You are straying from the original issue which is "is loss of different kinds relatable?" and not "is 1 form of life greater than another". At what level on th

You are straying from the original issue which is "is loss of different kinds relatable?" and not "is 1 form of life greater than another". At what level on the spectrum does the offense creep in when someone tries to relate to the loss of a parent? Is sibling loss relatable? Half-sibling? Cousin? Brother-in-law? Where do we start the grief-gatekeeping? If I lost 5 children and someone told me they lost a parent so they pat me on the shoulder and say they understand, can I be offended? I have lost grandparents before, but felt nothing since I didn't know them. If someone told me they'd lost a grandparent close to them, I think it'd be offensive for me to say I could relate. > I had no idea so many people value animal life above human life. I think this is the problem. When people say they relate they are not claiming "my dog == your mom", merely that they have felt grief through loss of a relationship/bond. As emotional loss is relative, we don't currently have a way to measure if that loss meets threshold levels that make it acceptable for them to converse with us.