Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 13 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 24 years, 9 months ago by
.
- Posts
A number of people I know who have either lived in or moved to the South have remarked on the poor treatment of animals – especially dogs – as contrasted with the rest of the country. Is this just a class thing due to a higher concentration of low-income and uneducated people, or is it somehow linked to Southern culture?
User Detail :
Name : Just curious, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 43, City : Chicago, State : IL, Country : United States, Occupation : systems analyst, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,What you may be noticing is that in a rural environment (and the South is largely rural), pets such as dogs and cats tend to spend more time outdoors. The climate is warmer, and it just makes more sense for them to be outside. I do not think these pets are treated more shabbily than pets in other parts of the country.
User Detail :
Name : Augustine23564, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 39, City : Columbia, State : SC, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I have lived in many parts of the North and South and have never observed this distinction.
User Detail :
Name : Frank25173, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 56, City : Orange Beach, State : AL, Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Had dogs all my life and they get no less treatment than your dogs. We do like to catch catfish and shoot deer, though.
User Detail :
Name : Bubba, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 44, City : Mobile, State : AL, Country : United States, Occupation : Executive, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I have lived in various areas of the country and have found that people all over treat their animals about the same. Either they treat them like the animals they are or they treat them like people – clothing, etc. Many men in the South hunt and have hunting dogs, which are treated much differently than pets. Maybe this has something to do with the perception.
User Detail :
Name : Cheryl S., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 51, City : Atlanta, State : GA, Country : United States, Occupation : Technical, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I have lived in the South my entire life and have never known anyone to mistreat their pet. On the contrary, everyone I know treats their pets as beloved family members. Also, the majority of these people are college-educated or at least have some technical training.
User Detail :
Name : Lathan, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Presbyterian, Age : 22, City : Chester, State : SC, Country : United States, Occupation : College Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I grew up in the North (not far from Chicago) and have lived in the South for 11 years. I have not found the mistreatment of animals to be any more abundant in Southern regions than Northern. However, what you may be thinking of is a difference in how one views the value of an animal. With the Christian religion, one believes that God created man to be a steward of the world (see Genesis). With this idea in mind it is important for the Christian to understand that being a steward does not mean we worship the created. We only worship the creator. Many people who say they love animals actually are placing the animal in a position above the value of many. For a Christian, this is wrong. Animals do not have more value than a human being. Given the choice, a Christian is required by the laws of God to choose the life of a human over the life of an animal. Given the fact that many people might see this as less than ‘humane,’ and given the fact that many Christians are located in the ‘Bible Belt’ (the South), it would seem to continue that some might believe Southerners are less caring of animals than Northerners. I for one would indeed save the life of a human before that of a dog or cat. I, however, do not believe this should put me in a class of people deemed less caring about animals. Priorities must be made toward the human race.
User Detail :
Name : C.J., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 42, City : Richmond, State : VA, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class,I don’t know what kind of treatment of animals you may have observed here in the South, but my suspicion is that you have fallen victim to a popular stereotype. As another respondent stated, I also have lived in both the North and South and have never witnessed animals being treated any worse in one part of the country than in others. If you get your information from the liberal media, consider the source. If they portray most Southerners as being poorly educated and belonging to a lower socioeconomic group in general, that’s their reason for pushing this stereotype. It’s no more true than the popular stereotype of gay men abducting children off the street and forcing them into a homosexual lifestyle – or have you heard that stereotype?
User Detail :
Name : Pete S., Gender : M, Age : 51, City : Orlando, State : FL, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College,I agree. I have lived in the North and South and could tell you disgusting stories about abuse that I have observed in the South. I even discussed this with a co-worker while I was living there. I know where I used to live the dog-catcher would go around town and write citations if you did not have a doghouse in the winter and there was a dog seen outside. I am not sure whether it is cultural or that the animals on the whole are less domesticated, but I have observed a notable and disturbing lack of interest in animal cruelty.
User Detail :
Name : Merry, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Perhaps what your friends are observing is the distinction some people make between ‘working’ dogs vs. ‘house’ dogs. A lot of people who hunt have dogs who retrieve the kill for them. Dogs are also used to help round up cattle in a pasture. Although these working dogs are well-fed and well-taken care of, they generally aren’t treated like house pets – they don’t come indoors, they aren’t cuddled, they don’t have a collection of little squeaky toys, etc. Some people may see this as mistreatment, and since hunting and raising cattle are prevalent in the South, they may be stereotyping everyone here.
User Detail :
Name : Jodi P., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 26, City : Houston, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : Editor, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,My guess is that it’s a northern educated mentality to cliche and stereotype the South. . . like judging a book by an imagined cover?
User Detail :
Name : Sid, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 54, City : Orlando, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : Contractor, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I did not get my info. from the media. Came from observations of several people who live in the South and own dogs.
User Detail :
Name : Just curious, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 43, City : Chicago, State : IL, Country : United States, Occupation : systems analyst, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I have lived in the South my entire life and have never noticed a large amount of animal abuse down here. All of my friends, family and I love our pets as if they are family members, and the majority of us are for animal rights. Of course, it would be a lie to say I have not seen animal abuse in the South, but there doesn’t seem to be nearly as much as the stereotypes suggest. I’m not sure how this stereotype came about, although I imagine it is related to other stereotypes about the South.
User Detail :
Name : Halley, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 14, City : Atlanta, State : GA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,The real reason I’m responding is because of what you said about the South having a higher concentration of ‘lower-income and uneducated people.’ There are high concentrations of low-income people in every state. And just because you are low income does not mean you are uneducated. The last time I checked, public schools were free. You don’t have to have a high income to have an education. In response to your question, in the northeastern areas of the country, there are more large cities. Obviously if you live in large city, you cannot leave your dog outside. Also, it would probably be too cold for an animal to be outside during the winter. However, in the South there are a lot of rural areas where dogs have plenty of room to run around, and they do not have to be taken in, other than during the coldest parts of the winter.
User Detail :
Name : Amy, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 17, City : Hinesville, State : GA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student,
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.