The Puppy Bowl Argument
Last weekend I had several discussions with many of my friends about a recently popularized annual television special; “The Puppy Bowl.”
Introduced in the 2000s as an alternative to the Super Bowl, this yearly program has been the talk of alternative types across America. That being said, I think that this is a stupid capitalist program that exploits animals for human enjoyment.
Please do not get me wrong: I am not perfect. In fact, I am (very) flawed. I am guilty of enjoying more than my fair share of dumb capitalist crap. Just ask me about my KISS record collection. But we can roast me at another time, in fact..we are! I digress.
I think what perplexes me the most about my friends defending this event so feverishly is that many of my friends who do so are vegan.Correct me if I’m wrong, but this television event involves training animals and having them perform parlor tricks for human amusement. This practice is a part of a greater concept that an overwhelming percentage of humans seem to have no qualms with: animals are resources that exist to be used by humans.
Try saying that statement aloud. Many humans will become defensive over this issue, but the fact of the matter is this: unless you yourself are vegan (or a ‘true’ freegan, I will give credit) then you agree with this statement. You agree with this statement everyday and show your approval by how you spend your money and what you put into your body.
Whether or not animals being harmed is extremely important, but not my point of relevancy for this argument. My point is that animals have their own interests, and that these interests should not be exploited by humans. Simple as that.
Admittedly I do not know all about the training techniques that are employed by this program, but one might assume that said techniques could be free of cruelty only because a majority of humans deem puppies are being “cute,” and thus deserving of some moral consideration. But as history has shown us, this is never a safe assumption to make. Read up on the current training techniques that are employed by circuses, zoos, Sea World, etc. if you’d like to learn more about that dangerous assumption.
My point is this: if you disapprove of the Super Bowl for political reasons, which I do and many of my friends and acquaintances do, you should in turn disapprove of the Puppy Bowl as well. That and Cats Rule Everything Thing Me. Yes, I’m one of them.
R. NJ
Richard, I please hope you look in to the program. The whole point of the program is to actually bring attention to adoption agencies that all the animals are from. All the animals in the “Puppy Bowl” are actually from shelters and are almost all adopted before it even airs. There are no tricks. No telling dogs to jump through flaming loops. It’s really just puppies socializing except that the floor is covered in a football design.
