December 18, 2007
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Animal Humiliation
I was reading an article about animal rights activists and their anger about whales being forced to wear Santa hats.
The concern is that it is “the final humiliation for the whale in a country that hunt them down with harpoons.” Here is the link: Link
Do you think animals experience the emotion of humiliation?
Comments (86)
what the fuck? NO!
When I go pissin’ on ‘em…yeah.
no
Quite an interesting topic
I am going to say maybe
I don’t think they’re humiliated, but I think it’s kind of degrading all the same… like putting pets in halloween costumes. I don’t know why it makes me feel uncomfortable.
Of intelligent social animals like dolphins or chimps, I would think so. Though, I really doubt that marine mammals understand enough of Christmas to be humiliated by a santa hat.
What the PETA people probably really mean is that they feel irrational pain for animals and that somehow, the rest of us should love furry creatures as well.
I don’t think the whales are humiliated by wearing santa hats and posing for pictures. I’m not sure if animals feel humiliated or not. I know dogs can feel bad when they do something wrong…so maybe.
i’d say animals experience emotion, sure, but i severely doubt humiliation is one of those they experience.
On their own I don’t think they do. If someone is laughing, I think they can tell, and may not like it. I remember when my friends dog got a hair cut that was horrible. When we saw the dog, we started laughing, the dog then put it’s head down and would hide under a blanket or in a corner until its hair grew normal.
Humiliation…
I am sure the other whales will make fun of that whale for the rest of its life. How horrible.
That being said…I HATE it when people dress animals up as people.
Um, seriously??
Wow… this is just extreme.
Probably to some degree but this is just ridiculous.
Hmmmmm…..
RME!! Oh please…
uhm… this is a little ridiculous. we don’t hunt down belugas.
Uh… not for this. No. Humiliation, maybe for having their noses rubbed in their pee, but not for very long.
I mean that animals may suffer humiliation when their noses are rubbed in their pee, but it won’t last for long.
Not whales…
Intelligent animals yes, but not for human social situations.
That’s the cutest picture I’ve seen all day. In answer to your question, the only animal that feel humiliation are cats. If you ever see a cat attempt a jump and not make it, or fall off of something it’s balancing on, you can tell that it is embarrassed. Ha. But whales? I think not.
THose animal rights people need to get a REAL life and then they’ll figure out that there are some things worth getting angry about, and some things NOT.
Only my cat.
I know my dogs “feel” something when we laugh at them….
No.
Um, I don’t think so.
No.
Seriously, I’m so sick of animal rights activists. They go to such an extreme that they show distaste towards their own SPECIES!
I’ve seen dogs look at me with those doggie eyes when forced to wear cute costumes. It does look like humiliation, but it might just be discomfort. And how do we know whales aren’t thrilled with cute hats? If they can feel embarrassment, why not fashionable joy?
haha…conservationists alternately piss me off and crack me up…they’re always spouting off about ridiculous issues like this one(and to answer your question, no, I’m positive that animals don’t feel embarrassed!)…here’s what environmentalists need to learn: we cannot save everything in nature whilst maintaining the survival of our species…of all of the ‘travesties’ that we subject upon the Earth and her creatures, most of them are necessary for our survival(like DDT, for example–kills plants, but also kills mosquitos bearing malaria)….
anyway, conservationists should devote their time and effort to conserving something worth defending—human lives! what about the millions of children killed everyday via abortion? or the 3000 children dying in Africa daily from malaria?
there are more worthy causes…
<8
gina
No, they do not have a concept of dignity.
The real problem is turning an endagered animal into some sort of cute sideshow.
i call bullshit
I think that some can in some circumstances though I question whether or not a whale would understand enough to be humiliated by wearing a hat.
I’m gonna go complain about people wearing sweater vests. Now THAT is inhumane.
What going on?
Maybe, but the whale in the photo doesn’t look very upset. Still, I think it is in very bad taste, personally. The zoo people can wear the hats if they want, but why make the animals wear them?
Animals don’t feel humiliation. I’m not convinced that the “feel” any emotions. They feel pain and remember that they don’t want to feel it again. So, put all the hats you want to on sea mammals or dogs or cats or giraffes. They don’t feel embarrassed or humiliated. THEY ARE ANIMALS FOR GOODNESS SAKE!
That looks like a dolphin, and it looks quite happy to me. Prolly cuz it knows it’s gonna get a fish treat afterward
If anything is on it’s mind, THAT would be it 
I think it likes the hat.
I have 2 dogs, who seem to display every emotion known to mankind.
So I would assume whales are the same.
Not necissarily. I think it would be fun to wear a santa hat, But I’m not a whale, so I wouldn’t know
Some animals, yes, can feel humiliation. Sadly, animal activists do not.
I know my dogs would be humiliated if I stuck a Santa hat on them.
YES!! Animals have feelings too.
yes but not over the things we would expect would be my guess. although i do know that good dogs that don’t usually mess who mess in a kennel environment react in a way that we might term as humiliated. i am overall oppossed to animorphizing as a general rule.
I wouldn’t mind being that whale.
Yumi is so pretty…
Maybe this is fatalistic, but do you know why I am not concerned with the lives of whales?
Because I know I’m going to die. I’m more concerned with enjoying my time than I am in protecting an animal that will know I care, let alone thank me.
Animal rights nuts are missing something. Or they have too much.
Time that is.
that will NEVER know I care
not really
but dolphins are super smart. and that whale kind of looks like a dolphin
and plus since those whale-dolphin things live in a bucket of water they dont know that their family is being hunted or whatever.
the real question though is how do they get those hats to stay on a whale!? they swim all over the place
and they got those things to stand up strait and everything! i wonder if they glued it on. THAT would be something to complain about. we can’t just go around using whales as an arts and crafts project!
Only when we say that we evolved from them.
Um, no. Or if they do, it’s in a very primitive form after being rejected from their own kind – would have nothing to do with doing tricks for humans.
No, that’s just goofy. I wonder what they think about people putting little jackets on their dogs? Is that humiliating too?
not that i know of
ummmm – no.
They are animals. They don’t feel humiliation.
People need to get a freakin life. Are they serious???
I don’t think so, I also don’t think they feel shame…
embarassement and shame possibly guilt… are stricktly human impossed feelings.
I think animals are a lot more “deep” than people tend to think they are. I think they feel a full range of emotions, including humiliation.
Well that whale looks like he is happy with his Santa hat on!! He’s smiling for the camera isn’t he???
Yes.
They experience fear, happiness, love..
I think, maybe.
And as dumb as making a whale wear a Santa hat is, I don’t think they much care, as long as it’s not on top of their breathing hole thing.
No I don’t think they’re capable of it. But I still think it’s not right, and that these poor animals look dumb.
Aw man, I love whales
But I don’t think they feel humiliation the same way we do. As long as they’re loved, cared for, and given plenty of tasty fish…. I’m sure they’re very happy, and much less ashamed to wear a silly hat than you or I might be.
9 of 10 whales surveyed prefer wearing santa hats to harpoons
Haven’t read that much about animal emotions, but humiliation isn’t usually on the list of emotions attributed to animals. I wonder how one tests an animal for humiliation.
At least they aren’t making the whale wear a Santa beard.
no
this is so weird.
they’ll love christmas.
that is absolutely ABSURD !!!!!
Of course they do! My dog told me so…
another vote for.. “whale likes hat.”
I can almost guarantee it. I think it would stem from a fear of inadequacy, just like when we feel humiliated by insults. Something reveals a weakness or shows dislike, which threatens a person’s confidence and reputation. Same with an animal. Why wouldn’t a whale feel humiliation?
I don’t think a santa hat would humiliate them. I don’t think it impairs them in any way and I doubt they even notice it.
How dare they dress up food as if it were a person. Food is meant to be eaten, not played with.
Don’t play with your food and especially don’t dress it up as Santa Claus.
> Frankly, the animal rights types can be a bit extreme, however given how intelligent and emotional the many intelligent animals that have come to light of late, why not? When we are humiliated, many of us express embarassment, and then anger at whomever caused it, so why not them also??
Peace
No. I would suggest that most animals probably enjoy the extra attention.
At least my dogs do.
No.
What about my feelings? Animal Rights Activists embarrass me all the time. What can I do about them?
Hey, give me fish and I’ll wear the hat.
Some. That whale doesn’t seem to care. I’m not sure people making them wear crap makes them feel humiliated (although it can make their owner look stupid too). I’ve seen pets appear to be ashamed when they get busted for doing something wrong.
How retarded can people get?
Who is to say that the whales are humiliated. They are probly “amused”. You could tell my dog was upset when I took his shirt off. He looked like he felt he did something wrong. At Christmas time, he had to wear this beat up old”santa” hat. Once we gave him a new set of antlers, and he took it off immediatly, and tore it up. We had to go back to his santa hat, which he was happy to wear.
Well my dog always looks embarassed when my mom puts a winter coat on him.
Looking at that particular picture, I don’t think that that whale cares too much. It’s just a little hat. If he wanted to, he could just tip his head and it’d fall off.
That whale seems happy to me.
yes they do. Animals each and every one of them has an individual personality. They feel just as we do. When they get hurt they cry. When they get cut they bleed. They express feelings just like we do. Humiliation is one of those emotions. I can’t believe humans subject animals do this to fellow beings.
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I think animals sense it if someone is directly making fun of them. However, expecting that they 1) understand the concept of Christmas, 2) understand that Americans use harpoons to hunt others of their kind and then 3) feel humiliated by a Santa hat is just a little out there.
i don’t know. they might. whales are supposed to be sort of intelligent, aren’t they?
but anyway. i’m FROM japan. i LIVE in Japan. But I’m not Japanese. I’m an American.
and while whale hunting may be wrong to the rest of the world (don’t preach the cons to me–because I know ‘em all)… it’s not done purely for game. Whale is a delicacy. Japanese eat it. not every day. not even every month. people in Europe eat horses, people in some Asian countries eat cat/dog.
You can’t compare whales to any of those animals, though. You can breed horses, cows, pigs, chickens for food… because they fit in a pen. What whales can you breed in a “pen”?
I’ve had whale. Call me a barbarian, go ahead.
The WHOLE country of Japan does not hunt whales… it’s only done by a relatively small fishing community down south. There ARE regulations. yes, some of it is done illegally, but no govt will ever be able to control that. besides, it’s an age old tradition.
On another note, i live about 30 minutes from Yokohama’s Sea Paradise (where the picture above was taken). it’s a really fun and educational aquarium/amusement park. elementary and middle school students travel from all over the country to visit for field trips.
You should see Japan at Christmas time. I think it’s much for festive and decorated than most places in the US. imagine that. Of course, they generally celebrate Christmas here for the material, commercial aspects, rather than the religious–but the spirit’s still here.
Think. If your cousin was murdered by hunters, and you were captured to live in a zoo…and those who captured you forced you to wear a Santa hat, would THAT add to YOUR humiliation? no. not as a whale.
Sea Paradise is a little like Sea World. the whales and dolphins and seals all put on shows–shows with stunts and tricks and lots of snacks when they do those tricks “right”. if they’re not already “humiliated” by that, then I don’t think wearing santa hats is such a big deal.
They’re just adding to holiday spirit.
I’m not trying to be self-righteous. and maybe people do have a reason to be upset about this.
But if you ask me, I think a few animal-rights activists are just trying to find every little detail related to Japan and whales and make a negative story about it. That, and everyone infatuated with Hayden Panettiere’s young body and “good” looks wants to find some way to support her.
P.S. While I don’t like Hayden, I don’t hate her. not in the least. I do think that the Japanese govt putting out an arrest warrent if she ever were to return to Japan is extreme. Extreme, pointless, and immature. but that’s politics.
Happy Holidays!
P.P.S The whales were “forced” to wear Santa hats? What about being “forced” to live in an aquarium, and put on shows so that Sea Paradise can make money off their stunts?
…And being “forced” to live out of their natural habitats so that they won’t be hunted? And always having food & snacks to eat?
Etc, etc…
There’s no right answer, is there?
Come on, people. There are other things to worry about. Like your family, yourself….