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Is there a direct connection between falling birth rates and treating animals as if they were beloved children? It seems like these animals evolutionary strateg
by bradleyjg 3y ago
Is there a direct connection between falling birth rates and treating animals as if they were beloved children? It seems like these animals evolutionary strategy is akin to that of the cuckoo bird.
- jacksnipe 3y agoThe only evolutionary strategy at play here is dog breeders. Also, it’s important not to overly anthropomorphize evolution. It’s not as though animals are choosing their evolutionary strategy, so I find this language misleading.
- bradleyjg 3y agoIs it important to not overly anthropomorphize dogs and cats? Because that’s far more common than doing so for evolution.
- nordsieck 3y ago> It seems like these animals evolutionary strategy is akin to that of the cuckoo bird. Animals have a dual strategy. They can be part of the family or they can be a working animal. > Is there a direct connection between falling birth rates and treating animals as if they were beloved children? I could see treating animals as children being caused by falling birth rates. The opposite seems unlikely, since people have kept pets for a very long time.
- ZunarJ5 3y agoThe film Children of Men missed this part from the book, which is regrettable because it was such an interesting little world building piece.
- pseudalopex 3y agoThe film showed pets everywhere and advertisements on transit for a pet fashion spring collection.
- ZunarJ5 3y agoIt glossed over what was in the book. It got weird.
- pseudalopex 3y agoGlossed over is too strong for me but subjective. Saying the movie missed the connection made it sound absent.
- screye 3y agoDon't know why you're downvoted. Most Americans seems to put in more effort into their dogs, than people used to with their children 100 years ago. Take care of your kid like you'd a long-lived dog, and that's enough attention for long enough. By the end of it, the kid has grown into an adult. The problem is that parents are expected to parent too much. American car centric infrastructure affects this a lot. But, latch key kids turned out just fine, and there is nothing wrong with that model. Pets may not be actively pursuing a parasitic relationship with humans, but it does appear to be manifesting in that form for certain lonely people.
- XCSme 3y agoHaven't pets, especially dogs, been treated as part of the family for a really long time (thousands of years)? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_depictions_of_dogs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_depictions_of_dogs
- r2_pilot 3y agoI can't remember where I read this now, but I seem to recall that dogs were primarily outside companions until recently; the invention of flea/tick controls helped ease their transition inside. I had an inside dog growing up that got fleas one time. It was definitely a lesson in making sure that sort of thing never happened again.
- pfannkuchen 3y agoIt seems like they are like Tylenol for the child nurturing instinct. It doesn’t get rid of it completely but you can get on with your day.
- m000 3y ago> Is there a direct connection between falling birth rates and treating animals as if they were beloved children? Yes, definitely. The cats sabotaged the economy to increase financial insecurity, and the dogs infiltrated r/Parenting to raise human parenting standards to unattainble levels. As a result, people are no longer willing to have babies, and both species have raised their living standards, enjoying the good life and laughing behind our backs. /s