Why do people want pets?

         Pets.  We see them everywhere, we hear people talking about their new puppy or old dog, and our emotions go out to the sad animal on the side of the road, but why?  What is the reasoning behind so many people in this county being pet owners?  What is our emotional draw toward animals?  What benefits do we actually get from our pets?  In this blog that is the question that I am going to try to answer.  I myself have always had pet dogs and cats growing up and have always felt some kind of connection between myself and animals, but why?  It is definitely a unique quality that only humans share; we don’t see any other species with pets.

             Looking back through history animals didn’t start out as pets.  Instead, humans used animals for the specific services they could provide.  Cats killed mice, rats and other disease spreading vermin; dogs were found to be effective hunting partners, offered protection to humans, and were trained to help humans herd and manage livestock; and horses were used as transportation and to plow fields.  Horses, dogs, and even pigeons have been used to serve humans during wartime, often essential wartime assets.  Animals are still used today for many of these purposes, but many more are merely kept as pets.

            According to animalfreedom.org, the most common reasons for keeping pets are: company, socializing, status, something to do, and their beauty (“Why Do People Want Pets”).  Many people use pets to substitute relationships with other humans.  The animal serves people’s need to cherish, love and fight boredom.  But this is a distressing reason for keeping a pet; the animal is a replacement for normal human contact for whatever reason.  Pets are also used to make socializing with others easier.  People are more inclined to strike up a conversation with others when they can focus their attention on the animal in a silent moment.  Pets give status.  Often people will pick animals that reflect an attitude they are trying to portray such as dangerous or dainty.  Pets are also used to simply prevent its owner’s self-boredom.  Many pets require a lot of attention and give their owners a way to pass the time.  Finally, people find animals attractive.  No matter what the animal’s physical appearance, someone will always find them interesting and desirable. 

            There are multiple studies that counteract one another on the benefits of animals such as reducing blood pressure, lowering stress levels, and increasing one’s life.  In my research I found studies which both proved and disproved these ideas.  The bottom line seems to be that animals were brought into our lives out of our actual working need for them and we haven’t been able to let go since.  There are many people and organizations on both sides of issue whether we are being selfish by having animals or if it is beneficial to both.  Wherever you stand on the issue, animals should be respected and treated humanely. 

Works Cited

“Why Do People Want Pets?” AnimalFreedom.org Web. 12 May. 2011  

A View of Iraq from a Soldiers Perspective

I would like to use this blog to discuss my experiences and the changes I have seen over the last 8 years in Iraq.  There have been many discussions over the reasoning that we went to war with Iraq, whether it was a good or bad decision, and why we are still here.  As a soldier, you don’t get to give your opinion on what U.S. policy should be or what we are or aren’t going to do.  I first went to Iraq in 2003 during the initial invasion.  As a pilot, I was able to see almost the whole country of Iraq and the sad shape that it was in.  Saddam Hussein was an evil dictator who killed hundreds of thousands of his own people and ruled the country in a way that his people were suffering.  I was able to see much of this first hand, as I spent time flying around the country.  By the end of my tour in 2003 we had completely taken over the country of Iraq.  Iraq was in shambles from the initial invasion and the years of abuse by Saddam.  From the air, you would see very few lights on at night, the people in southern Iraq were without water for their fields, as a punishment from Saddam, and the entire infrastructure of the country was broken. 

       
By my next trip to Iraq in 2007-08 there was a substantial improvement.  Cities were being rebuilt, insurgency populations were down, and several airfields in Iraq were being controlled by Iraqi air traffic controllers.  There was a sense of stability in Iraq, as the people were able to start regaining control of their country.  Now on my third and hopefully final “combat” deployment to Iraq, it is an entirely different country.  Flying overhead you see new sky-scrapper construction in cities like Erbil, ground lights are comparable to flying over any areas of the U.S., and Iraqis are refueling our aircraft.  We now share the skies with Iraq military pilots, as well as commercial airliners.  Many perceive Iraq as simply a barren desert, but there are many beautiful areas of Iraq.  Aside from you views of whether or not we should have gone to war with Iraq, the changes to this country are nothing but amazing.  It is my hope that someday in the future I would be able to travel to Iraq as a tourist and see the progress and stability that this country could achieve.  The media seems to forget these areas after the “wars” are over, but I guarantee the millions of people who reside in Iraq will have a better more successful future than before we were involved.  

Iraqi Soccer Team




 





Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Politics

             By now, most everyone has heard the ongoing debates about the Federal Government’s budget issues.  Through all the conversations and interviews with Congressmen, Senators, and the President, we have seen many examples of ethos, pathos, and logos.  The goal of an argument is always to persuade your audience that your ideas are valid, or more valid than someone else’s.  Ethos, pathos, and logos are means of persuasion and appeals to accomplish this persuasion. 

            Unfortunately, it seems to me that there is way too much emphasis put on pathos in the political arena.  Throughout the debates about the Federal budget, time and time again pathos was used instead of logos or ethos.  Quotes like “Republicans are trying to kill women” and “Democrats want the country to fail” were the primary headlines of the debates.  This causes me to question whether our political leaders think of us Americans as just dumb individuals or their arguments are so convoluted that they cannot produce a valid logical argument. 

            No reasonable person would ever believe that Republicans want women to die or that Democrats are trying to destroy the country.  Have we become a society so inept of thinking logically that these pathos arguments actually work?  I would hope not, but why then do these politicians always seem to go directly to making emotional appeals, instead of logical arguments.  For me personally, as soon as I hear these ridiculous emotional arguments the politician that is making it completely loses their entire ethos.  Our political leaders should be held to a higher level than a partisan news channel.  There is room for a pathos argument in politics, but it is my belief it should be balanced with logos and ethos.   

The World of Exotic Pets



Reptiles, primates, lions, tigers, wolves, bears – these are all exotic animals that belong in their natural habitat and not living among individuals in or around their homes as “pets.”  All of these types of animals are wild and potentially dangerous.  Exotic animals by nature of being “exotic” are not meant to live among humans; they have been conditioned over thousands of years to survive on their own, in their own habitat.  These animals do not adjust well to being held captive and the result when they are often turns out deadly, either for the animal itself or its human captor.

 

Bites from a pet monkey



I find that the majority of exotic animal owners are selfish individuals.  For the most part these people seek exotic animals for the stigma associated with the animal such as power, illusiveness, danger, or beauty.  The actual care that these animals require is an afterthought for most people seeking exotic animals.  The illusion that they will somehow be the one person to actually bond with and domesticate these wild animals takes over their rational thought process.  Most of the time it isn’t until afterwards that these exotic animal seekers realize they were wrong in their ideas and realize they cannot change the nature of these animals.  It is at this point where the animals are often abused by being confined in small enclosures, beaten, chained, and even declawed or de-toothed by their owners.

Exotic animals are not meant to be domesticated, they are dangerous to those who purchase them, as well as neighbors and the entire community.  There have been multiple people that have been seriously injured, and even killed, by exotic animals that have escaped from their sub-standard enclosures.  Monkeys are a very common animal held by private individuals and many owners have been brutally attacked.  Felines, such as lions, cougars, and tigers are also a very common exotic animal acquired by these individuals.  There are vast cases where these animals have escaped and terrorized entire communities until their capture or termination.  Unfortunately, most of these exotic animals end up being euthanized, abandoned, or subjected to a life of horrible cruelties.



Malnourished Tiger

It is my belief that the government and animal protection agencies should do more to protect these animals from these atrocities.  Greater penalties such as fines or imprisonment would go a long way in deterring these selfish individuals from acquiring exotic animals.  The application process and licensing for exotic animals needs to be more detailed and checks should be implemented to ensure the overall safety of the animals and the communities.  It pains me to see so many beautiful animals live a life of atrocities merely because an incompetent and hapless buyer can scrounge up enough money to purchase them.    

Argument and the Problem of Truth

       From a very young age I always saw my father as a very argumentative person.  It seemed as if every topic that came up throughout my life turned into a debate between me and my father.  As I grew older, I became a very accomplished debater.  I knew that every time I came to my father with a problem, question, or request I had to be fully prepared to engage into a deep discussion.  It seemed as if he always took the other side of whatever issue I was talking to him about.  It wasn’t until later in life that I discovered what a benefit this had been while growing up and what an impact it would make in my life later on.  I realized as I grew older that when a problem or question arose I became a much better critical thinker.  I would analyze and debate decisions with myself when my father wasn’t around.

       After reading the topic of argument and the problem of truth, my eyes opened to a deeper understanding of what had really occurred.  My dad took on the role of Socrates’ way of thinking and philosophizing.  By always taking a point opposite of my own, it forced me into thinking beyond the issue at hand.  During our debates, I was required to think beyond my initial thoughts or opinions.  I knew that if he was going to ultimately agree with my decision it would require me to analyze all aspects of the argument.  To find an ultimate truth, or right answer, requires that we not only seek the best solution to a problem, but we also must take into account our own values, assumptions, and be willing to change our minds in the end (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson 16). 

       To this day I often get the same reaction from people that I first assessed against my father.  People think I am argumentative from time to time, but I have realized that just going along with an idea without presenting the other side of an argument, lets people get away with not fully thinking their position through.  I believe that the benefits that I have gained from constantly being challenged on my ideas as a child and young adult have helped me become a more successful person.  I would challenge anyone to become more “argumentative” and not accept everything at face value.  You will probably be amazed at the resulting “truth” that you end up finding during these discussions.

Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings. 8^th ed. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2010. Print