate my child.
Phil,
Understandable, but still more correct to hate the owner who mis-trained, mistreated such a dog. Dog don't know no better.
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