I disagree. I think judgment is a necessary evolutionary characteristic . It allows us to determine how we live our lives, what we value, our morals, goals, and attitudes. By observing and judging others, we are given insight into how we want to be, and how we don’t want to be. Judgment is probably one of the greatest gifts we have been given. It’s known by other names too. Names like, intuition. Intuition tells us if we should walk down that alley and take the shortcut. It’s also called a conscience. Our conscience tells us if something is right or wrong. It’s all using our judgment.
But the real issue that people have a problem with, isn’t judgment on decisions or situations. It’s using it on other people. People that are different. But let’s take it a step further...
Hypothetically, “my neighbor just bought a lion; what the hell is wrong with him? You can’t raise a lion in the suburbs. It’s dangerous, unpredictable, not to mention the amount of kitty litter will be outrageous.”
…Now, my neighbor didn’t buy a lion, as far as I know. It’s illegal without certain permits, but hear me out. If this did happen, the entire suburban population would be in an uproar. HOA’s would go crazy, because they thrive on drama, and citizens would feel unsafe having their children play at the local park when you take Buttons out for his daily stroll. The neighbors will be irate, and rally against you. And even if you send Buttons away, they will alienate you for life because you were crazy and “Stupid” enough to adopt a lion cub.
It is a little crazy. Wild animals are hard to domesticate, and sure they all have those wild instincts that no amount of air freshener can cover up.
But so do we. We evolved for certain purposes (if you don’t believe in evolution, you are either uneducated or stupid, so don’t argue this point of all the ones I’m trying to make, I will not respond to your emails, because I don’t have time to focus on stupidity bred into individuals) as well, namely….judgment for survival.
My point is, the guy who buys a lion is being judged by fellow man. The gay couple down the street don’t get invited to parties, and Hindu next door is assumed to be a cannibalistic creepy guy, and the Muslim guy three streets over is seen as a terrorist.
The truth behind it is, that guy that bought the lion? He didn’t buy it, in fact, he’s an animal rehabilitation specialist that works at your local zoo, and the cub was third generation in captivity who was suffering from a neurological disorder, and the zoo couldn’t care for him anymore. The gay couple down the street function the same as you and your spouse, only they can’t legally get married in 43 states, put their spouses on their insurance, or have children. The Hindu next door follows a strict diet, with relatively little meat, but every morning offers sustenance and sacrifice to their god of choice on their front door step. And the muslim, he may not even be muslim, but you can’t tell the difference, because you judged by their skin color. He may actually be from Bangladesh, Indonesia, England, India, or even American born and a Christian.
Now who feels like an asshole? You do. And you should, because you are.
But we judge. We judge everyone and everything.
So, I shouldn’t be surprised when people cringe when I walk down the street with my pit bull. Or they ask to pet her, then as they gently stroke their hand down her back and her eyes roll into the back of her head in a blissful state; they ask what breed she is, and I tell them she’s a pit bull, they recoil as if burnt.
They thought she was the sweetest thing until they heard the words “pit bull.”
Fine, she’s an American Staffordshire Terrier. I hereby renounce the term “pit bull.” She does not resemble a bull, and she does not reside in a pit, or fight in one. It took some time, but it has dawned on me, that this term is insulting. It’s assuming my dog has fought in a ring.
The damage done to these creatures is not their fault. It’s humans. So why are we blaming the dog, when we should be judging the humans caring for them? Or lack thereof. The damage done is not just physical to these dogs; it’s their reputation. These terriers just want to please us; it’s literally, in their blood. They want love, affection, and cuddling, just like our Shi Tzus, Schnauzers, and Poodles.
100 years ago, these dogs were seen as caregivers, much like the Peter Pan version of Nana, the St. Bernard, and functioned as babysitters, caregivers, and family dogs. The fear of 'pit bulls' is a relatively new concept. It's only been within the last 30 years or so, that we've experienced the widespread discrimination against this breed.
But what you may not know is that over the years, many dogs that now are considered “family friendly” by our society were once, and some still are, feared by the general public.
The Rottweiler, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Pyrenean Mountain Dog (a great goat herding dog), St. Bernard, Australian Shepherd, Chow Chows, Husky, Malamute, Great Mountain Dog, Boxer, and even Dalmations.
http://www.understand-a-bull.com/Articles/HeroicPitties/HeroicPitties.htm
http://dogsinthenews.com/stories/070301a.php
These Terriers are also trained as service dogs. So tell me…if they are so dangerous as a breed, why would we train them to be service dogs? Why would they save the lives of humans at the expense of their own?
It’s not the breed, it’s the owner. I cannot describe how much these words ring true. We’ve all heard it, and close-minded individuals disagree. But remember, the next time someone says it’s the breed; you can respond in one of the following ways...
You can either tell them they are stupid and uneducated, or you can tell them, if it’s the breed, then it’s their fault, because we bred them that way. It’s their fault that they doomed a breed. Also tell them, that you’ll make sure that if their house catches on fire, they get attacked on the streets, or someone breaks in, you’ll make sure that your dog doesn’t save their life, and that no one else should let their pets help either.
So before you judge, try squeezing and hugging the crap out of a big drooly face, and watch their eyes, with their pretty eyelashes bat at you, and let them collapse on you, with the full weight of their love. Then you can judge the dog. If not, judge the person.