Yes, I’m a fairly strange dude. This is not news to me, or anyone who knows me.

However, as individuals we have a tendency to exaggerate the characteristics of our relationship to our fellow human beings. We exaggerate our feelings sometimes and buy each other gift baskets to show appreciation. Slight differences become uncrossable chasms, while superficial similarities can forge seemingly close bonds.

Why? Why would I be moved less by the suffering of my own species? This seems to fly in the face of natural and moral reasoning…not to mention open me up for ridicule by the more conventionally callous, or condemnation by the more conventionally moral.

Anyway, I haven’t come up with too many answers. The most that I have ready to go is a two-pronged explanation: 1) because animals are ‘cuter’ than people, and 2) because humans are intentionally, systematically cruel on a regular basis, whereas other animals are rarely if ever ‘cruel’ at all.

The first argument is ridiculously subjective and not very convincing. Plenty of people find children to be cute, babies especially. I believe that I’m strange because I do not…but then again, I know for a fact that there are a number of people who would agree with me (about babies not being cute, I mean). Then again, not many people find spiders and toads cute, so I’m probably strange even among the subset!

to be continued…