Where Do We Draw The Line?

As any of you know, if you know me at all, I am one who will fight for the rights of all living creatures on this Earth. This means the rights of humans, animals, and all of nature. In addition, when it comes to animals in general, you know that my belief in the level of animal rights should be the same as those of us who walk on two feet.
I have seen too often the footage of animals that have been abused and neglected, these abuses including animal testing and fighting. One animal alone, as with any other living creature, is one too many being harmed. I have seen first hand the results of abuses that animals endure. That is why I feel as strongly about this subject as I do.
Therefore, with this, you know I support the organizations that help protect animals from abuse and those bringing some kind of relief to animals that have been mistreated. I am all for the ads, campaigns, and political activism that helps to promote the rights of animals and their protection. Yes, some of the commercials can be hard to watch, seeing the results of all this abuse and neglect. I do believe this knowledge can help to bring about better rights for animals. Nevertheless, where is it we draw the line?
Today, after returning home from work, I walked in to see my mother crying. Like my mother, the pain of any creature easily affects me. Therefore, of course, I asked what was wrong. At the moment, it was scenes from a heartfelt movie. As I was talking to her, I look over at our television to see that a commercial for animal rights was on. As usual, my mom reached for the remote to temporarily change the station until the commercial was over. These commercials cause her great distress. However, we do believe that people need to know what is happening to animals, we have just seen them many times before. We know what is happening to animals in our world. However, today, when she reached for the remote, it was not where she left it, so I saw more of the commercials than usual. As I always do, I watch them knowing what it typically coming.
The commercial was one that of course showed images of dog fighting, animal neglect, and horrific scenes of abuse. Of course, I was sickened, upset, and horrified by what I saw.
But, this commercial was more than the usual type seen during the rest of the year. It was a Christmas commercial. It is not the fact that it was a Christmas commercial that bothered me. It was the fact that it was portraying a very young child writing a letter to Santa, pleading for all the animal abuse to stop. Yes, animal abuse without a doubt needs to cease, but I feel a severe line was crossed when they had a child writing letters in these scenes and doing voice overtones of him thinking while writing his letter.
Where do we draw the line? I deeply feel that the group promoting animal rights by having a child “write” this letter to Santa is utterly wrong. I feel that by doing this, one wrong is committed to try to stop another wrong. As the well-known saying goes, two wrongs do not make a right. Even if this child had written a letter in his own life, pleading for the cessation of animal abuse, he should not have been subjected to doing so again. It breaks my heart to think of a child at all having to witness anything having to do with abuse, whether it is in his own life or for this situation.
I have run this through my head quite a few time already and still cannot find how it was right in anyway for this to have been done. Though I am not saying dogs and humans are the same (though I do not believe one is lower than the other is), let me make one quick comparison. To me, a child writing this letter about the horrific abuses to animals is like having a baby animal perform for the rights of children. It is wrong….period. If you know me, I love and care about every living creature. They all have a place in my heart. By harming one for the rights of another…well,…this is where the line has been severely crossed. A child should not be subjected to any horrific scene of any kind.
I know some people will say that the child was not wronged in any way, but in the deepest parts of my heart and mind, I cannot find one single reason to see this situation in that light. Even if the child can handle such a situation, I still will not see it as right. Moreover, to think if a child has seen these horrific scenes in the first place. On top of that, how is it going to affect one child to see another child writing such a letter? As I have seen too many times, people do not always realize what their children are watching.
My heart is absolutely broken by any type of abuse. I am angered by the wrongs that any person, animal, or any other living creature has to endure. To see a child put in such a situation is one that, though it may not be on the same level of wrongdoing, I am still utterly appalled and saddened by this situation.
I am all for children experiencing life and all that wonders that this world has. I want the same for all beings and animals. However, I am not or ever will be for a child being subjected to a situation that may have a negative impact on them in any way. What I cannot fathom is how this situation was thought of with any kind of consciousness at all.
Therefore, after it all, I will say, yes, continue to support causes that help and protect any part of nature. This type of support is definitely needed. That said, I hope that we as humans, can become more conscious of actions we are taking in this world. We already have too many negatives by the means of violence, hatred, and other things that lead us away from peace. We already have a hard enough time trying to bring our world to a peaceful place without adding other levels of pain and distress to it all.
By Chieko D. Ross on 12/5/2010 ©