I think to a degree, it's our power to help, and the expectations put upon us to help.
Like, you see a strat cat. If you toss it some chicken, you can tell yourself that you helped it. You put out food and a warm place to sleep, and you can tell yourself that you helped. You can take it home, keep it, and tell yourself that you helped. A cat is responsibility, but even if you're a perfect pet owner, it isn't gonna change your life all that much.
But with some starving kid, the second you think that you ought to help, you see all the obstacles and trouble you'll have helping the kid out. Because once you're taking care of a kid, that's like your whole life.
And I think that triggers some kinda switch in you. You start telling yourself that it ain't your problem, your responsibility. Because you just ain't strong enough to save them.
I think think this applies mostly to singular animals or people. Going by the animal kingdom as a whole we really ain't taking that good care of them. Mostly the ones we think are cute, and even that doesn't go that far if they're tasty or in the way of stuff we want.
That, and animals being the first kind of interdependent relationship I was really exposed to outside of immediate family, is what gave me the ethical/moral logic that then went intersectional. We stole dogs from nature, distorted their bodies until we cripple the dog or make it unable to breathe, and humans have no problems throwing them away or condemning highly social and sensitive animals into prisons with open death penalties. Before I had Marx showing how that same kind of process was a universal and codifiable thing, that was the most readily available experience with the largest cultural footprint. I also hated bullies as a child for the same reason I hate the bourgeoisie now, using a position of strength only to oppress anyone weaker, and animals are the weakest living things in terms of power relationships. The people who abuse them are the most depraved kind of bully and lack the same social and state protection as the bourgeoisie, so they're easier to openly and viciously hate.
I think to a degree, it's our power to help, and the expectations put upon us to help.
Like, you see a strat cat. If you toss it some chicken, you can tell yourself that you helped it. You put out food and a warm place to sleep, and you can tell yourself that you helped. You can take it home, keep it, and tell yourself that you helped. A cat is responsibility, but even if you're a perfect pet owner, it isn't gonna change your life all that much.
But with some starving kid, the second you think that you ought to help, you see all the obstacles and trouble you'll have helping the kid out. Because once you're taking care of a kid, that's like your whole life.
And I think that triggers some kinda switch in you. You start telling yourself that it ain't your problem, your responsibility. Because you just ain't strong enough to save them.
I think think this applies mostly to singular animals or people. Going by the animal kingdom as a whole we really ain't taking that good care of them. Mostly the ones we think are cute, and even that doesn't go that far if they're tasty or in the way of stuff we want.
That, and animals being the first kind of interdependent relationship I was really exposed to outside of immediate family, is what gave me the ethical/moral logic that then went intersectional. We stole dogs from nature, distorted their bodies until we cripple the dog or make it unable to breathe, and humans have no problems throwing them away or condemning highly social and sensitive animals into prisons with open death penalties. Before I had Marx showing how that same kind of process was a universal and codifiable thing, that was the most readily available experience with the largest cultural footprint. I also hated bullies as a child for the same reason I hate the bourgeoisie now, using a position of strength only to oppress anyone weaker, and animals are the weakest living things in terms of power relationships. The people who abuse them are the most depraved kind of bully and lack the same social and state protection as the bourgeoisie, so they're easier to openly and viciously hate.