Yes, I like feet. Is there a problem?

[The Booman]

[Cotton1]

Cats are awesome

[midcan5]

Whenever I see comments or signatures with photos like above, I think of a quote that people who love animals haven't lowered their pride enough to love humans - or something like that. Humans are probably the most hateful of all creatures? Hate is so powerful for some, it defines them.


https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/lo...gy-of-empathy/

[Standing Wolf]

Whenever I see comments or signatures with photos like above, I think of a quote that people who love animals haven't lowered their pride enough to love humans - or something like that. Humans are probably the most hateful of all creatures? Hate is so powerful for some, it defines them.


https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/lo...gy-of-empathy/

Before I read the article I was assuming, wrongly, that it was going to be a criticism of animal lovers. It isn't. It's more along the lines of an attempt to explain why we - meaning pretty much all of us - tend to react more emotionally to some incidents than others.

... A recent study by criminologist Jack Levin reveals a possible answer that might surprise you, and it’s backed by science. The study’s participants were asked to respond to a fake news story about a victim who was assaulted with a baseball bat, leaving them unconscious with several broken limbs. While the story was the same, it differed in one crucial detail: the identity of the victim change, which was either a one-year-old baby, an adult human, a six-year-old dog, or a puppy. Respondents showed the same level of empathy for the baby, the puppy, and the adult dog, but significantly less for the adult human being. Researchers concluded that this suggests that our empathy level is unrelated to species. Rather, it has to do with perceived helplessness and vulnerability. ...

I think that in addition to the elements of helplessness and vulnerability, the fact that an animal, an infant or a small child has little to no ability to understand why they are being abused or otherwise mistreated comes into play. A dog, in particular, will wag its tail and lick the hand of a person who has beaten it every day for a week. An animal's stoicism and ability to forgive are impossible to ignore or devalue.