Discrimination

I figure it was only a matter of time before I was accused of being discriminatory (or worse).  Unfortunately, the political discourse in this country has degenerated to the point where everyone stands around, pointing fingers, accusing everyone else of being racist.  What, you don’t like assassination via predator drone?  You are a racist!  In most cases, it is simply a cheap rhetorical trick used to evade the substance of the matter.  I am not fooled or impressed.

The fact is, we are ALL discriminatory, and in most cases that is perfectly acceptable.  Buy a Honda instead of a Hyundai?  Discriminatory.  Vegetarian?  Discriminatory.  Dog instead of cat?  Discriminatory.  Heterosexual?  Discriminatory.  Democrat?  Discriminatory.  Converse in English?  Discriminatory.  Baseball fan?  Discriminatory.  Paint your house yellow?  Discriminatory. Go to law school?  Discriminatory.  Read my blog post instead of something else?  Discriminatory.  

We do take affirmative action against certain kinds of discrimination, where those choices are clearly harmful to others.  For example, racial and ethnic discrimination is frowned upon and restricted, as it should be:  We are contemplating fellow human beings who made no choice about their ethnic background or actions of their ancestors.  In fact, that itself is a form of discrimination as we discriminate against those who discriminate against other human beings in an unfair and harmful manner.

Discrimination against other human beings based on their actions or life choices is perfectly acceptable.  Would you want a 3 time convicted child molester baby sitting your kids? 

Therefore, we can say there are acceptable and unacceptable categories of discrimination.  An unacceptable form of discrimination is that against fellow humans where the object of that discrimination is something they have no control over.  I.E. Race or gender.   While obvious, I should add that choosing (discriminating) to commit a crime or bring harm against another is likewise unacceptable.

Some people believe that discrimination against dogs, or certain dog breeds, is on the same level as racial discrimination. If you don’t, in fact,  favor those animals you are defective somehow.  This philosophy is the very basis of the dog/pet worshipping culture.   This is fundamentally stupid as DOGS ARE NOT PEOPLE.  I don’t need to like dogs any more than I need to like snakes or spiders.  Indeed, the fact that THEY favor dogs over human beings and other animals makes THEM discriminatory!  I submit that THEY are discriminating in a toxic and harmful manner.

Moreover, the “breedism” argument is a cheap rhetorical tactic deployed by pit bull aficionados in an attempt to counter the rising tide of intolerance and disgust the general population has against their discriminatory choice of pet.  We are free to discriminate against fellow humans based on their choice of pet.  This appears to be perfectly legal, as ALL animals are not legal as pets, and landlords discriminate against dog/pet owners all the time.   Consider this:  Why are we allowed to keep dogs as pets and not lions or tigers?   Because the government says so, that’s why.

It’s worth considering that declaring ANY animal a “varmint” is only a stroke of a pen away.  For example, it is now “open season” on wild hogs, as there are over 6 million of them in the United States and they have become destructive pests.  You do NOT need a hunting license to shoot them in most places.   Why can I shoot all the hogs I want and not dogs?  Because the government says so (for now), that’s why.

At some level, everyone accepts the fact that there is a hierarchy to living things.  Even if you are a “vegan” you are still killing and consuming living things to survive.  A vegan accepts the fact that a plant is lower on the hierarchy than they are, and that pulling a carrot out of the ground and eating it is NOT murder.  Moreover, many animals died to put that carrot or slice of bread on your plate:  Insects, rats, mice, etc… are destroyed in agricultural operations all the time.  Agreed, more killing was involved to put that steak on MY plate, but that is simply a matter of degree.  

I make no secret of the fact that I put HUMAN BEINGS at the top of the hierarchy.  If you think that dogs have the same, or superior, rights to humans you are a fool and flat out wrong.   I am not even going to debate it:  I am right and YOU are wrong.   Now, under the current arrangement we DO put the interests of individual dogs ahead of human rights, health and safety… They essentially "own" everyone and everything around them.   That might be “legal” for now, but consider that everything HITLER did was “legal” until he got is ASS handed to him in WWII.  Hitler was also a dog lover.   Slavery was legal in the Confederate States of America until THEY got their ASSES handed to them in the American civil war:  End result of THAT conflict was we are no longer allowed to “own” fellow human beings.   Pursuant to my “Overton” post, status quo’s change ALL the time.  Special protections come and go like the wind.

 Again, anyone taking unfair advantage might be wise to curb their bad behavior and that of their colleagues before it is THEIR neck in the proverbial noose.