PETA sues SeaWorld for slavery of whales

I agree with everything your devil's advocate ass posted, :) however I'd like to make a small correction and say that it needs to be noted that the order of your list matters:

1. Humans > Animals
2. Familiarity/Love > Strangers/Indifference

1 trumps 2, period. So with that in mind, while the gap does begin to close as you throw in variables from both sides, it should never close fully.

I would say:
1. More humans > less humans

and yet I think we're all willing to concede that throwing a stranger in front of a moving train, even in order to save a whole lot more strangers, isn't black and white.

Vater said:
1 trumps 2, period.

It should. It's completely rational, but emotions are a strange thing.

Makes you wonder why we possess some innate feeling that often overrides the higher functions we, as humans, are capable of.

Yes, absolutely it should. Obviously, judging from some of the responses here to the contrary, it doesn't always, which admittedly I find damn difficult to understand. My exclusion of the word 'should' wasn't exactly unintentional, but I'd hoped its implication was there.

That said, in my mind, 1 does trump 2, period.

your beloved pet of many years

I've changed my stance on my pets.

Will no one rid me of these meddlesome dogs?

My vote on the train is that all 5 people take two steps in a direction perpendicular to the rails.

I'm not sure morality plays out quite as black/white or cut/dry as we think.

You're exactly right. In fact, study after study shows that what people write down on "paper", and what they actually do in a real-life scenario rarely match up.

And like Gonch said...humans are not rational creatures, especially when it comes to the relationships we have; with other people, dogs, sheep, etc...:)

Most pets in this country have better access to shelter, healthy food, clean water and medicines than much of the world. We don't have too many pets dying from preventable illnesses which isn't true for people in many parts of Asia and Africa.

Which brings us back to the point of the original hypothetical. We have constructed a reality where we use the word "inhumane" to describe poor treatment to animals, and where many devote all their energy to saving/protecting animals while children in a 100 mile radius are literally starving.

We create emotional bonds with animals that we say are "like children" (and if you say that, I would argue that you have never actually had a child, or you would never say that again in a literal sense).

Saying all this, I have pets that I love and adore. I get it.

That said, if it was between any of you and my cat, I hope I reach out for you, and not the damn cat.

Wait...that scenario was about saving CoasterBuzzers or a pet? Hold the phone...that changes everything! ;)

I love this thread SO MUCH.

OhioStater said:
We create emotional bonds with animals that we say are "like children" (and if you say that, I would argue that you have never actually had a child, or you would never say that again in a literal sense).

Now you are getting it. The fact that I have never had any children solidifies some of the reasons that I feel such a close attachment to my dog. Pets serve a great need to some people who do not live a traditional life with a traditional family. Maybe I wont feel the same after I find a man to spend the rest of my life with and we adopt a bunch of smelly little babies. (Don't judge me.) :p

I'm sorry, did you just say, "Now you are getting it."...to OhioStater...regarding the way people think and feel? That's amusing to me. :)

Have we had some sort of breakthrough? :)

How does that make you feel?

Hang on till I get my guitar. Then we can all hold hands and sing Kum-ba-ya. And then we can eat nuggets made from somebody's pet chicken.

I can't do anything right now, I'm still holding on to these spinning plates!

Kum-ba-ya is definitely no Sabre Dance.