Circus dangerous, deprives animals of quality lives

Animals don’t have feelings.

It’s interesting, we have Katy the journalism major writing this opinion piece that is almost completely devoid of any facts. You make these accusations, can you prove them? If you aspire to be simply a mediocre journalist you’re going to have to do more than make dramatic, emotional arguments. You actually have to present facts and you didn’t provide us with any in this piece. Carol the elephant may have freaked out at one point, but you have no evidence that Carol the elephant is giving rides to children. But of course, anything that sounds dramatic is acceptable in Katy’s world of less than mediocre journalism.

animals don’t have feelings? that’s a load of complete rubbish.

Steve why dont you just shut up about something you obviously know nothing about! USDA aren’t anything like “country restaurant inspectors you hick and the violations cited by the USDA aren’t minor. denying animals care and food etc is not minor. animal abuse is not minor. Why don’t you open your eyes to the dumb bs your saying and recogonize that animals actually do feel and reason and object to being schackled, and beating, and cramed into trailers while they are transported across the country. That animals are dangerous and so are the circus workers. And that the Royal Hanneford Circus doesn’t belong at the Breslin!

Steve-
It’s one thing to disagree with my argument, it’s a completely different thing to rip into how I wrote my letter.

You may think it is ridiculous that I can feel compassion towards another living thing, but I think it is ridiculous that you decided to start your Friday morning off by tearing into someone who has no previous journalism experience, and is trying to put herself out there for the first time.

Kudos.

To Steve and his supporters: please be aware that animals can feel. If you beat the shit out of your dog because he has bitten someone, what kind of person does that make you? As if your dog knows better, and if you’re assuming that pain will make it understand, how can you still say animals can’t feel??!!

It’s interesting that people think compassion is the reason animals should have rights. I don’t have to love black people to disagree with racism. On the same note, I don’t have to love animals to believe they mustn’t feel pain if they can; it’s a matter of equal consideration of interests (and if you don’t understand the concept, look it up).

Also, would you like to sit in a small cage for hours on end? If the same qualifications for disliking cramped spaces are held by both human and non-human animals, then condoning the latter to experience it is arbitrary discrimination based on species, also known as speciesism.

I certainly hope the posts that deny animal rights are by some uneducated hicks reading the state news to make themselves feel educated. The saying ‘treat others how you would want to be treated’ applies to animals as well as humans. Whether you believe in God and then I would expect you to respect all of his creations including animals, to karma in which case the guy who commented on ‘beating the living shit’ out of his dog will certainly get whats coming to him in kind. Animals can feel, as you clearly indicated pain, along with other feelings as well. I certainly hope those of you who agree with these sad individuals keep these feelings as thought and are not stupid enough to cause harm to animals yourselves.

“Circus dangerous, deprives animals of quality lives.” no it doesn’t, Katty, you idiot. liar.

Where do you get off calling a freshman journalist an idiot and a liar?! First of all you spelled her name wrong and secondly, with a name like Adolfus you might want to ask your parents what you did so wrong to give you a name like Adolfus! Maybe you came from the circus, which would make your comment ‘proper’ and would therefore support Katy’s article.

The only difference between humans and beasts is that humans have been given the facility to decide between doing good or bad. Animals have instinct that control them, but that doesn’t mean they don’t “feel”. When we “beat the shit” out of an animal for something it has done, let’s say biting someone, that would be a decided action on our part. The action of the animal, however, is instinctive to whatever approaches it. It is our fault for taking these animals out of their natural habitats and then punishing them for their instinctive behaviors. I won’t go to the circus or other freak shows alike because I don’t agree with humans deciding to use animals for entertainment, least of all for my own entertainment. Katy, I think your article gives us much to think about in regards to our actions as humans towards animals and how we disrespect them in general and in such grotesque ways. You have your convictions working for you in the right way and you are eloquent in stating them. You are on your way to writing deeper material. Good luck! Steve and all the Steve supporters, you have a lot to say, so instead of criticizing Katy’s commentary, why don’t you use all of that fluff to compose your own with the “facts” to support your arguments or discount hers. None of you have done that yet. You all seem to be snappy with your remarks, but why don’t you debate it intelligibly? That would give you more credibility. So far, I with Katy. She sounds smart.

Dear Steve,
You seem quite overly opinionated here, but why is that i don’t see your opinion’s published on the OPINION PAGE of the paper like we see Katy’s? Possibly because you have no strong opinions about anything important and just enjoy taking cheap shots at others? I’m pretty confused as to whether you were upset over how the circus was “not” cruel to animals or over the fact that she didn’t provide a source for everything.

Dear Katy,
Keep up the good work and inform people about real, important problems with the world and don’t let mindless idiots change that!