It's possible that disrepect towards animals including harmless bugs is a bad influence on how we treat people
This idea was made with freedom from porn.
At least in very dramatic extremes, yes there's at least a correlation between horrific animal abuse and psychopathy.
No idea if that extends to more run of the mill actions.
Even everyone is a psychopath, no one is.
Serial killers often start out by torturing and killing animals in childhood.
I kill bugs all over the place. Only a matter of time before I take my neighbor out.
No but seriously, the torturing animals thing is a big sign.
“Killing destroys the root of compassion”
— buddha
I'm pretty sure my opinion on mosquitoes does not reflect my attitude or behavior towards humans.
Well, it did say harmless. Mosquitoes cause more than 700000 deaths per year.
I agree
I asked myself this the other day: Why do I have empathy for most animals, but when it comes to insects, I just don't give a single fuck? If I accidentally stepped on a kitten I didn't see, I'd be emotionally fucked up. But when I step on a snail I didn't notice until hearing the crunch, I don't feel bad in the slightest.
It's not because they are pests, I don't think. I don't like killing mice and rats, either and opt for non-lethal means of removal if and when I have a problem with them in my home. But I'll straight genocide bugs in my space.
idk I'd feel bad stepping on a snail...maybe it's the size or the crunch. But smaller insect ye i dont care.
I feel awful when I step on a snail. But stuff like gnatt flies, it's like I've given your friends so much leverage letting them out and now you're taking advantage by breeding in my plants and flying into my nose
I think there are two main reasons:
I think there is a difference.
Basically all animals will attack other animals when they invade their home space. Even insects do so and it can be brutal. Speaking outside of human moral constructs, you wouldn't be out of line for killing a rat or even a cat that was unwelcome in your home. Life will do what it can to ensure survival.
But it's easier to feel empathy for what is more similar to us. So, mammals, for example. Domesticated and tame animals that have adapted to humans.
I suggest making small efforts to cultivate compassion even for the creepiest insects, by taking a cup, bowl, or piece of paper and taking them outside. Now it could be argued whether this is doing them any favors, but I feel better about that compared to just smashing them.
It may sound ridiculous but yes I did reach the point where I am affected by any life I take, and really strive to avoid it where possible. I have "mutual arrangements" with a variety of insects in my house, such as small spiders. They stay out of my way, and I let them take care of other insects that slip through the cracks.
I feel bad about killing them out of the blue, but sometimes they're really asking for it
I don't like fishing.
It's not because "eww, worms" or "eww, fish". It's two things. The big thing is, I don't want to hurt some small animal like a worm or bait fish, just so that I can hurt some other animal by dragging them into an environment where they can't breathe. Oh, but the humane thing to do is toss them back? Imagine being pulled out of an airlock into the vacuum of space, photographed, measured, and then put back in the airlock? I don't need to do all of that to some critter just for fun. Which brings me to the second thing about fishing that I don't like : It's not fun. It's boring. It's so boring. Just stand here and hope a fish eventually bites.
The fun in fishing is that you get to just sit there, have a beer, and turn your brain off. There really isn't an expectation to be super busy while fishing. If you have a busy lifestyle, then an occasional "turn your brain off" is super nice.
There are a bunch of other ways to do that without hurting animals too, though.
This is why I hate fishing
I mean, I feel horrible when I kill innocent NPCs in video games.
I had to stop playing a recent BG3 save where I was trying a character who sometimes randomly kills people.
A lot of serial killers were cruel to animals when they were young.
Isn't dehumanization a tool to allow mass cruelty towards people?
First humans started to treat animals bad.
Later they started to treat other humans 'like animals'.
Those were some really mature answers you got there. /s
The reason imo why we think its ok to treat bugs bad is because of hierarchy. We expect bugs to be beneath us and those who treat other humans bad largely come off as if others were beneath them. It is enforced through our competitive capitalist system. It gets drilled into us by playing mostly competitive games.
I think to solve this, one could ask why we rarely play cooperative games. Its always about domination and „proving yourself“. This benefits those in power because we‘re less likely to cooperate and not need their approval anymore. Its even in most movies.
Thats how we devalue bugs and other „vermin“. As someone who has lizards I touch grasshoppers (food) a lot and they are quite interesting and I cant stand if they die slowly. I‘m aware that their lives are worth something but I also aknowledge that my lizards need protein at times. I view it through the lens of potential. Humans have the potential to fly to the stars, bugs have the potential to keep our biodiversity running (=very important).
No. Bugs can get fucked.
Yes. If you read up on industrial meat production, the industry is rife with human rights abuses as well.
I’m not like super into trigger warnings, but if you’re gonna read up on industrial meat production, you need to be emotionally prepared.