"Now you've got me worried. I talk to the family dog."
You really don't think that 80 years of talking animal cartoons had anything to do with the emergence of this whacko animal rights crap? With the emergence of a movement that values animals over people?
The animal rights' movement is miniscule and fringe. In any case, anything that helps stem the tide of animal cruelty is, to me, a good thing.
But, I'm not at all surprised that you see something nefarious behind Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.
I do think it plays a factor, but human beings have been dehumanized. Our present views on animals stem from an emotional response to cute little furballs, who aren't endowed with our reasoning skills or physical abilities. The presence of cartoons alone has nothing to do with that. IMHO, the prolbem lies with the parents, who don't take the time to raise Junior like they are supposed to, because it interferes with their desires and pursuits. Instead, they sit him down in front of the electric babysitter and ignore him for all intents and purposes. With no direction, Junior probably will turn out to value animals more than people, but that's not the fault of the cartoons; IT'S THE FAULT OF HIS PARENTS. Blaming the cartoons (or Harry Potter) for corrupting our children is akin to the argument of the gun control people. (You know the one: Guns kill people. Therefore, guns are bad and should be outlawed.) I call that foolishness. People kill people. The responsbility in the first instance lies with Junior's parents. In the second, with the killer.