Pets
I had to conduct an interview for a class I am taking as a pre-requisite to my Master's work, and so I decided to interview one of the guys at the labor center where I volunteer. Most of them are from Guatemala. A lot are from the same town (which turns out to only have about 25,000 people).The part that makes this blog worthy is that I asked if there were any cultural attributes that he found puzzling about Americans. He did not hesitate, but answered with a question, "Do you have any pets?" Often in Ukraine, Ukrainians would tell me that I understood their culture better than themselves. I always chalked this up to the fact that I was studying (something they had never done), and I was starting from a different perspective. I was interested to hear the Guatemalan version of myself commenting on America.
He asked about pets so as not to offend me with his answer. So I will do the same courtesy. If you have pets whose birthday you celebrate on has their own seat at the table, stop reading now, or at least be forewarned.
What he found puzzling was how we treat our pets like children. He said he had a dog, but that was all it was, not truly a member of his family. He couldn't understand why Americans treat their pets as they do, but he guessed it was because they wanted children, but not all the responsibilities. That we liked our big houses, and ordered lives and the companionship of a pet was all that fit with those things, even if we really wanted more.
As I believe I had done for many Ukrainians, he opened my eyes. I have always been a great lover of animals and the outdoors, but never much one for pets, and I didn't understand this dichotomy in myself, but I think he helped me. I would keep an animal, but not a pet. My Ukrainian brothers used to joke with me because of how I liked to watch the chickens roaming around the yard. They more or less lived a natural existence; our pets live a modified existence - not human but not animal. I think the purist in me is bothered by this. I would rather respect an animal in the wild, and revel in a sighting; or raise a domestic animal for the purpose in which it was bred, but I will always prefer a human roommate.
posted by jjs @ 10:01 PM
2 Comments:
hm, but don't you feel that many pets, say, cats and dogs, are domesticated to the point where they *can't* live in wild? i take that from your comment "raise a domestic animal for the purpose in which it was bred."
for me, i've considered having chickens for eggs, etc and wouldn't mind having them roam about - they're adorable! but, not "pets" like my cat is my pet. i admit, i'm one of those that LOVES my cat, though she doesn't have a setting at the table, celebrate her birthday, nor get a special "thanksgiving dinner" in november. she's a part of the family, but i guess that's how our culture treats pets.
though i agree that some animals shouldn't be kept as pets - birds come to mind. monkeys.
I so agree with the man you interviewed!
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