4 ms·

I remember reading about Laika as a kid and how they sent up the dog in space and just let it die up there. It made me feel so bad and still does today. :(

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
amelius 9y ago
Yes, but there are worse things happening to animals even as we speak, and for less noble purposes.
- caio1982 9y ago
  Don't "yes, but" this, folks. The parent comment was very specific, focused, why not just ponder it?
  - nasredin 9y ago
    Thank you our furry cosmonauts for pioneering a new frontier for us shitty ungrateful humans.
  - shell_scripter 9y ago
    "Tut, tut, tut... let's not change the subject now. We're dehumanizing Rus-- ahem, Soviets here in our Two Minutes of Hate. These are evil, evil people who killed an innocent dog and we should all hate them, even if we ourselves are killing animals for less as we speak."
- Houshalter 9y ago
  So what? People can't feel emotions towards abstract statistics. I'm sure if I could see every animal being abused world wide I would probably have a mental breakdown.
- dgut 9y ago
  Sure, but if A is worse, doesn't mean B is good.
  - rhizome31 9y ago
    B takes attention and hides A. We feel for a single dog sent in space but have no feelings for pigs being slaughtered each second. We feel for a handful of people killed in NYC but are oblivious to 276 victims in Mogadiscio. It's important to put things in order sometimes.
    - amelius 9y ago
      Especially when B happened sometime in the past and A happens right now.
    - Houshalter 9y ago
      B isn't hiding A. I doubt people would care for the pigs or mogadishians if the other stories weren't in their minds.
cyberferret 9y ago
Same feelings here. I adored space and space travel as a kid, and I did many school projects on them (and became a pilot later in life), but the one aspect about space travel that always left a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach was when I read about the animals they sent on one way missions. I could rationalise with the brave astronauts and cosmonauts who undertook some of these missions, because as a rational thinking human, you can weigh the risks and make a decision to go, knowing full well that you may never come back. But a dog or chimpanzee really has no way to say "Umm, actually now you mention it, NO, I'd rather not be sealed in a capsule and blasted into space - never to walk on a grassy field again. I'd much rather you chose another dog while I happily gnaw on this bone right here..." I was somewhat assuaged back then by the statements made that Laika was fed a poisoned tablet after a certain time, and passed away painlessly. But a few years ago when I read those declassified documents detailing how she actually died under horrendous circumstances, my heart broke all over again...

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

amelius 9y ago

Yes, but there are worse things happening to animals even as we speak, and for less noble purposes.

caio1982 9y ago
Don't "yes, but" this, folks. The parent comment was very specific, focused, why not just ponder it?
- nasredin 9y ago
  Thank you our furry cosmonauts for pioneering a new frontier for us shitty ungrateful humans.
- shell_scripter 9y ago
  "Tut, tut, tut... let's not change the subject now. We're dehumanizing Rus-- ahem, Soviets here in our Two Minutes of Hate. These are evil, evil people who killed an innocent dog and we should all hate them, even if we ourselves are killing animals for less as we speak."
Houshalter 9y ago
So what? People can't feel emotions towards abstract statistics. I'm sure if I could see every animal being abused world wide I would probably have a mental breakdown.
dgut 9y ago
Sure, but if A is worse, doesn't mean B is good.
- rhizome31 9y ago
  B takes attention and hides A. We feel for a single dog sent in space but have no feelings for pigs being slaughtered each second. We feel for a handful of people killed in NYC but are oblivious to 276 victims in Mogadiscio. It's important to put things in order sometimes.
  - amelius 9y ago
    Especially when B happened sometime in the past and A happens right now.
  - Houshalter 9y ago
    B isn't hiding A. I doubt people would care for the pigs or mogadishians if the other stories weren't in their minds.

cyberferret 9y ago

Same feelings here. I adored space and space travel as a kid, and I did many school projects on them (and became a pilot later in life), but the one aspect about space travel that always left a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach was when I read about the animals they sent on one way missions. I could rationalise with the brave astronauts and cosmonauts who undertook some of these missions, because as a rational thinking human, you can weigh the risks and make a decision to go, knowing full well that you may never come back. But a dog or chimpanzee really has no way to say "Umm, actually now you mention it, NO, I'd rather not be sealed in a capsule and blasted into space - never to walk on a grassy field again. I'd much rather you chose another dog while I happily gnaw on this bone right here..." I was somewhat assuaged back then by the statements made that Laika was fed a poisoned tablet after a certain time, and passed away painlessly. But a few years ago when I read those declassified documents detailing how she actually died under horrendous circumstances, my heart broke all over again...