What is the Worth of a Human

Just over a year ago two local residents were charged with failing to provide the necessities of life for their dog. Since then, the dog has died and has become a symbol for the need to have stricter laws dealing with animal cruelty. Concerned citizens have protested at the courthouse and elsewhere demanding serious consequences for the two individuals. While I have not read any of the comments on social media, according to officials some of the comments have been racist, calling for violence and physical retribution against the accused (1). Protesters are demanding the maximum penalty which could be up to five years in prison(2).

I don't understand people who have an animal and then do not take care of it. In the above case, it was more than just a little bit of neglect - the animal had been seriously hurt, probably by its owner and then willfully ignored. It died a horrible death. I understand why people are concerned. I agree that people need to face consequences for their behaviour. BUT.......

It would seem to me that we need to keep perspective on what is important and where we need to spend our resources. On Vancouver Island, there are a host of issues that would benefit from more active public involvement. There is a lack of emergency shelters for people who are homeless, there are residents in the Valley who do not have access to enough food, there is, like almost everywhere else in Canada, far too many people dying because of a drug overdose - the list of things that need fixing is almost endless. All too frequently the only people who speak out about these issues are the ones saying - "don't let that those kinds of people into my neighbourhood". Outside of a small handful of people, no one is particularly concerned about what happens to folks who are struggling. There are not regular rallies demanding that something is done to ensure food security for all or that there be sufficient shelter for those who have been abused.

No one should ever suggest that the dog's painful existence and eventual death should go unremarked or unpunished, but if there are limited human resources to effect change - where should we spend those resources?

At the same time, Cyclone Idai has swept through Southern Africa killing perhaps hundreds of people. Plan International (3) has suggested that there may be thousands of children at risk. Countries such as Mozambique lack almost any of the resources required to help its citizens. While various world health organizations will ask for and receive millions of dollars from concerned citizens, no one will insist that policies that encourage global warming or that allow for the destruction of forests or the mining of fragile environments to get rare minerals that power our cell phones should be changed. And certainly, no one will demand that those who perpetrate these destructive acts (or benefit from them) be punished.

It is difficult to compare the two tragedies - one dog horrendously abused and then dying versus hundreds if not thousands of people dying. It is easier and more rewarding to express outrage at an identifiable face than it is to demand that the world's priorities change. I suspect that some of the local protesters are protesting because it feels as if they can have some influence on something, that their presence will perhaps have some sort of impact on the outcome of the trial. In a world where things seem to be shaped by inaccessible politicians and the executives of multi-national corporations, people need to feel as if they can control something, anything.

We all need to feel as if we have some control over our lives - how we achieve that sense of control may be critical to the survival of our species.


(1) https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/defence-lawyer-out-in-duncan-animal-abuse-trial-1.4337744
(2) https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/rally-held-in-duncan-to-condemn-acts-of-racism-amid-dog-abuse-trial-1.4334235
(3) https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/19/africa/cyclone-idai-mozambique-zimbabwe-intl/index.html