Hilarious or cruel
It's easy to find humor in the misfortune of others. People falling down, getting hit in the groin, getting slapped in the face, all comic gold as long as its not happening to you. But where some balk at comic violence is when it happens to animals. Which brings me to this video that has made the rounds on the web this week.
Maybe its because I'm a cynic, but I find it hilarious. The way that donkey goes spiraling off into the sky, so good. But not everyone feels this way, so much so that "charges may be filed" against whoever did this, which may or not have been part of a promotion for para-sailing. It's not exactly clear what was going on, and in the rush to judgement it seems that the perpetrator/donkey-owner may have slipped away.
For some reason thinking about where to draw the line between animal cruelty and some good old-fashioned donkey fun brings my mind to a conversation near the end of Pulp Fiction. In it Jules talks about not eating pork because it comes from a filthy animal, and Vincent asks if he considers a dog to be filthy, what with the occasional shit-eating. Eventually they determine that it's a dog's personality that makes it not filthy, just dirty, and that a pig would have to be "ten times more charming than that Arnold on Green Acres" to cease in its filthiness.
Which is a good way to say that certain animals are more sympathetic than others. I might better understand the outrage at this alleged donkey torture if instead of a donkey, it was a dog flying through the air, possibly never to be seen again. But come on, it's a fucking donkey. A pack animal, used to carry things and plow fields and other back-breaking labor. Who knows, perhaps its braying, which many have interpreted as stemming from fear, is actually indicative of excitement/joy. If I was a Russian donkey, I'd enjoy an occasional para-sail to break up the drudgery of my daily existence, which I assume would involve turnips.
But yeah, people have different sensibilities, which means "horse people" can feel more empathy with this stupid donkey than with another human being. This argument boils down to the idea that animals are "innocent" because of their lack of free will. The line of thinking goes that animals have no control over their fate, and thus must be protected at all costs. Also there is the perceived "connection" that the animal lover has developed with a creature that doesn't know shit except maybe a few behaviors it associates with getting delicious food. So yeah, put that donkey on a para-sail for my amusement.
Addendum: It's unclear how much being bitten by a horse at age 8 is affecting my opinion on this matter.
7 comments:
Are you still going to that Nationals-Phils game next weekend? I forget if you told me that you are going to the Friday and Saturday games or just the Saturday game with the possibility of the Sunday game. Let me know because I think I will get tickets next week.
Also, flying donkeys are hilarious. I am wondering what would be the funniest animal to send para-sailing. This question could be debated at great length. For some reason, I think a seal would be hilarious.
-Dan
We're going Saturday
"And the fluffy kitten played with that ball of string all through the night. On a lighter note, a Kwik-E-Mart clerk was brutally murdered last night."
BTW, goats, I'm moving to DC in August. I hear from Google that that's close to where you are? Giants-Phillies on the 17-19th. Not sure if I could even make it, but we would sure burn it down, if I did.
Oh fuck, your moving to DC? That's where the other anonymous lives ... if you two meet the this blog may collapse in on itself.
Also: I am going to Phils-Giants on Aug. 18. I could maybe finagle a ticket or two in the 142 if you can make it. Although it's certain you would be heckled for wearing Giants gear.
I'll be out of town that week so my ticket on 8/18 is available.
I think i'm in. Will hit you up. Burrell fest '10? Jamie Moyer can bring the homoeroticism. Lefthanders.
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