Many people react to videos like this one with outrage and disgust. Many condemn the actions of the crew and pity the dog. I think these gut-feeling reactions are mostly justified; the dog is being coerced into doing something it is intuitively scared to do, while the handlers are disregarding its fears. But I think we should also take into account the possible feelings of the handlers and crew. They could be tired after a day of work, impatient because the dog has been uncooperative, and they probably understand that the dog is perfectly fine because of the extensive safety measures in place. And the dog is surrounded by people ready to help it. It is also a Hollywood dog; I bet it is groomed, loved, and treated with care. The actions of the camera crew and handler, while not necessarily exemplary, may be understood better with (possible) additional context.
I'm going to widen the lens a bit for some perspective.
According to a study in 2007, more than 9 billion chickens and half a billion turkeys were slaughtered during that year. This is in the United States alone. In the year 2000, in the U.S., 41.7 million cows and calves, 115 million pigs, and 4.3 million sheep were all slaughtered for food. The number is undoubtedly much higher worldwide. Among companion animals that enter shelters, "approximately 2.7 million... are euthanized" each year (ASPCA, Pet Statistics). These figures represent a lot of animals that are directly killed by humans; many of them are mistreated before death, while the majority are simply neglected to some degree or another. Livestock are given food whose purpose is too fatten them up, cats and dogs in shelters are given very little love and care, and animals throughout history have lived lives of suffering. I think it was my uncle who told me the following story about one of his uncles or extended relatives: He (uncle's uncle, a farmer) took a bag of kittens and, going down to a nearby stream, dashed them to death against some rocks. The family couldn't afford to feed and take care of the fledgling cats, unfortunately. Spaying/neutering cats must have been too costly, time consuming, or simply wasn't a practice on farms in the Southwest. In this case, human needs outweighed the cats'.
I think if a person is going to be serious about animal rights, they need to look at the more gross abuses. I believe that when individuals with sadistic tendencies, self-loathing, and lack of worth (induced because of verbal/physical abuse, social ostracization, or a mental disorder/handicap of some kind) are put in charge of someone or something they react, often violently and viciously, toward that charge. There are probably millions of cases of this sort of abuse worldwide; war itself is often a result of this cyclical and sinister process. Abusers of animals are making war on animals. Animal rights activists, in my opinion, should be working toward a solution to combat these abuses. If they aren't able to do something worldwide, then they should at least act a part in their own backyard. Personally, I don't care as much about animals as I do about humans. Additionally, I think that once we solve a lot of the human woes--mental, physical, emotional, societal--we'll start treating pets, livestock, and wild animals with respect. I think it will be a natural outpouring of our own ameliorated conditions.
But when I see an article like this, or the Harambe one, or Cecil the Lion, it slightly disturbs me to see the reactions and too-often faux, manufactured outrage. There are unreported abuses of animals all over; those animals will go starving, freezing, and unloved tonight (insert ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO9d2PpP7tQ). I'm sure most of the reactions to headline stories of animal abuses are genuine. And I'm not saying we shouldn't discuss cases in the news and use them to make informed decisions regarding animal treatment. But they are so blown out of proportion to garner just the reaction these media companies are aiming for. I'm too afraid that people use these stories as an escapist, emotional outlet. Sensationalism has always annoyed me; I don't enjoy when people get up in arms about a cause they don't ACTUALLY care about. And if they do care or want to care, that's admirable. But I would much rather have them say nothing in public and do something good in private. When I hear some people publicly react, whether it be on Facebook or Twitter, I feel the same inwardly-wincing, weird feeling I get when a person publicly declaims to the world that they really love their family members.
(cue most politicians: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqpHTFJO4mE).
I think we need animal rights activists. Besides helping animals, actions of sincere animal lovers will help cure human ills; discovering an abused animal will also uncover an abuser (who should undergo some punishment and therapy). If the stories in the news spur an increase of future action, then fantastic. But if the stories serve as only a brief outlet and escape for people, a mechanism to shove off their feelings of guilt and helplessness, then that fills me with more than an ounce of anxiety for them and for actual causes.
Placing situations within the bigger picture, permitting ourselves more skepticism and awareness, and allowing writing to influence positive behavior: these are capabilities we ought to augment.
Sources:
HuffPo article (with video):
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/leaked-video-from-a-dogs-purpose-set-calls-films-treatment-of-animals-into-question_us_587fbef7e4b0cf0ae881a304
Reddit thread about article: https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/5os7hh/leaked_video_calls_treatment_of_animals_in_a_dogs/
Chickens killed:
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=how%20many%20chickens%20are%20killed%20each%20day
Livestock killed:
http://www.animalliberationfront.com/Practical/FactoryFarm/USDAnumbers.htm
Companion animal euthanasia stats:
http://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics
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