Jay's Other Stuff

Animal ethicists are calling for a new vocabulary about animals, shunning words such as “pets,” “wildlife,” and “vermin” as derogatory and even suggesting “animal” is a “term of abuse.”

Common language on fauna betrays an “anthropocentric bias” and impedes an understanding of our interaction…

I do think language matters, and I’m down with dropping “owner” in favor of “caretaker,” (or “housemate,” as Maru refers to his human counterpart).

But I think it’s a shame these ethicists are humansplaining on behalf of other animals, instead of respecting how they self-identify.

For example the Feline community has long been on record with their position that humans should be referred to as “Where Food Comes From,” and the proper and respectful terminology for cats is “The One You Give The Food To, And By The Way Where’s My Food”.