To clarify: I'm not talking about if pets in general can give emotional support to their owners, of course they can.
I mean should the concept of Emotional Support Animals get treated with the same level of respect and seriousness as that of regular Service Animals for the physically disabled.
Often times however the loose rules regarding ESAs are exploited by people that definitely do not need them. I used to work in a grocery store where one lady had her service dog attacked multiple times by untrained dogs that their owners were clearly lying about being support animals.
Also people trying to pull that argument to take birds into the bulk foods department or the food bar.
It's not quite so cut and dry.