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Dogs and the state of our culture Brian Micklethwait of this parish has this zinger of a quote on his own blog. I could not resist posting it here:
A good friend of mine defines regression to barbarism as literally a matter of how many dogs there are around the place. Dogs equals barbarism, she reckons. As you can imagine, she is not a happy bunny. Well, if you were a bunny, you wouldn’t be, would you?
Read the whole thing. It is not just about our furry friends.
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Whereas the number of fat cats is a sign of civilization?
I’m inclined to see great enthusiasm for dogs as an authoritarian trait, dogs being models of compliance, strict heirarchy and status-based aggression/subservience.
I kind of gather you have never owned a dog then Guy?
You and I think British society is getting more and more authoritarian- which it is.
The numbers for dog ownership, compared to the 50/60s is way down however.
The ownership of cats on the other hand, is way up.
That suggests to me a society that is getting more busy and thence selfish. Wishing the companionship of an animal, but not having much time to look after it.
Cats look after themselves.
Dogs dont, they take effort and time.
So
I’m inclined to see great enthusiasm for dogs as an authoritarian trait, dogs being models of compliance, strict heirarchy and status-based aggression/subservience.
Is just cliche.
Not sure I get the dogs=barbarism thing. Without having the full rationale it sounds rather bitter and twisted to my ear.
Looking after dogs is a lot of work. It takes time and you have to be committed to them, regular walks. Teach them to be reasonably civilised around people. Put up with chewing up to 20 months old. With the best efforts they tread in mud and shed hair. A dog is a long-term commitment. These traits in an owner are all surely signs of civilised behaviour.
Now I must declare an interest here. I like dogs and I like cats. I have two large mad happy dogs, one a rescue – and I am privileged to be part of the staff of two self satisfied cats, both rescues.
They all rub along together pretty well.
Dog ownership may be a sign of civilised behaviour, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the owners are living in a civil society. I’d say it’s more barbarism = dogs. They are as great for protecting life and property as they are pets.
I’m sure that dogs are not unkind creatures, but it gets trying to hear the excuse that he is “just playing”. The least the tall furless animals who bring me my food could do is place a door between me and the dogs when I am trying to eat my carrots.
People always seem to reach out for animal metaphors when attempting to describe the failings of humans and their culture but, of course, it isn’t animals that are the problem. Maybe once, when we were still prey, subject to being carried off by wolves or leopards or something, but not any more.
Now, it’s the animals that need protection from us, at least those still hanging on in what’s left of “the wild”.
No, it’s not the number of dogs that demonstrates a descent into barbarism.
It is the number of little offices, each containing a mild mannered man or woman, into which one can be summoned, made to stand indefinitely while the harmless looking little clerk types in his computer or talks on her phone, and, without a raised voice or shaken fist displayed, be reduced to sweating terror in the certain knowledge that if a question is answered improperly, someone much more unpleasant will be waiting in the corridor, and the sun will disappear from one’s life.
It is not any invulnerable creature, like the monster from “Alien”, or demons, or any other non-human entity that waits in the dark. There are no vampires.
There are only blustery, threatening figureheads who appear on TV from time to time, frothing about how dangerous they are. And, lined up behind them, more serious and deadly than all the imagined demons from hell, the unsmiling little clerks, waiting to enter your name and number in the book, and put their rubber stamp on the appropriate page, check the box under “disposition”, and watch dispassionately while you, and everything you know and love, disappear.
No, barbarism isn’t measured by dogs…
My family had dogs. I’ve never personally owned any animal. It would be unkind; I’m too unreliable.
I don’t have any great objections to dogs and quite like them in small quantities. I wrote “great enthusiasm for dogs” but I don’t think that I implied everyone who loves dogs is an authoritarian, rather that authoritarians tend to love dogs. (There is a plausible theory that house dogs are a sucessful social parasite, making a living by supplying human psychological needs.)
Well I’ve done my bit to make England a better place. I complained to the council about next door’s dog which they used to leave alone all day in their back garden. It barked and whined for hours. Now it’s in a dogs home awaiting a new home or the vet’s needle.
Dogs, when they’re not busy chewing on shoes, or laying in the middle of dark hallways waiting to be tripped over, or sitting on MY part of the couch replacing the Sunfish-shaped indentation with a Golden Retriever-shaped indentation and getting blonde hair all over the damn place, exercise loyalty and empathy to a degree that I could only wish humans could manage. If people were consistently like dogs in that regard, I’d be out of a job.
I fail to see the connection between this and barbarism.
Correct me if I am wrong but as I recall ‘going to the dogs’ is not an aspersion on the character of your local friendly Rottweiler but a legacy of early civilisation where dogs were kept outside of the city walls. Thus ‘going to the dogs’ meant being expelled from the city and being sent out to live in the barbarism of the uncivilsed world.
rather that authoritarians tend to love dogs.
Well I’m not so sure of that either. You used to be able to take a dog into your local pub 20 years ago, now it would be difficult to find one that admits dogs, other than guide dogs.
Try taking your dog on a public beach and you will find that you are banned between march and october.Or to your local park, all have whole areas that were previously open are now designated dog free.
So no Guy, I dont see authoritarians smiling benignly on our canine friends.
I apologise if I seemed abrasive in my earlier post. but I have just had to put my friend of 16 years, Holly down. I am a bit touchy on this subject at the moment!
People who don’t like dogs are not trustworthy. Need I mention that Dr Evil’s pet Mr Biggles was a cat?
Maybe some Authoritarian’s like dogs. But for certain some Libertarians love dogs, and how many homeless people do you see with dogs? Quite a few and they are not generally seen as particularly authoritarian.
No it was just a dodgy bit of pop psychology…
This reminds me of one of those film society faves – a French flick with if memory serves me Michel Simon. It’s a series of vignettes with the same geezerish chap through the ages starting in Egypt where the ancient grump is reading a tablet and harrumphing quel temps, quel temps disapprovingly as he bones up on the news of the day. It was a sophisticated comic presentation of the plus ca change saying which is still very true and of course we are going to the dogs but have managed so far to still be going and not yet gone.
Well tieing several recent threads together here-
Does anyone remember the Twilight Zone episode (black and white days)
Where an old Hillbilly goes racoon hunting of a night with his good ol dog Blue.
Next scene you see him wake up under a tree.
Silly old fool he says to himself, you’re getting too old for this stuff, and wonders back to his shack.
When he gets there he sees his wife and friends gathered but they cant see him. He’s dead he realises. But he cant see Blue anywhere, so he goes to look for him.
After a while in those Brer Rabbit country lanes, he comes to a gate with an old farmer leaning on it.
Hello friend want to come in ? says the farmer.
Is this heaven? says the hillbilly.
Yes says the Farmer.
Have you seen my dog Blue?
There are no dogs here my friend.
Shucks!!! guess I’ll be moving along then.
Eventually he comes to a gate that has a straw chewin St Peter and his dog Blue waiting for him.
I dont believe in Heaven, but if I’m totally wrong and one exists, then Like the Hillbilly, I wont enter one that has no room for dogs.
I think it’s the type of dog/owner combo.
England is infested with unruly mutts with ridiculous owners. Usually in the leafy suburbs. This is barbarism. Agreed.
On the other hand, a nice big rottie or Bandog kept by a firm responsible owner, eg a scrap dealer or whatever. Now that is civilization
RAB: I agree. Sorry about Holly, too.
If heaven is a place unfit for dogs, then I fear that I must respectfully decline.
RAB: I am very sorry to hear about Holly. I have eighty pounds of bad breath, hair, and love sitting next to me, and sometimes I wonder how sane I’d be without her.
Thanks Alisa and Sunfish. You are both on the Christmas card list !
It as been an emotionally fraught few weeks at RAB Towers.
After a decent interval we will find another bundle of joy to share our lives with. Going for a long walk just isnt the same without a dog.
RAB, I liked the story so much, I sent it to all the dog people I know:-)