Posted on 01/03/2019 7:53:47 AM PST by Kaslin
I wanted to write this column about dogs. If you follow me on Twitter or have read my work elsewhere, you probably know that about me: I like my dogs. Though truth be told, I probably like your dogs, too. Because I just like dogs.
It's a common sentiment. Dog ownership has been going up markedly for a while now. There are some who worry that dogs -- and even cats -- are replacing human children as the objects of our devotion.
There's evidence to support the claim. Many young couples are more eager to have pets than kids. Expenditures on pet insurance have soared. One often sees dogs referred to as "furbabies" on social media. Two decades ago, my wife and I struggled to find hotels on our cross-country drives that would accommodate dogs (at least at a reasonable price). Now, many hotels compete for the attention of dog owners. Some businesses eager to hire skilled young workers have generous bring-your-dog-to-work policies, and some even provide "pawternity" care for new dog owners.
A survey by SunTrust Bank found that 33 percent of first-time home-buying millennials said the desire for a better space for their dog was a factor in their decision. Only 25 percent said marriage was an issue, and just 19 percent said children were.
Psychologist Clay Routledge makes a persuasive case that dog ownership is a symptom of America's very real loneliness crisis. As our society becomes more individualistic, Routledge observed in National Review, "pets may be appealing to some because they lack the agency of humans and thus require less compromise and sacrifice."
And the problem will like get worse because, as Routledge notes, young people report much more anxiety and isolation in the era of the smartphone, which is why anxious college students increasingly request the support of "companion animals."
In his book "Them," Sen. Ben Sasse catalogs America's loneliness crisis. We have fewer and fewer "non-virtual" friends. Americans entertain others in their homes half as much as they did 25 years ago. People don't know -- never mind socialize -- with their neighbors the way they once did.
There's much to ponder and debate here. But it seems obvious that Routledge is onto something.
Which brings me back to what I wanted to write about. I post a lot of videos and pictures of my dogs, Zoe and Pippa, on Twitter, that distorted and distorting window on the national conversation. I also follow many of the hugely popular dog-focused Twitter accounts (WeRateDogs, The Dogist, Thoughts of Dog, etc.).
Dogs -- and animals generally -- are among the few things that bridge the partisan divide. Tragedies are a partisan affair. If someone dies in a hurricane or shooting, there's a mad rush to score political points. Last week, a lovely young woman, Bre Payton, died from a sudden illness, and a bunch of ghouls mocked or celebrated her demise because she was a conservative.
Even babies can be controversial since babies can touch various nerves, from abortion politics to the apparent scourge of "misgendering" newborns.
But dogs are largely immune to political ugliness. The angriest complaints I get about my dog tweets -- from people on both the left and right -- are that I'm wasting apparently scarce resources on dogs when I could be expressing my anger about whatever outrage the complainers demand I be outraged about.
This is one of the reasons I love dogs. Because it is an occupational hazard in my line of work to be constantly drenched in the muck of politics, dogs are a safe harbor. They don't care about political correctness. They don't want to Make America Great Again or join the "resistance." They just want to pursue doggie goodness as they see it.
It strikes me that all of these things are connected. The increasing nastiness of our politics is a byproduct of our social isolation. We look to politics to provide the sense of meaning and belonging once found in community and religion, which is why everything is becoming politicized. The problem is that politics, particularly at the national level, is necessarily about disagreement, which is why it cannot provide the sense of unity people crave from it.
And that's one reason why dogs are so appealing. In an era when everything is a source of discord and politicization, it's good to have something that stands -- and sits and fetches -- apart. Because they're all good dogs.
He may have a point. My dog has never compared Trump to Hilter. Not once.
Goldberg writes an appropriately squishy article.
Go away Jonah, no one likes you.
Personally, I’m tired of Jasper
Spent New years eve at my nieces house with other family members. 4 running and screaming kids and 6 barking dogs made for a lovely evening........Couldn’t get out of there soon enough.
Apparently the author lives in some sort of vacuum. Dogs and Cats are very political. To the left all dogs are not created equal. True leftists believe the only good dog is a “rescue dog”, preferably one who was starving in a third world country and about to be roasted for lunch on the open fire that is used to keep the hut warm. Owning a certified AKC purebred from a reputable breeder is just about as bad as advocating for Eugenics.
California politicians understand this... “Starting January 1, pet stores in California will only be allowed to sell dogs, cats, and rabbits obtained from animals shelters or rescue organizations, as the law known as AB 485.”
https://www.thecut.com/2018/12/california-bans-pet-stores-selling-non-rescue-animals-ab-485.html
There are ALWAYS the annoying jerks who have ONLY ONE issue, and any other issue means you’re a retarded God-hating communist if you care about it as much or more. On both right and left.
There’s no way in the world I’d ever have a dog.
I get my companionship from people, not an animal. Too many people place human characteristics in their pets.
Humans place human characteristics on all sorts of animals, both real and imagined. In fairy tales, children’s books, stuffed animals, etc.
It’s our unconscious way of acknowledging that as beautiful as nature and the animal kingdom are, there’s nothing really interesting going on there on a day-to-day basis. Only the human race provides interesting stories that hold our attention. And God loves a good story as much as people do, that’s why he created us.
Without the human race, there’s no story, just a beautiful backdrop of nature. So we dress up our pets and write books about talking animals, and give teddy bears away at carnivals, in order to include them in both the stories that humans create, and the story of the human race that God has created.
“There’s no way in the world I’d ever have a dog.
I get my companionship from people, not an animal. Too many people place human characteristics in their pets.”
They are different forms of companionship and I enjoy them both. I just lost a wonderful dog* about a month ago and it has left a void in my life that nothing else can fill. Not disagreeing with your preferences, we’re all different.
*Butch. A 120lb Rottie that was an sweetheart that loved to charm the ladies. Our rural mail lady hand delivered a sympathy card with wet eyes when she heard he’d passed.
Its the old women who talk about their grandpuppy that annoy me.
The animal has no human characteristics, nor does it have a soul. It’s not going to heaven when it dies. Jesus did not sacrifice himself for a dog, but for humans.
And if its a service dog, what exact service does it perform? Making you feel good when you pet it is not a service.
While on that topic, when do people who are allergic to cats allowed to not have cats on airplanes?
“Jonah Goldberg” that was as far as I went. No need to read further.
See, I don't have to worry about that. I'm a cat person ...
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... so that makes me a sociopath.
At least you’re honest.
:)
“There’s no way in the world I’d ever have a dog.
I get my companionship from people, not an animal. Too many people place human characteristics in their pets.”
Dogs are way more trustworthy.
“Its the old women who talk about their grandpuppy that annoy me.”
Good lord,that’s second only to hate speech——I don’t blame you for being annoyed./s
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AMEN!
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