Do you give to animal charities?

[Free Thinker]

If people want to give to an animal charity rather than "human" ones, then they should be supported whole heartedly. There is no reason why people should feel pressured to give to charity at all, so if they decide to give a generous gift to ANY charity that is a good thing. Pressuring people into giving money to specific causes by trying to make them feel guilty is simply wrong. It's the kind of tactics used by "chuggers" who I absolutly despise.

Personally, I prefer to give to charities that are likely to affect me and my family. Does that make me selfish? Probably. Do I care what other people think? NO.

[IBM]

If you want to see what life is like without the RSPCA or similar, try India or Eqypt. It's pretty awful.

Oh yeah, I get all teary eyed looking at all those poor homeless cats and dogs when confronted by things like this



Or this



Or maybe this

[Dareos]

yes well, www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com may have been my inspiration for that comment and Stewart.... no, they don't.

Back on topic - Lets take the extreme look at it, every penny you spend on beer, or on non essential food, or on a flashy car or on a big screen TV or on every damn purchase you have ever made from a techie shop could well have been money spent helping poor needy children in other countries.

So, anyone that does that, is far worse than someone that gives to animal charities imo

[Mossy]

How ironic. I feel that what you have just said is quite a silly statement too.

I have no idea what you're saying. Mouth to mouth to a dog? Giving money to charity doesn't affect the subject for whom the charity was created?

What?

here's the scenario. On the one hand you have a charity which looks after abandoned cats, on the other you have a charity which looks after abused and mutilated children from war torn countries who without medical treatment will die a painful and horrible death, crying out for their parents who they witnessed getting shot in the head, or carved up with a machette the last time the militia visited their neck of the woods.

And people would choose the cats?

And before anyone says that's not a fair comparrison, it bloody well is, as both of those types of charities exist, and every penny that could go to look after a cat, could be better spent looking after children. What does it cost to look after a cat in the UK? I bet you could look after a kid for the same price in Darfur.

So in your views if you donate to an animal charity your directly choosing an animal life over a human life in answer to your statement?

[IBM]

ibm .. i just love your comparison ..'fluffy kitten' and child with limbs blown off. If you think thats all there is to animal charities , then go ahead. I have had and always will have several rescued animals. Man creates war not animals.

And that makes it alright to ignore the victims!?? "Oh, well, it's their own fault. Just don't look at you won't feel too guilty"

You're denying that there are charities out there who play up the whole 'cute factor' to appeal to donors? And do you deny there are charities who deal with kids who suffer mutiple amputations due to discarded ordenance in times of war?

Okay, enough. Sorry. A little irrate. I admire you for looking after rescued animals. Indeed, if there were more people like you, the RSPCA and others would need a lot less money. I just think the priorities are a bit skewed. Did you read the last bit about if it was your child? Did you think it through? Do you have kids? Or maybe neices and nephews? Can you attempt to visualise what families must go through?

[Splash]

I find guilt is a very effective emmotion.

As for they 'why should I do it if no-one else does' argument. Well, actually, I don't have a lot to say about that one. If you can't see why it's pure folly, then I'm not going to even try to make you.

That wasn't my point. My point was that nobody has an obligation (moral, legal or otherwise) to donate anything (be that money, goods, their time and skills or anything else) to any charity. Those that choose to do so should be applauded, not pointed and laughed at for donating to a cause that you feel is unworthy.

And as for the animal wandering the streets, council tax goes up bit, again that's a pretty weak concept. If it came to the point that we were all knee deep in strays, there would be much stricter regulation on animal ownership, and a brief period where lots of homeless animals get put down. Then it wouldn't be so much of a problem anymore.

[puts on flame suit]You could say the same for people with that attitude.

So you'd probably be upset if I said that I'd happily wipe out whole species of monkeys if it meant finding a cure for cancer?

Yes, I would be. Because a whole species of monkeys are not people. Yes I believe in animal rights, no I'm not going to dig a corpse up and hold it to ransom. More important that that though (to me at least) is that humans and other animals are different species, and no matter how much testing you want to do on monkeys, beagles, cats or whatever they are genetically different in makeup to us.

[zips flame suit up a bit tighter in anticipation of the bile and vitriol to be headed his way any moment]

But remember folks - we're all reasonably intelligent folks here. I respect people's right to disagree with me, and I'd hope you respect my right to an opinion too.

[IBM]

Back on topic - Lets take the extreme look at it, every penny you spend on beer, or on non essential food, or on a flashy car or on a big screen TV or on every damn purchase you have ever made from a techie shop could well have been money spent helping poor needy children in other countries.

So, anyone that does that, is far worse than someone that gives to animal charities imo

I can't speak for anyone else, but we're living off our savings while we get our business up and running, and have been for some time. Whatever money the company makes gets put back into the company. But we didn't cancel our direct debits to the charities we support. As a result we do without, we don't have a new car, new tv, we don't eat out, we don't buy new clothes.

And what's with all the 'well that's bad, but this is worse' arguments? You see what I'm talking about, you know the issues in the post, why try to detract from the essential element by changing the topic to something else? Either make a meaningful contribution, or not at all.

[IBM]

Splash ... my whole post was actuallly addressed to Tigs, but it took a while to post 'cause I had to leave the desk....

And as for the 'You could say the same for people with that attitude.' bit. No, you couldn't. Not at all.

[Splash]

And what's with all the 'well that's bad, but this is worse' arguments? You see what I'm talking about, you know the issues in the post, why try to detract from the essential element by changing the topic to something else? Either make a meaningful contribution, or not at all.

Not sure if that was directed at me, but if so could you please clarify? My point is that anyone donating anything at all to any charity is doing infinitely more than anyone who donates to none, regardless of whether you agree with that charity and it's principles.

[Splash]

Splash ... my whole post was actuallly addressed to Tigs, but it took a while to post 'cause I had to leave the desk....

And as for the 'You could say the same for people with that attitude.' bit. No, you couldn't. Not at all.

Why not? I personally think it would be a terrible stance to take, but I think it's also a terrible stance to take regards animals.

EDIT - gotta love a Friday debate to get the weekend juices flowing!

[IBM]

Not sure if that was directed at me, but if so could you please clarify? My point is that anyone donating anything at all to any charity is doing infinitely more than anyone who donates to none, regardless of whether you agree with that charity and it's principles.

No, not at you, at Dareos, hence the quote inclusion. You make a valid point regarding giving some money over giving no money at all....I just don't see how people can make that particular choice. And it's true that people donate to what they know, but surely people know about all the suffering that goes on in the world by now....

[IBM]

Why not? I personally think it would be a terrible stance to take, but I think it's also a terrible stance to take regards animals.

EDIT - gotta love a Friday debate to get the weekend juices flowing!

You want to compare the two? Suffering of animals vs. the suffering of people? So I take your dog, and I cut it's legs off. The I take your father/mother/brother/sister/son or daughter and I put their legs off. Which one is suffering more, and which one would you save? And would you even think twice?

[IBM]

So...I'm going to stop drink coffee now and go have a liedown...

[kickstart 1]

ibm : I could answer you , but think my answer would not only shock you, but shut you up as well . So lets leave it at that. You have your charities , i have mine.

Just seen your latest post ..Why would they both not suffer the same ? Are you saying an animal doesnt suffer as much as a human? Why not save both ?

[IBM]

I haven't gone to lie down yet, so I'll take exception to that.

I'll take you up on your offer to shock me and shut me up. Please do your best. I really don't think you can.

Do you get the idea behind hypothetical scenarios? If you can choose only one, then that's the choice you have to make.

And if you think that animals are capable of more suffering than humans, then I'm sorry to say your intellect and imagination must be as limited as the animals you care so much about. The answers in the statement. Apologies for the insult, needed it to make my point.

[Mossy]

ibm : I could answer you , but think my answer would not only shock you, but shut you up as well . So lets leave it at that. You have your charities , i have mine.

Just seen your latest post ..Why would they both not suffer the same ? Are you saying an animal doesnt suffer as much as a human? Why not save both ?

We know that Kickstart!

Don't worry he has probably injected too much coffee this morning (which was probably not fairtrade) and this is what sent him west.