Tuesday, April 24, 2007

I wish I was a white person's pet


especially a dog.

In case you didn't know this; white people really really treat their pets well. I swear, white people love their pets more than they love people. Seriously, they have clothes for their pets, gourmet foods for their pets, exercise schools for their pets, they take their pets in their cars everywhere with them, they have pet hotels,......well, you get the picture. I hope your life never depends on a white person choosing between you and their pet, or trust me, you will be a dead SOB.

I heard a white guy on the radio once talking about the fact that he just paid $3,000 to try to save his dog's life after some type of growth was found on its throat. He says the dog was old (11 years old I think) and even though the dog died, he said it was worth every penny. And I have a co-worker who pays $30 per day to keep his dog in the doggy day-care while both he and his wife are working . And he is not alone. If you have some money and want to open a profitable business, you might want to consider a doggy day care or a pet hotel in Center City, Philadelphia. You would be rich!

Ten people were shot to death this past weekend in Philadelphia, but that was still page two news here. Now I guarantee you that if there were ten dogs shot all across the city, white people would be losing their f*****g minds. It would be on FOX and CNN. "What? Ten dogs shot? My God what is this country coming to? How can someone just shoot an innocent dog?" The life expectancy of the average white person's pet is probably longer than that of an infant in most poor neighborhoods in this country. The infant mortality rate of puppies as opposed to little Indian and poor black and white children. Mmmmm, it would be interesting to find that out, wouldn't it? Hey, I am sure it's close, cause I bet white people spend more on their pet's health- care than us black folks spend on our own kids. (Someone should consider doing a study on that one)

And don't even get me started about you black folks and your pets. Damn you all treat your pets bad. I mean why would a dog or a pet even want to be owned by a black person? And honestly, you all don't need to be having pets any damn way. You don't have to do everything that white folks do. They can afford it, you can't. I remember I had a black lab when I was in law school, named Virgo -may his soul rest in peace. My girlfriend at the time didn't even want Virgo in the house when she came over, (black folks don't keep their pets in the house) and she would lose her f*****g mind when Virgo came around her. I bet if I had a white girlfriend she wouldn't have had a problem with Virgo being in the house. Why? Because white people are programed from child hood to love their pets. Black people are programed to treat their pets like....well animals. We use them to guard our shit while white folks see them as a part of the family.

So now the country is in an uproar because poison was found in some pet food. As a result, white folks are losing their freaking minds again. Law suits are flying left and right, every major news outlet is on the story, and even congress is getting involved. I saw a white lady in the paper and she was beside her self with grief and rage because her pet had died from tainted pet -food. The inhumanity! I mean, the in-pet-manity! I really hope that the Republic can survive this.

Any day now those CEO's from Purina and all those other pet companies will be doing a perp walk just like Ken Lay from Enron did.  White folks will be watching and cheering every tortured step.

On a more serious note:

Before I go I would like to apologize to Condoleezza Rice for referring to her as the "
bad perm lady" in the past. I am publicly apologizing (something I never do) because in light of what happened recently with Don Imus, I realize that I am somewhat of a hypocrite. I can't rip the old coot for calling my sisters "nappy headed hoes", when, in essence, I was doing the same thing in a public forum about the most powerful sister in the country.

So Condi, I am sorry for my choice of words, and I will never call you the "bad perm lady" again.

81 comments:

Unknown said...

field - you are definitely one of a kind my brother! I enjoyed this post from beginning to end ... especially the recognition that Black folks have pets to guard shit ... while white folks have pets as part of their family (smile)!

peace, Villager

 Incognomen said...

The problem is that you live in an urban area where the dogs and cats are surrogate children. The reason why it seems like a white thing is that most whites have basically stopped reproducing. 100 years ago, the world was about 40% white, now it's around 12%.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that there's good news--our great grandchildren won't have to deal with crazy white people obsessing over toy poodles.

Ferdzy said...

Coming out of lurkdom to say that as a non-pet-owning white person this gave me a snicker. My spouse and I both have allergies/asthma, and when both sets of parents realized that if they wanted us to visit, the pets would have to go, it was a definite dilemma... solved only by the old age and death of the pets!

But yeah, while I think people should treat animals well, and that deliberate cruelty to animals is often just the starting point for cruelty to people, I have to wonder why (white) people can't get a little more worked up about the injustices suffered by other people. As a Canadian, though, I think that it's more a class thing than a race thing, per se. At least I know I've seen a number of black people who seem to wuv their pets just as dearly as anyone else.

field negro said...

Thanks villager.

LOL at peter Johnson's post :)

Welcome ferdzy, no need to lurk; always feel free to come right into the fields.

BTW, I love your country.

Ferdzy said...

Thanks, Field.

Actually, I meant to add, don't be too quick to brush off this pet-food poisoning scandal as over-reacting white people. I think there are a lot of implications for "people" food here too. At least, we've heard of at least one batch of dogfood that was subpar... so they fed it to humans! (Yes, alright, via pigs, but still.) I think this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to contaminated food on this continent.

I love my country too, but lately it exasperates me.

I spent a year living in Philadelphia a long time ago, and while it was not an entirely positive experience, I actually liked the city very much.

field negro said...

ferdzy, I do understand that it's a serious subject. Although you probably can't really tell from my post. My writing takes some getting used to. But trust me, the fact that I am even posting on the subject, means that it's serious to me.

Sorry about your Philly experience. When you are ready for a return visit let me know.

I will be glad to show you around. I think you wil enjoy the city a lot more this time.

Anonymous said...

So now the country is in an uproar because poison was found in some pet food. As a result, white folks are losing their freaking minds again. Law suits are flying left and right, every major news outlet is on the story, and even congress is getting involved. I saw a white lady in the paper and she was beside her self with grief and rage, because her pet had died from tainted pet food. The inhumanity!! I mean, the in-pet-manity! I sure hope the republic can survive.

Any day now, those CEO's from Purina and all those other pet companies, will be doing a perp walk just like Ken Lay from Enron did. And white folks will be watching and cheering every tortured step.


BWA HA HA HA HA HA

I thought I was the only one who noticed how White folks treat their pets.

I only had fish, and when they died, that was it for me and pets, so I TOTALLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE PET THING.

I can only say, from observing other folks, that they feel the pet is part of the family.

I'm not a pet person, and sorry FN, I'd be like your Black girlfriend with Virgo - not while I'm in the house. Since I won't treat pets like family, I know better than to have any.

BTW, I'm freaking out about the pet food because I know how lax the FDA is about food testing PERIOD, and I believe this has shown that we, as a country, are quite vulnerable to attacks on our food supplies. I'm paranoid enough to think that the pet thing was a dry run for something possibly more sinister.

Anonymous said...

Hello, FN. Have you by chance ever been to Germany? If you think American white people love dogs, over there the dogs can darn near for City Council.

Not unusual in many country restaurants there to see a number of large, fairly obedient dogs under the table. When German executives get placed in the U.S., they sometimes apparently get a "dog allowance" or get the costs of caring for a household dog here added into their package. I think it's because their personalities are a little easier to take than German peoples' personalities (am ethnically entitled to that slap, my "tribe.")

Tafari said...

@ my job over the last 2 weeks, to people had a sick/dying cat & they are dropping some real money. One person's cat did die & they paid like 500 to cremate his but before they they were breaking off change for treatments.

Another co-word has a cat going through chemo. Like the bastard I am , I asked if he was going to loose all of his fur & she broke down crying asking me why was I being so insensitive. Come on, let them mutha die, he is half my damn age.

Lastly, fuck that, Condi does have a bad perm & needs to go natural with the quickness IHMO of course.

Anonymous said...

Field, I laughed my butt off as I read your post re: White folks and their pets. A whole lot of truth in what you say. I even shared your post with my brother, who also got a good chuckle.

RE: Pets in the house: Do they still make dog houses?

Funny: My mother always thought it selfish that my brother and I did not grow up with a dog or a cat, even though my mothe grew up on a farm, and in her young adulthood had a cat. My father had a dog as a boy.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and have you seen how some people make copies of their dead pet? They are willing to drop thousands of dollars to reproduce their dead cat or dog, via in-vitro fertilization. They're even looking to expand into cloning technology!

Anonymous said...

Dog, (no pun intended) there is a weekend protest at this fur store that has been going on for over a year. There were like ten folks out there this weekend. They've been so persistent that they've driven the owners out of business.

Of course, the protesters are white. I had to suppress the urge to tell this one cat (sorry) we could use some of his help in the black community. They don't get it.

This guy I know said that if a dog had been beaten on videotape like Rodney King, no jury in America would have acquitted them. I agree.

Anonymous said...

Well you are right- my smelly old girl is an inside dog, and part of the family for the most part. I'm not ashamed of that in the least. But I could never spend the money that others do on their pets. I also realize that my pet is at the core is still a pet, and would never EVER put it above a human. People come over, dog goes OUT. Dog hurts human, dog PUT down. It's very simple in my mind.

She's been a wonderful companion, but there is absolutely no need to spend thousands upon thousands or get worked up over poison in dog food (in regards to pets dying) when they have such a short life span to begin with. I agree with rikyrah in regards to the bigger picture about the FDA and food poisoning. If it can slip into the dog food, it can slip into ours. And it has.

As always, loving your style and the way you make your points. I swear, even in regards to animals, we whites are just nutty!

Kip said...

@ Field Negro

The fact is that it is a general rule that people who treat animals bad usually treat people bad, people who treat animals good in general will have a stronger tendency to treat humans good. The good treatment that whites give animals especially dogs is a reflection of white cultural values, and if one observes whites in general treat white people good. Now, blacks in general are the total opposite -- blacks train animals like dogs to be mean and violent to protect property and sometimes just too scare other people. Blacks also have many members of their racial group who enjoy mistreating blacks, and blacks mistreat and neglect dogs and animals more frequently than whites. This shows that there is a general rule that people who mistreat and neglect animals will have a stronger tendency to mistreat members of their own ethnicity and mistreat members of other ethnicities.

Black sub cultural dominate in black America and blacks as a collective do not value black people very highly, look at all of the unprovoked murders that are black on black. Also, whites and other ethnic groups are not obligated to come in and fix black pathologies, self hate, feelings or inferiority, etc no more than blacks are obligated to come in and fix white pathologies and the pathologies of colored ethnic groups (non-whites). As a matter of fact the other ethnic groups and whites don’t want blacks trying to fix their problems; they feel blacks need to focus on their own troubles.

But blacks often want whites to come and fix their social ills and pathologies; they want whites to fix black on black hate and violence. Why is this? Because blacks know that blacks in general care little and don’t value black people very much even some black leaders don’t value blacks’ very much. They feel that whites have a higher standard of morality than the collective black race. Whites are not perfect and they have done so very unpleasant things and deserve to be called out on the carpet and taken to task but at the same time they do a lot of good. The fact that blacks view them as being morally higher verifies that whites have a lot of good in them.

Also Field Negro it is good that you disagree with some-things that whites do but at the same-time you acknowledge that whites do treat animals well. I complement for that because a lot of people criticize whites myself included sometimes, but they do not want to admit that whites do show signs of higher moral standards. This shows a type of honesty on your part Field Negro, people who are honest about the good and bad that particular people do show that there is a general fairness in them when evaluating ethnicities.

I would like to say something on the Philadelphia murder rate which is predominantly black on black but this comment is long enough.

I wonder should I open up a forum on my website where everybody can post and discuss various issues I have the server to do.

Peace Treaty At (@)) Field Negro

T.C. Dipped said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
credo said...

Listen, I use to deliver mail in raced white neighborhoods, and after seeing the dogs that protected their property, I no longer called them dogs, just fierce animals.

I was recently in the room with some folks that were running over and reaching for dog treats from raced white folks.

I copied your post and put it on my spot. I hope you don't mind.

And somebody need to do something about 10 folks beening snuffed out in a two day period.

I don't care what they call your city, but that is insane. One body is too many, ten something is worse. The whole city should be outraged.

Anonymous said...

"Another co-word has a cat going through chemo. Like the bastard I am , I asked if he was going to loose all of his fur & she broke down crying asking me why was I being so insensitive. Come on, let them mutha die, he is half my damn age."

Damn bygbaby,chemo for Fido?

No,but seriously, thanks for all the examples you all gave, and I think it proves my larger point.

At the same time, ghostface made a good point about how we treat our pets being in some ways a reflection of our value system in society, and I think that's important.

Honestly, we as black folks need to respect life a whole lot more. I know that white folks may go over board with their pets, but hell, we don't go far enough with our own brothers and sisters when it comes to respecting their lives. We are snuffing each other out in record numbers.

Yeah, it's crazy here in Killadelph. and we are outraged. But until our Mayor and other so-called leaders show enough political will and courage to try and do something about it, the beat will go on.

(we are at 128 murders and counting as of today 04/25/07)

Dangerfield said...

@ Credo


mark bey: I went over to your website and noticed a post about Ida b Wells anyway I have a black history audio blog that I am developing and I have started to record and then upload the Autobigraphy of Ida B Wells and you can download it to your computer or Ipod to listen to while you excercise, daily chores ect. Any the of the blog is The black history Audio Journal, here is the adress. http://markbey.wordpress.com/


Pt1 http://www.markbey.com/iola1%2001.mp3
Pt2 http://www.markbey.com/iola2%2001.mp3


Anyway if you get the chance check out the links and let me know what you think.

Dangerfield said...

Yo Field Ive seen some white folks who play with thier dogs and then go eat without washing thier hands, and a dog or cat should never be allowed to sleep in the bed. Also that kissing the dog stuff is disgusting especially when you factor in the fact that dogs enjoy licking themselves in certain not cool places. Period.

Francis Holland said...

Field, you have a gift for telling a serious message in a humorous way.

Ten people were shot to death this past weekend in Philadelphia, but that was still page two news here. Now I guarantee you, that if there were ten dogs shot all across the city, white people would be losing their f*****g minds.

That's the truth, no doubt about it!

Now, I confess that my dog is among my best friends, but then I'm kind of a loner sometimes. My dog is always eager to go to the beach with me (my favorite activity), even when my wife is working and the kids prefer to watch television.

My dog always loves me even when I'm in a bad mood, and she sits under my chair, no matter what chair I sit in.

My second wife was from Florida and there dogs definitely did not live in the house. So, I didn't buy a dog when I was with her, because I couldn't imagine making my dog sleep outside. What's the point of having a dog who doesn't sit under the table at dinnertime and lick your fingers for you? (My present wife doesn't hardly agree with me, but she accepts me as I am, even though she is jealous of the dog and the dog is equally jealous of her.)

My father and our family dog "Tammy" were best friends as well. She'd run three blocks to meet him when she heard him whistling on the way home from work, and she reluctantly but obediently did everything he told her to do. That's always been my model for friendship between people and dogs, although my dog doesn't obey me nearly as much.

Please have a look at this article I wrote, entitled Anger and Disgust at White Male Leadership Fuel Contributions and Polling of Clinton, Obama.

Francis Holland said...

O, Field, I can see how calling Condoleezza the "bad perm lady" accesses the double-bind that she's in: If she wears an afro or braids, people, including many Blacks, will say that she is "too Black" for such a responsible position. Many people will demand that she straighten her hair.

When she does straighten her hair, her natural hair resists being straightened and it ends up looking awkward, because it is a cheap copy of white people's hair instead of a real affirmation of Black people's beautiful natural hair.

So, the woman really is in a bind. Maybe we shouldn't ridicule her for being a victim of a culture that hates Black people as we are naturally and that also hates us nearly as much even with our hair straightened.

You will know when we are really liberated as a people and race is "not a problem" in America, because whites and Blacks will have learned to accept Blacks' hair in its beautiful natural state, instead of obliging us to try to copy white hair, which is never completely successful for our hair or our culture and self-esteem.

Kip said...

@ Field Negro

I feel Guilt, mulattoism, suicide, and lack of love

Also, blacks act out due to a feeling of lack of love from other blacks they encounter in daily life. Many black folks can feel the lack of affection and secretive dislike that certain blacks carry inside of them. Blacks know that this dislike and lack of affection is because these certain blacks dislike or hate blacks. Example you say hello to a fellow black and they don’t say anything back they pretend they did not hear you. They keep walking and ignore you. This creates a feeling of coldness and chill over your body because your heart senses the lack of reciprocity meaning the person did not show kindness back -- and this hurt’s emotionally and mentally. This makes blacks start to dislike blacks too, it is hard to blame them.

After awhile all of these little unkind attitudes that blacks show towards other blacks build up – and creates a emotional hardness in blacks who have experienced these unkind attitudes. I say to myself, I am surprised that blacks don’t commit suicide in large numbers if whites had to go through the same types of unkind behaviors and attitudes from fellow whites many whites would commit suicide. This makes blacks not care about inflicting pain on other blacks because in their eyes many blacks are rude, mean spirited, selfish, and uncaring towards their fellow blacks.

I feel guilty sometimes because in my case when I experience these unkind behaviors from other blacks I can at least say that I AM mixed and it shows in my features. I am really a mulatto type dude nothing more heck my mother is a mulatta, she does even have hair like blacks she needs no perms. At least I can say that us mulattoes (light skins), creoles, and Cajuns were just thrown in with the black race. This creates a type of comfort in me. But what about those blacks who are dark skin and caramel skin when people look at then they really just view them as black. How are they suppose to feel when they encounter this rudeness from blacks? At least I can say well I really am not black or white I am something in between and this thought comforts me. I really care not how others view me I know what genetically has been proven. If this crap among blacks continues combined with psychologically institutionalized white racism the black race is going to explode with violence and this country is going down. It will never be the same.

If I had my way, I would make all blacks genetically mulattto looking – they would be mixed with black, white, Asian, Latino (Hispanic), Creole, Samoan, and all kinds of other ethnic groups. Some would be black and white, some black and Asian, some Black and Latino, etc etc and they would be proud of their African, European, Latino, and other ethnic heritages that they are mixed with similar to what is in Brazil mixture wise. And, never again will people hrut them because they descended from the land of Africa because now yes now, they are mixed with the mother and father lands of other countries.

At Field Negro Peace treaty

The Christian Progressive Liberal said...

Well, Field, let me set your mind at rest regarding Black people with dogs.

I grew up with a chihuachua who was a good dog, and trained to go do her business in the yard. Then my dad brought home a lazy, good-for-nothing bulldog mix, who would let strangers on the damn porch. At least the chihuahua would let you know if someone was in the yard from inside the house. She was a good pet, a good companion and a good watchdog, little as she was.

The mix got jealous and led Trixie off to get lost.

My brother and I mourned Trixie's loss. We thought we'd never see her again.

Then, one day, we were riding our bikes about five blocks away from our house when I spotted Trixie in someone's yard. A white family, to be exact.

So when my dad came home from work, he went to get Trixie. The white family didn't mind - they already had about five dogs, anyway, and just really took good care of Trixie, until my dad went to get her.

She was happy to see us...until she hopped into bed with my mom.

Now, Field, you know that's a no-no for dogs owned by black families back in the day, LOL!

Until she died, we could not break Trixie of that habit of sleeping in our beds when we weren't at home. My mother blamed the white folks for that one...;-).

Was it D. L. Hughley who joked that when we (Blacks) come into a pet store, the dogs act like they're dead because they hope we don't pick them for a pet? LOL!

The Christian Progressive Liberal said...

I forgot: does anyone remember that case out in my home state (California) where a guy who got a slight fender-bender from a woman following him - had so much road rage that he reached into her car and threw her Bison-Friase (sp) out into incoming, rush-hour traffic on Highway 101? That poor dog was flattened by the first vehicle that caught him under his wheels.

His poor mistress saw the whole thing.

When the local media ran pictures of Leo, the dog, in all of his white-pretty, innocent fluffiness, I, along with most Northern Cali folk, wanted that bastard responsible for his death, fried!!!

Tips poured in on a hotline - they caught dude (a white guy) within 1 week. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to 3 years in Folsom State Prison.

Only murderers, rapists and child molesters get sent to Folsom...

Anonymous said...

great post field but best ghostface's comments kinda irked me:

best ghostface said ''she does even have hair like blacks she needs no perms''- is this supposed to mean that black women need to have perms because they have afro hair? your comment is walking on the line of offending someone (well maybe just me).

bets ghostface said ''And, never again will people hrut them because they descended from the land of Africa because now yes now, they are mixed with the mother and father lands of other countries.'' -- also best ghostface, what is wrong with purely being from Africa or having predominately black blood and not being mixed? just confused and need clarification.

animals pretty much are laughing their heads off these days. i wonder what the leader of PETA would do when she realises that a crocodile won't relent to eat her up?
--A

west coast story said...

It's not just white folks. My cousin fed her poodle to death. It was the world's first sausage poodle. The dog wheezed because it could hardly breathe it was so fat. The first time I met these people, my cousin served the dog steak cut into nice little pieces. And we be black folks.

When I attended college, we used to joke that black folks became more visible on campus about the same time as dogs did. And I'm talking about visible in classrooms. Rainy days were awful because the smell of wet dog permeated the whole class.

The big hysteria around these parts are dog parks. White folks throw down over which parks their dogs have a right to poop all over. Screaming matches in city council meetings. It's nuts.

Anonymous said...

Mark and Francis, I will check out those links. I know you both have some good projects going so it wil be worth while.

Thanks for the story christian progressive liberal, that was too funny. But I am not feeling the love from you for putting Amy Holmes out there :) Especially since I have been getting nasty e-mails for putting such a dime piece in the house. What's up with that?

Ghostface, like aulelia, I am somewhat confused about your stance. Are you saying that because "people hurt them because they come from mother Africa" they would be better off looking mixed?

Not sure I agree with that, I look like I come from mother Africa, and I am pretty proud of my features. I know that being a brother of mixed race you go through a whole different struggle, which is interesting in of itself. So I do welcome your perspective, and I find the entire discussion facinating. Just know that you are going to get the occasional ?????, and a need for clarification from the likes of aulelia and myself when these issues are raised.

BTW, I have no problem with a field Negro Peace Treaty, I just don't want to get caught with my guard down ;)

T.C. Dipped said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
west coast story said...

Looks like the tainted pet food has already hit the people food chain. Might be good to skip the 'cue for a couple of weeks.

http://cbs5.com/topstories/local_story_114212038.html

The Christian Progressive Liberal said...

Field:

OMG! Please forgive this fellow Field Negress for not showing you some love regarding the House Negro of the Day.

Like Chris said, let those who are giving you grief listen to her sound like she's a female Clarence Thomas, and they will go "Oh, hell to the No!" when they hear her, no matter what a "dime" piece she is.

She might use her looks to set a brotha up for lynching. But you brothas never seem to get past a pretty face, even though the woman could be Jezebel's sister.

Woozie said...

They can taint our hoods with crack, they can taint our pet food, but when they taint our chitlins, THAT is where we draw the line! Give me pork or give me death!

Anonymous said...

Like Chris said, let those who are giving you grief listen to her sound like she's a female Clarence Thomas, and they will go "Oh, hell to the No!" when they hear her, no matter what a "dime" piece she is.

She might use her looks to set a brotha up for lynching. But you brothas never seem to get past a pretty face, even though the woman could be Jezebel's sister.


LMAO

This is too funny for words. Until the Imus thing, I always shook my head. And looked her up, and she has a boyfriend old enough to be her Daddy?

Issues.....LOL

Suggestion for House Negro.

Cam'ron ' I don't snitch'

Relates quite a bit to your situation in Killadelphia, doesn't it FN?

Tafari said...

I was at Panera Bread today for lunch & while in line, I happened to glance over a this guy reading an article in the newspaper on bestiality. a) I was like who in the hell would put something like that in the paper & it was a long article & b) I thought about this post.

Making no sense,
Bygbaby

Kip said...

@ Field Negro

The answer to your question is no that is not what I am saying.

Liz Dwyer said...

Field,
I'm telling everyone I know about Philly's murder rate. Folks are in shocked...and wondering what they should do if they don't live there.

And you are right on with this pet craziness. I have a co-worker who just maxed out her credit card paying $5K for surgery for her dog (it has the doggie version of a torn ACL). Now she wants to have fund raisers to help her pay it off. She is actually emailing folks in our office asking them to contribute.

"As you all know, Sophie is my best friend. She sleeps with me every night, has been by my side through every bad breakup, and is my running partner in the morning. I can't live without her."

White folks in my office are actually giving her money. Black folks...oh wait, I'm the only black person in my office and hell no, I'm not giving her a dime. So guess what, they're talking about me because I won't! Ain't that some b.s.!

Not Your Mama said...

The whole pet food scandal was somewhat misleading....real pet lovers would never feed their animals packaged food from the grocery store in the first place. Sorry but I had to laugh at the woman in the 500K house who bought dog food at Wal-Mart, she'd probably feed her kids at Mc/Donald's too.

I have to agree with the person who tied the way people treat animals to the way they treat other humans...I've never run across a real animal lover who would be ok with mistreating people. It's about having respect for life...period. All life.

I think some of the examples you gave were more reflective of people using animals as an extension of their own egos...not of people who actually love animals.

Dogs really do not value outerwear, jewelry, or trips to day spas. If they wanted to please their dogs they'd buy them an ass-flavored chew toy and let them cruise for stray turds to munch on, that's what dogs really enjoy.

Jameil said...

you are insane! lmao! i have talked about this so many times but don't think i will ever stop being amazed. i had a (black) friend who adopted a cat but took him back saying a white person would let it walk all over the countertops and do whatever it wanted and she just couldn't.

there are people at work who are always indifferent when people do crazy stuff to each other but AGHAST if anythihng happens to an animal. ANIMALS ARE PEOPLE TOO!!! wth? COME ON! but i know a black woman who is OBSESSED with her dog. he has all manner of clothes and designer collars just like his momma. of course at an hbcu we all looked at her sideways. whatev crazy.

Francis Holland said...

University of Virginia Apologizes for Using Slave Labor Between 1819 and 1865. Harvard Professor Law School Professor Charles Ogletree says apologies are not enough for slavery, pushes for restitution.

Francis Holland said...

@ Gostface:

Like Black psychiatrist Carl C. Bell, MD, of the American Psychiatric Association, I propose that what Bell calls "pathological bias" needs to be acknowledged as a mental disorder in its extreme forms. Part of the reason this is necessary is exactly what you pointed out: Certainly, white people have more power in the world.

But, many Black people treat one another with disdain, disrespect, and even hatred and physical abuse, manifesting, when it becomes extreme, what I call Extreme Color-Aroused Emotion, Ideation and Behavior Disorder.

It is very important that we study, diagnose and treat this illness in whites AND in Blacks - because at present Blacks with this condition are being imprisoned or diagnosed by psychiatrists as "schizophrenic," "paranoid," "neurotic," and a host of other labels that ignore the real social causes and potential treatment modalities of Black people's and white people's emotional distress.

When we refuse to acknowledge that this is an illness, we minimize its severity and we forestall the day when white people and Black people who suffer from this illness can finally get the help they need. Today, whites and Blacks can get diagnosed and receive insurance coverage for alcoholism and drug addiction, but if we hate and want to kill our co-workers simply because of their skin color then we are on our own, because this is not yet considered to be a "mental problem."

When whites drag a Black man to death behind a pick-up truck, no one considers the most obvious reason for this behavior: Many whites who manifest such extreme ideation, emotion and behavior - that is aroused simply when they perceive the skin color of another person - MUST be mentally ill.

If this reaction involved anything OTHER than skin color, psychiatry would already be diagnosing and treating this illness, so that sufferers would not end up in jail and victims would not end up in the graveyard.

Anonymous said...

In reflecting off of this thought from "not your mama"'s last post -

“I've never run across a real animal lover who would be ok with mistreating people. It's about having respect for life...period. All life”

This conversation gets tricky. I once gave a speech in which I spoke critically about the phenomenon of white kids going to do charity work (in the example I gave, it was reffering to after Katrina) – not because there was something inherently bad about a person doing charity, but because it was important to recognize this work was/is not transformative and because of this, can often serve as a mask or distraction from the larger, transformative work that needs to be done. Someone argued with me that it was awful, in this world, to speak negatively of something hopeful – someone doing something positive….

…and I had to clarify – I am not speaking critically about the individual or their intentions. I am speaking critically about the bigger picture, the work being done. I think it is important to make this distinction in analysis – such an analysis is always examining a sort of duality. Looking both at an individual, operating in their particular context, and that same individual operating as members of collectivities in a larger context...

(in the same way that I can read a book like Black Like Me and value what it says (it’s the narrative and analysis of a white man who took skin injections to appear black and observed people’s reactions to him, etc…when he travelled through the segregated south…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Like_Me)…and yet be critical about the fact that such a book got mainstream public attention when black people can and have talked about their experiences being black in segregated south and didn’t get similar attention….i mean that’s just absurd… and it is MEANINGFUL about our world, about priorities, about systems and institutions of inequality and racism. SO I guess this is the duality – looking at the individual and looking at their role in perpetuating institutions.

(And while I’m on this – I apologize for jumping from topic to topic this is just how my brain makes connections – there is an INCREDIBLE play being done on the history of Blackface Minstrelsy by two guys out of Cal Arts which is BRILLIANT and INCREDIBLE and they are bringing it around to schools and whatever other sites will bring them to perform. I saw them in NYC and these guys are amazing. Check it out at www.seethedance.com … One of the best things I thought they did was present this duality – for example, expressing empathy for the MAN, Burt Williams (famous black actor who performed blackface), who paved the way for black actors in entertainment today, yet simultaneously perpetuated the degrading stereotypes of “blackness” seen in minstrelsy (created and written by whites, of course).

ANYWAY, wow, sorry it takes me so long to get to any sort of point, if there is one – but I think what comes up in my head is the issue of PRIORITIES. It is relevant how we PRIORITIZE…like in this whole Imus business, how hip hop suddenly became the focus of racism and misogyny INSTEAD of white supremacy and its manifestations. There is truth to and value in examining misogyny, etc. in hip hop, but when this is prioritized ahead of examining it in the larger context of white society, this is a PROBLEM!

…there’s a great Isaac Julien film about Ragga culture and he quotes Ice Cube in there saying something like “yeah we in the black community have car-jackings – but look at America – you have COUNTRY JACKINGS (look at Panama!)…I think Dyson has a lot of good stuff to say on this as well…

Dear god I digress – so back to the example of pets - I’m not going to (and I don’t think anyone else did) attribute the inhumanity of valuing animal life above human life SPECIFICALLY to an animal lover. But this does not detract from the truth of the collective trend people have been pointing to – that there is something SICK, and (not surprisingly) characteristic of white-supremacist Amerika -- about the fact that pet lives could be valued while human life (black and brown, that is) is not.

I think the Rodney King example is brilliant – seriously – it that had been a dog, there would have been a HUGE uproar! It’s the same ish as people freaking out when a white child goes missing but mums the word if it’s a black child. No one would claim the white child doesn’t deserve concern and outrage…but when it’s specifically at the EXPENSE of black children.

And THIS is the key – America’s priorities are revealed when we choose white children OVER black children, when we choose pets over people, when we choose….

At the risk of jumping into too many directions with my redundant blabber (I tend to brainbarf on paper, my apologies) – James Cone (founder of Black Theology, wrote a great book on debunking the legacies of King and X, among things) – wrote a great article about the Environmental movement and how if it DOESN’T engage racism, the movement is inherently racist. So someone saving fish off the coast of Florida isn’t a bad person, but by not integrating racism into their analysis, they ARE doing work to perpetuate the system on which THIS country was founded. Because silence about white supremacy is ALWAYS an act of racism since non-humanity of black people was codified into the constitution in the same breath as the principles of freedom, democracy, and equality.

Cone article -
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2096/is_2000_Spring-Summer/ai_63300890/print

Individuals have blindspots…and the particular blind spots of various privileged people are not arbitrary. As a white person, I have the white privilege blindfold on and that affects the work I do, the things I see as relevant, the choices I make…and my choices have more power in the world in certain realms when my [allowed/acceptable] silences feed into affecting and limiting the life opportunities of people subject to institutional oppression that I am not victim to…

So it MATTERS….


-Elizabeth

Anne said...

Over-generalizing just a little bit, aren't you? I only know one person who does all that stuff for her pet, and she's BLACK.
Nice blog. I respect what you're doing to help people/the community.

Christopher Chambers said...

Field, have they done any studies on what the brothas on the block have been feeding their pits and Rotts? Mr. Su's bulletproof mini-mart ain't selling premium organic dogfood, so I'm sure we have some deaths in E. baltimore and W. Philly, too.

That said, I think you'll see the focus shifting now that the Chinese have been putting this same crap in human food-wheat products. Notice how even when their own safety is in peril, whitefolks won't utter a peep--unless yeah, some little white girl in suburban wherever dies from this same tainted additive that they were tripping about when the "victims" were their precious pets.

Recal how "Planet of the Apes" came about? A dog and cat epidemic...

west coast story said...

I fear this discussion has ventured where no wo/man has ever gone before. Apropos of the last few posts, I see your Planet of the Apes and raise you Annie Hall:

"The food there is so awful"

"And such small portions, too."

Anonymous said...

west coast story, I think you are wrong, the discussion has been consistently enlightening-all those experiences, and Elizabeth's great comments are perfect examples.

Anne, I understand that I am over generalizing-I tend to do that-chalk it up to being a victim of similar perceptions. Hey, we live in America, what else can I say.

west coast story said...

Field: Maybe because I'm just getting old but I do believe that black folks spend a lot of time ruminating about the race issue in ways that aren't particularly productive because we can't control what other people think or their motivations.

I wish I could get people to spend as much time cleaning up their neighborhoods or working for better programs for youth as we do talking. It isn't that I'm not reflective but at some level, there are diminishing returns for how deeply we want to analyze things.

It's like so many meetings with black folks that I go to; some portion has to be devoted to trashing white people. All that time that could go to creating a vision, developing an implementation plan, is spent on carrying on about the man.

Because it isn't really moving the dialogue forward, it's just stuck in some time warp. Most of the discussion here is interesting and often funny. But when we get to this detailed analysis of just how farked up white people are, well, I just don't get it. We are not going to change white supremacy. All we can do is manage it in our day to day lives. We can come together over issues that need to be addressed, like the Imus incident that also raised a lot of other tangential issues in our community.

I'd like to see us do as much self examination as we spend examining others. Some call it blaming the victim but in a 12-step program it's called a self inventory and I think our community could benefit from it.

I'm grateful for the Imus mess because it has black folks looking at how we portray ourselves and the images we project all around the world about what it means to be a black person in America. We act as if those images have no impact on us or shouldn't. When I hear someone say that hip hop didn't invent sexism, well, it didn't invent gangsterism either but are we suggesting that we should not take ownership of it because we didn't create it?

What I'd like to focus on is how to move us forward, not on how to fix white people. The negative images aren't just a matter of what others think of us. It's about what those images say about how we view ourselves.

field negro said...

"What I'd like to focus on is how to move us forward, not on how to fix white people. The negative images aren't just a matter of what others think of us. It's about what those images say about how we view ourselves."

I agree! West Coast Story you must me a new reader to this blog. It's far from bash whitey on this site. Quite the contrary, I am pretty much about doing for self big time. (No Cosby speech needed here)

Self examination is always important, but we should never lose sight of how we got to this point in the first place, to avoid making the same mistakes again.

Peace.

Dangerfield said...

" It's like so many meetings with black folks that I go to; some portion has to be devoted to trashing white people. All that time that could go to creating a vision, developing an implementation plan, is spent on carrying on about the man."

mark beyI agree with you 100%, it seems like sometimes our people would rather talk about the system/whiteman than doing things to get ourselves toghether so that the effects racism arent so tragic and harmful. Good point west cost story. Mark

Francis Holland said...

I spotted this PETA-related quote over at MyLeftWing:

" NEW YORK The animal activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (P.E.T.A.) has written a letter to Norm Goldstein, the editor of the AP stylebook, asking that the book be changed so that pronouns referring to animals always be "he," "she," and "who."

…"The public now recognizes that whales, who sing across oceans; great apes, who share more than 98 percent of our DNA; sheep, who can recognize as many as 50 faces after not having seen them for two years; and pigs and chickens, who can learn to operate switches in order to control heat and light in factory-farm sheds, are feeling, intelligent individuals -- not objects," the letter states. "Our language should reflect this." MyLeftWing

I'm sure you would not have written this essay above had you known of PETA's position beforehand. :)

Anonymous said...

Hey Field,

I gotta admit you had me laughing pretty good on this one. Although I think you're painting with a kind or broad brush, you definitely hit on some true observations. I was just telling a buddy of mine not long ago that I was thinking about writing a song called "Ain't no Poodles in the Ghetto." 'Cause it's the truth! Here in Detroit every kid walkin' up and down the street is walkin a Pit Bull or a Rottweiler. You almost never see a kid with a dog as a companion. That dog is there to take a major chunk outta your a-- if you even look cross-eyed.

Having said that, I confess I am a real dog lover. My wife and I both. We have two, and they both stay in the house. If somebody breaks in they'll probably lick them and them show them where all the goodies are. And neither one is a pit or a rott. Don't need that viscious crap in the crib. See enough of that just driving around the neighborhood.

Anyway, enjoyed the post.

west coast story said...

Hey Mark and Field: Thanks for the feedback. Sometimes I feel like I'm going off the deep end.

Frances: I live in the SF Bay Area. What you posted doesn't even sound weird to me, I'm sorry to say. In Berkeley, they outlawed the use of the term "pet owner" for the less offensive "pet guardian/owner." You can't make up this crazy stuff. The purpose is to elevate the social status of the pet. Unbelievable. These people need some real problems to deal with.

Dangerfield said...

" Hey Mark and Field: Thanks for the feedback. Sometimes I feel like I'm going off the deep end."

mark bey: I know what you mean west coast, after debating some of these folks I feel the same way lots of times. Mark

Anonymous said...

I hope you won't mind a comment from a cranky old white woman.

My parents had dogs when I was growing up and my mom wouldn't let them in the house. She said dogs don't belong in the house. I feel pretty much the same way about them. What the heck did they do before they had people to build houses for them?

Dogs are okay but I'm a cat person. I had a 15-year-old cat who died, possibly because of bad pet food but we can't be sure because she was so old. She was special, like part of the family. I have two other cats and I am fond of them but they're just cats. I haven't had them as long though so I don't know how I'll feel when they're 15, if they make it to that age.

Anonymous said...

Wow, brilliant analysis: white people dont like peope that much because they treat their pets well, while black people care a lot about people for not really caring about their pets. Well thought-out. You thought you were trashing white people for treating their pets better than black people treat their children. What might that say about black people? Your basic argument is: because white love their pets very much, this means that they do not love people that much? You are missing the forest through the trees. You want to spit out racism by elluding to how shallow and bad white people are because they treat their pets so well; could it possibly be that white animal lovers (just like black animal lovers) are just nice people that probably treat their neighbors well, their children well, and try to ensure the comfort and health of other beings with which they have established relationships? I wish this were measurable, but I would bet everything that I have that those black people who treat their pets with love and kindness are probably nicer people generally to other people and their kindness toward animals is probably indicative of the way they treat all relationships. I doubt its a race thing like you want it to be.

CapCity said...

I have no comments about the dog-lovers - but wanted to say I love the sidebar of your blog, Field Bruh! I gotta come back just to read more in the right column & to catch up on some of your writings;-).

bklyn6 said...

Leona Helmsley left her dog $12 million.

marvin's lost smile said...

Hello Field,

First time reader and commenter, got here by way of TAN, and I'm enjoying the reading. Also, am a born-again fan of Philly, goin' on my fifth fall in this city of rock stars. I'm wondering if you'll be updating, as it looks like you've got a thing or two to say. Keep on keepin' on.

Anonymous said...

Just like to say that racial identity is a distraction; facial features on whites are not "white". Italians, Jews, have noses that are very often huge, non-straight and different from those of northern europeans, i.e., Nordic types. Take the color away and it'd be hard to distinguish features among whites and blacks because white is a misnomer. The farther south in europe, the darker the skin, the farther north in africa, the lighter the skin. It's silly and the idea is pervasive because somebody's profiting from it. Follow the money and get over it. Attitude really determines how you fare in life. Blacks need to study the European zeitgeist,especially Germany's, in order to understand Westerner's psychological makeup...that's where it begins...otherwise you're just reacting to.....nothingness.

Just Saying said...

Guess this would be better than spending your money on crack, colt 45s and guns.

Really, what business is it of YOURS just what white people spend their money on?

You degrade whites for spending money on animals because they love them, and in the same breath mention that blacks are killing each other, (as well as killing people other races, I will mention since you didn't). Who's the bad guys here? LOL

Anonymous said...

And the 10 people killed.. were they killed by white people or negros?

field negro said...

"Wow, brilliant analysis: white people dont like peope that much because they treat their pets well, while black people care a lot about people for not really caring about their pets. Well thought-out"

Yes, we all know that white people love their pets. But you know what white people don't like? When cocky black men who really don't give a f*&k what they think have their own blogs where they can talk s*&t 24/7. :)

"Guess this would be better than spending your money on crack, colt 45s and guns.

Really, what business is it of YOURS just what white people spend their money on?"

It isn't.

"crack,colt 45s and guns"? Wow! You sound like a really enlightened person. Hey, I hear Wal-Mart is having a sale on sheets; you might want to hurry down there. ;)

Thank you William, always feel free to check in. Just close the door behind you. You know how these white folks and their pets are.

Thanks CapCity, but you could be reading for awhile. :)

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Michelle said...

"If he was gonna loose all of his fur"

That is just too funny! I am killing myself over here

Michelle said...

I was watching this documentary about how people are struggling after job loss, all but one of the families on the show were white, the other family was Hispanic. ALL the white families were struggling with multiple dogs. The (smart) Hispanic fam were sad that They had to give their terrier away.

My thing was/is if we are barely eating, living without power or water, then old Rover has GOT ta go! I have a Chihuahua, her name is Coco. Yes I love her, but Coco is a dog at the end of the day. I would miss her, but in situations like those in that documentary, Miss Coco would have to go.

I am from TX. I came up in the 80's. My mom was absolutely against animals. I would have to sneak animals in the house, play with them and let em go before she found out. I once helped a cat have her litter, by letting her bunk in my closet and have her kittens cuz it was so cold outside, my mom don't know to this day.

But anyway, I witnessed back then, when dogs got sick, They ate grass no expensive vet bills, when the family dog died, he got buried in the back yard, No expensive pet funerals. There was a lady who Would sew and make all the kids clothes in the neighborhood, but not for a dog, They are born with clothes on, God looked out for animals and people, simple as that.

I am happy that it's not just me noticing this animal obsession.

BTW, I was just lurking around the net and found your blog. Sorry it's so long, I figured that I should add my two cents.

Thanks & I absolutely love love your blog, and all the comments I've read are very pleasant.

I'm out!
PEACE

Anonymous said...

Sir, you pretty much hit it on the head. I'm a white person and pretty much I couldn't be bothered to piss on a stranger if they were on fire, but I love my animals and would certainly go out of my way to help my human friends too. Strangers not so much. And from what I've seen from my black friends, only one of them would characterize as a pet owner. The rest of them pretty much should be turned in for animal abuse.

Good article.

Anonymous said...

i hope every nigger on this website gets shot in the hood. fuckin retards

Anonymous said...

I'm white and think the dark and even pitch-black looking black people look beautiful, especially the African ones in America. Ecept for some keratinization in spots, the skin looks very smooth and rich. They should never want to lighten themselves. The same goes for dark Asians who want to lighten theirs or widen their eyes. It's strange how we feel inadequate without tanning, but all others want to lighten their skin. They want to date whites and we think it would be a fantasy to date a dark-skin person. Maybe we (wgite and nit so)'ve lost the sense of community with those of our ethnicity, so we go for the exotic.

Scott Perry said...

Posted April 15, 2015,

I prefer to judge people "by the content of their character, and not by the color of their skin". How many misguided white, and black people there are, I do not know, but I do know of at least one rightly guided black person, Martin Luther King, one rightly guided brown person, Mahatma Gandhi, and one rightly guided white person, Abraham Lincoln.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I loved reading this and felt like somebody was reading my mind. I am white , I guess I am a minority among my friends because I am not about the whole " my pets are my kids" thing. I told a friend once I didn't like dogs she looked at me like I was some disgusting ax murderer or something. I guess I need some black friends.

Cool guy said...

I'm a brother. We can be friends

Anonymous said...

great article! i'm white and i was raised to treat a dog like a dog. our dog was allowed in the house but that's about it. somehow America has become increasingly obsessed with dogs in the past 20 years or so. Maybe it's because Atheism took hold, and people stopped worshiping God, and instead started to worship the Dog. They think that the dog's supposed "unconditional love" is as good as God's is... smh. the dog loves people when people feed it. if people don't feed dogs, dogs become wild and run in packs and will kill and eat a person, which is what they do in many poor parts of the world where people fear dogs.

Anonymous said...

We're all animals, you're a bunch of egotistical fools. I'm black and sick of ghetto black people treating animals cruelly. You chain puppies to trees and keep them there all day. You think it's cool to beat dogs, and promote violence. Scared of every animal as a child, and just act like apathetic idiots. You're an embarrassment to humanity. You're at the bottom of the barrel and have to treat animals like shit to feel like you got some power. Get an education, and stay away from animals for their sake. Sick fucks.

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