[CuriousCourage]

I'm next to a co-worker all day so we talk about things to alleviate boredom all day, one day I mentioned that at 8 or 9 years old I diseccted a live frog to see its heart beat which was amazing and fascinating, I also told them how I punished the cat in my teen years. They have called me an animal abuser and crazy since that conversation. I wanted to know how it can be animal abuse if its a frog. I just want to know why they judged me so harshly.

[CuriousCourage]

The last part is worded wrong and I do not know how to edit, what I'm really curious is why was his reaction so extreme?

[Oystersoul]

Lack of understanding or fear?
Because it isn't something that they could imagine doing or considering, then it is out of their realms of 'reality'
Most people fear what the don't understand.
I personally wouldn't, some would call it abuse and others may disagree. Who knows?
I think it would have been cool to see but never would have done it myself.
Individuality is a strange thing

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CopperStar]

Dissecting, torturing and physically punishing live animals out of curiosity, boredom, for fun, etc is a hallmark of sadism and lack of empathy. That is probably why it freaked out your coworker. Then you also display a method of arbitrarily choosing which animals are 'real' animals and which ones are not, in this case seeing the frog as an object and not as living animal that can feel. Objectifying targets to justify sadism is also a hallmark of abusers.

However, chances are that if your coworker eats meat, then they're supporting an industry that abuses animals by the many thousands on a regular basis. But most people don't want to talk about that, it makes them feel guilty. They have no desire to contribute to animal abuse and would rather just not think about it.

So specifically what you have done in the past is not really out of the norm for humans in general. However, your lack of remorse, the expressed fascination, the ease at which you discuss it with a coworker, and that none of it was done out of necessity (such as for food), these are the aspects that make it creepy to most people.

[CuriousCourage]

Is it a bad habit then? Would I receive fines or incarceration if this is still a hobby? Also I don't understand why I would need to be remorseful. If you could clarify, I'd be grateful.

[eskielover]

They did the frog thing in Junior high biology....I never took it because I couldn't handle dissecting any life creature.....they also anesthetized the frogs so they wouldn't feel the pain.....it's their feeling the pain that is considered torture also.

Many important inventions in the medical field have come from experiments like this.....but it's done for a REAL purpose, not JUST because or just out of curiosity or even JUST for a hobby.

Remorse would be causing PAIN to anything living....it's a NORMAL thing to feel when we hurt anything living & sometimes we feel it even when there is a greater purpose for what is being done.

Shoot, I feel remorse when a bird flies into my truck & I kill it. I actually love raising the tadpoles my tree frogs leave in buckets around my farm....I love letting them go into nature more than the desire to kill them out of curiosity.

It depends how you punished your cat in your teen years also. I have been known to swat my dog with a newspaper when he did something bad. I keep my dog on a long leash so he can get to his food & water while I'm away from the house so that he doesn't get into trouble.....but honestly if you don't punish the animal immediately right after they have done something wrong they have no idea what the punishment is even for....they don't have memories like people do & then it basically it depends on the punishment. Putting a cat in it's crate for a few hours after doing something bad isn't harmful...if you leave them in there for days.....that is.

Sounds like you don't have the kind of family that teaches you how to feel for other things or the distinction between what is acceptable & what isn't....as those are usually things we learn growing up.

[BadWolfC]

CopperStar and eskielover are exactly right. People usually view a lack of empathy for animals as being the same as having a lack of empathy for other people, because usually that is the case. I have a very strong sense of empathy for animals, so I can understand your coworkers' reactions. But on the other hand, I can understand your point of view because I don't have a lot of empathy for people, I view most of them the way you view frogs.

[CuriousCourage]

I'm confused. I've read the definition of empathy, how is it any different than sympathy? Also isn't a frog an insignificant enough animal that it shouldn't offend anyone?

[eskielover]

There is NO insignificant animal or creature. Many of us believe that all animals are created by God & we were put in charge of caring for them....so IMO, there is no insignificant animal.

I won't kill spiders that are outside of my house on my farm though I will kill them in the house because otherwise they lay eggs & then they end up taking over my house & I end up with bites.

I even hate killing the mice that get into my house from the fields....I try to catch them alive & then take them to the vacant house across the stream & down the road. I have even rescued a lizard that got into my house & made sure it got outside safely. I value all life & don't believe that there is anything that is insignificant. However I do believe that there are animals that are raised & used for food & I believe that the killing of them is important to be done in a humane way & that is what I believe that animals used for research need to be handled in a humane way also with no torture involved. Research is important & we wouldn't have the advancement in the medical field without it.....but the animals need to be handled with respect & in a humane way.