Essay | A life not considered

An epidemic prevention measure instructs that business activities in Macau have been suspended, and all personnel who are not performing essential work, purchasing daily necessities or other emergency reasons must stay in their residences. When human activities in small towns are "relatively stilled", some "companion animals" that live with humans are also affected. As for dogs, which account for a large proportion of companion animals, their basic physiological needs and behavioral nature are contrary to the regulations of "remaining in the residence", so when the instructions take effect, as a domestic dog who cannot defecate at home, it seems to become a domestic dog. original sin. While owners, journalists and lawmakers have spoken out for the unheard of them, law enforcement entities have reiterated that it is against the directives for pets to take to the streets to solve physical problems.

Under strict epidemic prevention measures, based on the operational feasibility of law enforcement and ensuring the strength of law enforcement, it may be necessary to minimize "exceptional" situations. But when considering the only "exceptional" cases, some living individuals, whether human or non-human, who are habitually neglected in society - elderly people who go out alone to seek medical treatment, people with disabilities who do not have a private vehicle at home, animals (even if is a "higher-class" companion animal)—and continues to be disregarded.

When dog owners and animal advocates rallied against it, a class of rhetoric emerged: Domestic dogs shouldn't be pooping on the street in the first place, because home pooping is conditional training.

"Conditional training" is by no means a criterion for regulating animal behavior. "Training" is, of course, the behavior that humans impose on animals for their own needs in the process of living with animals; here we will leave aside the extreme example of training animals to perform performances, any form of training should also be adapted to animals A balance between the nature of the animal and the needs of human beings is to be avoided as much as possible to avoid the depression and damage that the animal may suffer in physical and mental aspects. For example, cat scratching is an instinctive behavior to release emotions. If the owner does not want the furniture to be scratched, instead of using any training method to curb such behavior, or spraying materials that are irritating to cats on the furniture, it is better to choose to put more at home. cat scratching board.

The attitude of the law enforcement entities in Macau and what these remarks reflect is the lack of the thinking dimension of "living together" between animals and humans. Animals are viewed with humans as the rulers and those in power; further, it is the division of life that is often overlooked in society. To the range of "not considered", it is excluded from self-feeling and ethical thinking.

Of course, it's not just law enforcement entities and people who say "dogs shouldn't defecate on the street", not just life that is habitually divided into "not considered" in society, and not just under the epidemic. This is about each person, in their daily life, should think about whether they will habitually exclude and separate certain lives when they look at non-self others, and whether they refuse to see, feel and think about his/their situation.

(Original published on 2022.07.15 Macau Daily New Area; 2022.07.18 Added. Bourbon.)