4 ms·

I'm not really an animal person and I briefly dated a vet once and it always used to crack me up how when she was telling a story she would refer to the animals

by rcarr 3y ago

I'm not really an animal person and I briefly dated a vet once and it always used to crack me up how when she was telling a story she would refer to the animals as patients. Like I get it, animals are sentient, have emotions, are intelligent, have ways of communicating etc. But there is still something inherently funny about this to me, like a sketch show where you're zoomed in on what you assume are two doctors in white coats with scrubs and stethoscopes talking about a problematic patient and then the camera cuts to the wide shot and you realise the doctors are actually vets and the trouble causing patient is actually a mischievous dog. Anyway, I bring this up, one because it's funny but two because it highlights how emotionally tough the job is for vets - most people can easily empathise with how hard a surgeon or doctors job must be but can struggle more when it comes to vets. But to these guys these animals are their patients and they feel the same level of responsibility to them that doctors do to humans. It's got to be tough when you have to put so many of them down week after week after week.

partitioned 3y ago
I think its normal to be able to empathize with vets. I don't think I'd really want to be around someone who doesn't empathize with dealing with wounded and dying animals.
rcarr 3y ago
[flagged]
- fishyjoe 3y ago
  You admit not having experience with a certain field and then laugh at the terminology they commonly use? Your comment is unhelpful and barely related to the article. Then you get mad at a group for presumably downvoting your irrelevant comment? Also, I don't feel like "empathizing with animals" is a huge insight that you've cracked. Most people do it.
  - rcarr 3y ago
    Yes, genuine people who aren't playing social games laugh spontaneously, they don't contact the moral police to determine whether they can laugh or not. Other people who are more prone to going with the herd will wait to see what other people are doing and then determine whether they should laugh or not. You actually can see this in real time watching stand up comedians - for certain jokes the majority of the crowd will laugh in a different manner to normal to feedback to the comedian that the joke is funny but dancing on the line of acceptability. A good comedian uses that information and either addresses it immediately or changes their set accordingly. So yes, I found the use of the word "patient" funny because the context shift is funny to me. Like seriously what is your attitude to life, that you're only allowed to laugh about things specific to your own profession? That at all other times you must be deferential with head bowed and no sense of humour? The whole point of comedy is the coming together of unexpected and differing viewpoints on topics, which is an inevitable part of being human, because we all have own own unique backstories which have gone on to shape our views of the world. > Your comment is unhelpful and barely related to the article. I would love to know what you deem qualifies you to be the arbitrer of what is and isn't helpful. My comment may be unhelpful to you but your experience is not everyone's experience, I would wager that for anyone not familiar with this terminology or what vet's face on a day to day basis, then it is likely helpful and relevant. > Also, I don't feel like "empathizing with animals" is a huge insight that you've cracked. Most people do it. I am no longer, but I spent a year as vegan, primarily for reasons of animal empathy, years prior to finding out about this patient terminology. And it still altered my perception. There is more than one way to gain insight and there are different levels of insight. Things look different from different angles. This was a new angle for me. > Then you get mad at a group for presumably downvoting your irrelevant comment? You're downvoting someone for sharing their personal growth experience. After a certain amount of downvotes a post gets flagged and can no longer be seen. So you're essentially trying to silence me, not because I've said anything hateful, but purely because what I've said doesn't align with your own views. And I consider that to be pretty fascist behaviour and I will call it out when I see it because it doesn't lead to good outcomes.
    - fishyjoe 3y ago
      I did not downvote you. It's barely related to the article because it is about suicide and you come in to tell an anecdote about how funny you find it that they use a certain word. Just completely tone-deaf. It's the word they use, nothing funny about it, and an article about suicide among vets is not the place for it. People having different viewpoints does not make you immune to criticism. You could just not talk, you're not the center of the universe.
deadbeeves 3y ago
In reply to your other comment that was flagged: Well, the reason why the Holy Grail killer rabbit is funny is precisely because a rabbit could never jump onto a man's neck and nibble his head off. If killer rabbits were actually a serious yet somehow obscure danger, maybe you'd find it initially funny, but you'd find it much less funny once you've found out many people are losing loved one to the buck-toothed menace. If you hear two people in white robes talking about how they lost a patient to cancer earlier today and how devastated the family was, and you laugh when you find out they're talking about a cat, what does that make you?
- rcarr 3y ago
  [flagged]
mfashby 3y ago
It always makes me chuckle a little bit too, mostly when I see entries for 'species' in the FHIR specification (FHIR is a health care data specification) https://www.hl7.org/fhir/patient.html https://www.hl7.org/fhir/patient.html

by rcarr 3y ago

partitioned 3y ago

I think its normal to be able to empathize with vets. I don't think I'd really want to be around someone who doesn't empathize with dealing with wounded and dying animals.

rcarr 3y ago

[flagged]

fishyjoe 3y ago
You admit not having experience with a certain field and then laugh at the terminology they commonly use? Your comment is unhelpful and barely related to the article. Then you get mad at a group for presumably downvoting your irrelevant comment? Also, I don't feel like "empathizing with animals" is a huge insight that you've cracked. Most people do it.
- rcarr 3y ago
  Yes, genuine people who aren't playing social games laugh spontaneously, they don't contact the moral police to determine whether they can laugh or not. Other people who are more prone to going with the herd will wait to see what other people are doing and then determine whether they should laugh or not. You actually can see this in real time watching stand up comedians - for certain jokes the majority of the crowd will laugh in a different manner to normal to feedback to the comedian that the joke is funny but dancing on the line of acceptability. A good comedian uses that information and either addresses it immediately or changes their set accordingly. So yes, I found the use of the word "patient" funny because the context shift is funny to me. Like seriously what is your attitude to life, that you're only allowed to laugh about things specific to your own profession? That at all other times you must be deferential with head bowed and no sense of humour? The whole point of comedy is the coming together of unexpected and differing viewpoints on topics, which is an inevitable part of being human, because we all have own own unique backstories which have gone on to shape our views of the world. > Your comment is unhelpful and barely related to the article. I would love to know what you deem qualifies you to be the arbitrer of what is and isn't helpful. My comment may be unhelpful to you but your experience is not everyone's experience, I would wager that for anyone not familiar with this terminology or what vet's face on a day to day basis, then it is likely helpful and relevant. > Also, I don't feel like "empathizing with animals" is a huge insight that you've cracked. Most people do it. I am no longer, but I spent a year as vegan, primarily for reasons of animal empathy, years prior to finding out about this patient terminology. And it still altered my perception. There is more than one way to gain insight and there are different levels of insight. Things look different from different angles. This was a new angle for me. > Then you get mad at a group for presumably downvoting your irrelevant comment? You're downvoting someone for sharing their personal growth experience. After a certain amount of downvotes a post gets flagged and can no longer be seen. So you're essentially trying to silence me, not because I've said anything hateful, but purely because what I've said doesn't align with your own views. And I consider that to be pretty fascist behaviour and I will call it out when I see it because it doesn't lead to good outcomes.
  - fishyjoe 3y ago
    I did not downvote you. It's barely related to the article because it is about suicide and you come in to tell an anecdote about how funny you find it that they use a certain word. Just completely tone-deaf. It's the word they use, nothing funny about it, and an article about suicide among vets is not the place for it. People having different viewpoints does not make you immune to criticism. You could just not talk, you're not the center of the universe.

deadbeeves 3y ago

In reply to your other comment that was flagged: Well, the reason why the Holy Grail killer rabbit is funny is precisely because a rabbit could never jump onto a man's neck and nibble his head off. If killer rabbits were actually a serious yet somehow obscure danger, maybe you'd find it initially funny, but you'd find it much less funny once you've found out many people are losing loved one to the buck-toothed menace. If you hear two people in white robes talking about how they lost a patient to cancer earlier today and how devastated the family was, and you laugh when you find out they're talking about a cat, what does that make you?

rcarr 3y ago
[flagged]

mfashby 3y ago

It always makes me chuckle a little bit too, mostly when I see entries for 'species' in the FHIR specification (FHIR is a health care data specification) https://www.hl7.org/fhir/patient.html https://www.hl7.org/fhir/patient.html