Throughout the semester I would like to explore the issue of animal cruelty. As an avid animal lover, and owning animals myself, I find it disheartening to hear about when people treat animals with neglect and violence. Animals are helpless creatures and do not deserve to be treated in such a cruel manner. This issue is important to me because animals obviously don’t have a voice of their own and have no way of defending themselves, so I think it is important for people in the community to join together and take a stand against animal cruelty. I have volunteered at an animal shelter in the past and many of the stories I heard about some of the animals’ backgrounds were heartbreaking enough to make anyone want to defend innocent animals.
I was watching the news recently and there was a story about animal cruelty which immediately shocked/disgusted me. A woman in Warwick was arrested after throwing her cat from a moving vehicle. It is difficult for me to fathom what could have been going through this woman’s mind which made her justify such a violent act against an innocent creature. Luckily, the cat survived but had to be treated at the Warwick Animal Hospital, and was then taken to the Warwick Animal Shelter. The woman was charged with a misdemeanor count of Abandonment of Animals, and is scheduled to appear in court in the beginning of June. I can understand if an animal becomes too much or too expensive for a person to continue caring for it, but instead of lashing out violently towards the animal it would make more sense for a person to just drop the animal off at a local shelter where it can be placed with new owners. Hearing stories such as this one is extremely upsetting for me, and hopefully by focusing on this issue throughout the semester I will be able to build awareness within the online community.
I have never thought about writing a letter to any editor or an elected official mainly because I wouldn’t know who to send the letter to, and also because I doubt that anything I write would stand out enough to make a difference. Even though people can feel very strongly and passionately about a certain issue they still might hesitate to become involved unless the issue is directly affecting them in some way. I feel strongly about animal cruelty, but since I have never witnessed it myself or experienced it I haven’t motivated myself to write a letter to anyone about the issue. I know animal cruelty exists, but I would be more likely to engage in public writing if I noticed that it was becoming more of a prevalent issue in my community. I don’t know any of my peers that have engaged in public writing. I think the reluctance to engage in public writing mostly comes from a lack of knowledge on who to reach out to about certain issues, and also believing the notion that our opinions/concerns might be overlooked.
I think it is partially true that young adults are disengaged from the political process. I have voted in the past, and many of my friends have participated in voting as well, but personally I am not very interested in politics. My lack of interest contributes to my disengagement from the political process, and I’m sure that’s the reasoning behind most young adults’ lack of involvement. I don’t think all young adults are disengaged because I have known some people my age that are very interested and active in the political process; I suppose it depends on individual interests and how knowledgeable a person is on the topics covered by politicians. Also, it depends on how much time a person is willing to spend researching issues and keeping up with them. It is surprising that more young adults aren’t involved with the political process because we have so many resources today, specifically the internet and social networking sites, where we can express our views. Like I previously stated, if an issue isn’t directly affecting a person then they will be less likely to become involved with trying to fix the issue. If more young adults actually experienced certain issues taking place then I think they would be more likely to engage in public writing.
I completely agree with your position opposing cruelty to animals. It's so upsetting to see shows on Animal Planet that document the harsh environments and neglect that some pets endure. Like you said, animals don't have a voice to defend themselves, so we must act as their advocates and protectors.
ReplyDeleteI actually remember seeing the news story that you mentioned in your post. Although I am more of a dog-person, I cannot understand how anyone could be so cruel to a pet. It's disheartening to see that a person is capable of such inhumane behavior. Throwing a cat out of a car on the highway is just so far beyond my realm of comprehension; I don't know how someone could do anything even close to that. Why not just bring the cat to a local shelter? Or give it to a friend?
Well, I think this is a very appropriate topic to pursue for our assignment. Preventing cruelty to animals is an important issue, and you definitely seem passionate about it, which is really the most important thing.