Daily Kitten Chat Forum » The Newsroom

1. 

   The story of Dusty, the cat abused by two Lawton OK teens, has sparked an internet phenomenon that is just amazing. Overnight, someone put together a site that draws together most of the major threads of the story and can be used to get further press attention. This site does contain some disturbing images taken from the original YouTube videos, but only in the context of posters demanding justice for Dusty. The extent of the collaborative effort here is so heartwarming that I urge even the squeamish to take a look. Note that many of the people who formed the online posse that located the abusers are themselves teenagers, so their sense of justice is sometimes a bit rough. But the whole thing has started a major discussion about why even good people respond to violence against innocents with thoughts of violence against abusers, so maybe the balance will come out better in the end:
   http://neverforgetdusty.com/

   That site recommends PETA, which I would not do, but here's another site that I had not seen before which tracks animal abuse and monitors court cases all over the US:
   http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/about.php
   This one has interactive maps, court dockets, and all sorts of educational material. I can't believe I'm only just now finding this site.

   Posted 2 years ago by AngelaMotorman #

2. 

   Great info Angela...Animal lovers everywhere need to get together and demand that this behavior not be tolerated or it will continue!! It is a hard subject to deal with, I too was sick to my stomach from just a few seconds of the video, but if we do nothing to help stop this, then we are helping it to continue!! Thank you Angela for taking a active stance to stop this abuse!!!

   Posted 2 years ago by 2bpurring #

3. 

   that's right......those teenage &&&&&&& deserve the &&&&&&& end of the &&&&&&&&&&&& stick.......and anyone else who abuses sweet innocent creatures....and we need to stand p and be the voices for our furbabies!

   Posted 2 years ago by Nirmal #

4. 

   I agree with Nirval's last point, but also want to underscore this point in the original post here:

   "...the whole thing has started a major discussion about why even good people respond to violence against innocents with thoughts of violence against abusers..."

   My first thought was, like Nirval's, to want revenge. But doesn't expressing that sort of impulse serve to shore up the acceptability of violence in our culture -- especially when everybody who hears it says something similar?

   Posted 2 years ago by AngelaMotorman #

5. 

   that's true @ angela, and i guess impulsive in a way for me.... but anger aside, basically i just wish that more people would stand up for what's right, instead of saying it's not my business, or in some cases..worse yet, allowing it, or even participating in it.

   Posted 2 years ago by Nirmal #

6. 

   The thought of punishing wrongdoers by inflicting their own offenses on them is by no means new or limited to our culture. Probably the most familiar example in this culture is the Law of Moses in Judaism in which such penalties were officially sanctioned. I think the idea is that inflicting negativity on someone who has done it to another is different from inflicting it on someone who has done nothing to justify it--the guilty are not the same as the innocent and do not deserve the same consideration.

   Posted 2 years ago by Leeny #

7. 

   Wow...Leeny, You said that perfectly!!!!!! You have a gift for so clearly expressing and explaining your point of view!!!! I second what Leeny said!!

   Posted 2 years ago by 2bpurring #

8. 

   I third it! I just hope they don't get away with just a slap on the wrist or community service.

   Posted 2 years ago by Sheba's Mom in Phoenix, AZ 10/8 #

9. 

   yeah.....i mean i admit that i don't really feel vioelnce should be met with more violence, but somtetimes my instinct shows thru........and the problem these days is that we either go for brutality where it's not needed, or we give the slaps on the wrists or soemtimes even ignore or herald it. neither things is good, and we have to find a way to have justice that really is conducive to the better of society......and people have to see the reality that learning common sense and respect are crucial. society has entangled itself in a never ending fantasy world, and refuses to wake up from it. it's become a dangerous one.

   Posted 2 years ago by Nirmal #

10. 

    Another thought: Feeling like doing something violent, thinking about it, even talking about it with like-minded people, isn't the same as doing it. If they were presented with the adolescents who tortured this cat and told they could torture them, I really don't think well-adjusted people would do it.

    Posted 2 years ago by Leeny #

11. 

    true, well adjusted ppl wouldn' do it. i know i couldn't. but in the cause of those who think about, talk about, or feel like abusing or exploiting, or whatever, they are a different case are not well adjusted. but it is indeed normal to feel those natural instincts against those who would do such things. as long as one doesn't cross the line. :)

    Posted 2 years ago by Nirmal #

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