#i have a Lot of feelings abt the way ppl treat demonized creatures

[rainclover]

Thank you!! Unfortunately we are not taught in school to properly respect or appreciate how every single life has an important role. We are not taught to recognize and have empathy for things we don't understand; and that extends to a lot of things, but in this instance its to rats, snakes, spiders, insects; any and everything labeled scary and creepy.

As if these creatures’ defining feature is the ways in which they're convenient, or inconvenient to us.

“aggressive”

“unfriendly”

“ugly”

It’s an exercise in compassion and respect; and many many people fail to extend that hand to the 'ugly' and 'scary' around us. We grow up with domesticated animals and we think oh, these animals are sweet! These animals are nice to me and make Me happy! But then when faced with the creatures that do not serve them back (in the direct sense), suddenly theyre bad and mean

The harsh truth is that we are not taught to value the lives of other animals other than the ones that are sweet and cute. The ones that are easy to look at and are loving. Even cats, who are adorable, are hated by So many people because they dont like that the cat has boundaries. lol.

The ways in which we are taught to not respect consent extends to every single life on earth. We are not taught how to cue in to when a dog's body language seems distressed, and therefore doesn’t want to be petted. Dogs essentially get walked over because theyve been Bred to be forgiving and loving. Dogs are naturally loyal but they also Learn that their consent doesnt mean anything. And the animals that are loud and clear about their boundaries?

Are aggressive

Mean

Unfriendly.

For many, many people, their respect for animals ends at however convenient the animal is to them. So as soon as an animal dares to be undomesticated, and wild, it’s demonized. It’s called ugly and scary and upsetting.

We aren’t taught to love, appreciate, and respect the life around us. We arent taught the ways in which spiders and mosquitoes are VITAL to our ecosystem (And that is not in any way an exaggeration). Our compassion for so many things ends when it’s inconvenient to us. When its’s hard to look at, when it doesn’t immediately serve us. When it doesn’t cater to us and love us and forgive our every move. When it dares to have boundaries, and ask to be treated with respect.

How dare it, right? /s

Anyway this is off topic a bit from what op was getting at but i just am very passionate abt our ecosystem :’}. I hope the way we begin to view our world and the life around us begins to shift. I hope it stops getting taken for granted. I hope the proper respect, and compassion, is given to the life we are so fortunate to share an earth with.

its possible to personally dislike or fear a creature w out demonizing it. u can be afraid of and annoyed by animals like snakes and mosquitos and roaches and rats etc w out treating them like theyre inherently evil or out to get u. theyre just animals. we're just animals. whether u like it or not they live here with us and its honestly really weird that theres such a pervasive deep rooted habit of anthropomorphizing these animals just to say theyre malicious and actively trying to cause harm