Maybe I’m not right all the time
Posted on December 21, 2008 - Filed Under Uncategorized
A funny thing about me: On one hand, I think of myself as very liberally minded, accepting and tolerant of other folks and their choices. On the other hand, I can be very judgmental and maybe even self-righteous when people don’t do what I think is right. (I know–some of you are saying, “Finally! I have been wanting to tell him that for years…thank God he has realized it on his own.”) I don’t know if I am mellowing or not, but a story from the news got me to thinking about this the other day.
Vice President-elect Joe Biden recently purchased a dog, a German Shepherd. Obviously, being a part-owner of four shelter animals, one might expect I had an opinion about this. (Truth be told, I didn’t. I think this sort of thing is not news-worthy. However, if I have an opinion…) There’s no room for purchasing animals when millions die every year, put to sleep because they are not wanted any longer. Let me put it more plainly: millions of people and families purchase animals from breeders every year, only to learn they cannot or will not care for them. These animals end up in shelters and a great number of them are put down. That’s a damn shame. If people resisted the temptation of the ‘perfect pet’ and instead adopted a equally wonderful and loving pet from a shelter, we would not have a pet overpopulation problem. (It should be noted that there are rescue groups out there if someone wants a specific breed.) To me, there’s only one way out of this. It is true that someone would be hard-pressed to be able to reliably predict the temperament of a shelter dog. This presents issues with families, especially those with small children who might be put in danger from a poorly tempered dog. That’s the only reason I can see that could possibly justify purchasing a dog.
Now that I have said that and probably ruffled some feathers, when I read this story about Biden and how people are judging, even condemning, him, I thought, “He and his family ought to be able to make their own choices.” I was really caught off guard by this because it signals a fundemental shift for me. Perhaps, as I said, I am mellowing away from being so judgemental. I doubt, though, I will ever become libertarian, the political philosophy which believes everyone ought to be able to do whatever they want without interference from others (so long as those actions don’t harm others).
One note: Saying he and his family have always two dogs, Biden is taking on a second dog, this one from a shelter.
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