What is wrong with US?

[Boogiemack]

I see more ads on TV pleading for sympathy and care of dogs than for those children still separated from their parents by the Trump administration....3 fuc*king years for some.

[hlthe2b]

1. Please stop pitting compassion for suffering animals against compassion for these children

The fact is that those you seek to convince have compassion for NEITHER, while those who are fighting to save tortured or abandoned animals are those most likely to be active in efforts to save and reunite these kids. Myself included.

I am DAMNED SICK OF THOSE WHO suggest that it is EITHER/OR and not BOTH!

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. +1000000!

[Happyhippychick]

3. Thank you, it's not either/or

[pazzyanne]

5. AMEN!!!

Preach it loud and clear! Great job, hlthe2b!

[Duppers]

12. Absolutely!

TY!

[ehrnst]

22. Thank you!!!

[cwydro]

32. Thank you!

Absolutely ridiculous to say it has to be one or the other.

[olegramps]

33. Just how much money goes for advertising and staff, rather than the animals?

I know for a fact that St. Jude and the Shriners have extensive volunteers who give the time and money to the cause. I t appears to me that is not the fact in the animal awareness programs from what I have been able to find out. I have had great dogs and now have a wonderful amusing cat I take care of daily. Cats are especially interesting and seem to retain much of their natural instincts. When we take these animals out of their natural surrounding and attempt to domesticate them we take on a serious responsibility.

[elevator]

42. Natural surroundings?

Dogs and cats have been domesticated for thousands of years, few, if any, would thrive without a compassionate human. But, yes, being a guardian for an animal is a serious responsibility.

[StarryNite]

35. Well said.

[NurseJackie]

37. Thank you.

I am DAMNED SICK OF THOSE WHO suggest that it is EITHER/OR and not BOTH!

It seems to me that this shit only happens online. I've never ONCE had someone come up to me and comment on my pink-ribbon car magnet and scold me for being an awful human being because they believe I should care MORE about HIV research or Alzheimer's research.

[Raine]

49. Interesting seeing all those different ribbons

for different causes ... Thanks, very informative.

[NoRoadUntravelled]

38. So true. We are capable of putting our energy into more than one thing at a time.

Why must it be a choice between children and animals or veterans and asylum seekers? The US is capable of seeing to it that none must suffer in this way. It is only a lack of imagination and lack of will that things are as they are. We can do so much better.

[bdamomma]

40. two separate situations

children and pets are our most precious gifts.

[Progressive dog]

45. K&r

I agree.

[Raine]

48. Absolutely! 👍 nt

[Nexus2]

4. I don't think its 'either/or' according to the OP

But wondering why there seems to be so much more publicizing and open urging for help one than the other. I don't think its some lack of empathy, but more because one is relatively newer. I've seen save the children charities mostly for over seas need but the border crisis is a 'new' tragedy, more of a news event than animal cruelty a more established wrong and has established orgs and charities barring truly horrific levels that it appears on news.

Both get attention but in different circles that sometimes over lap.

[Yeehah]

6. Dogs are fellow sentient creatures who deserve care and compassion

Do not denigrate appeals for the care of dogs to make your point.

[wnylib]

28. I didn't see anything in the OP that

denigrates care for dogs. I saw a justified question brought up. The question is, "Why don't we publicize the need for care of those kidnapped children at the border as much as we publicize the need for care of our pets?"

In other words, is the love and compassion that we feel for pets capable of also including the needs of children kidnapped by our government from their parents? The answer should be a clear YES. So, we should give as much attention and concern to those children as we do to our dogs....and cats, birds, etc.

[NJCher]

34. as a person who writes commericals

that is not a :30 or :60 proposition. It's way too complex to do an ad for something like that in the time allowed.

Yeah, you can produce it. But it won't be effective.

There's a medium for every message. The challenge in this case is to choose the right medium. Television is not it.

[wnylib]

43. I have worked in the AV department

of a large ad agency. I do not accept your claim that a 30 or 60 second spot cannot be effective in raising and keeping alive public attention to the children separated from parents at our southern border. Nearly everyone has heard something about it so you're not starting from scratch. Attention-getting scenes in visual ads can refer people to a website or phone number for additional information and donations to agencies working on the problem.

And why limit outreach awareness to broadcast media? There's also Twitter and Facebook. Organizations can take this on as a cause, too, using pamphlets, newspaper ads and editorial letters. I've been following the horrors at the southern border for a few years. Before the pandemic, I was speaking to groups and preparing handouts for them on what's been going on and where to donate to help.

Ads cost money, unless they can get free, non-profit consideration. Providing services to those in need costs money - food, clothing, medicine, legal advocacy in court appearances and preparing documents.

The ACLU is one agency involved. I know of 4 mainstream religious groups that are very actively involved - Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic. The money that is donated to the immigration services run by those denominations goes directly to immigration programs, which operate under separate budgets from the rest of the church organization.

There's a lot that we can do. We just have to care enough to do it - as much as we care about our pets.

[bucolic_frolic]

7. I think many people believe either/or to be fine, and that is the problem

But also, our food chain is a slaughterhouse of chickens, cows, pigs, lambs, and fish. We still have big game hunters. So I do understand the critique that dogs and cats are accorded a special place that many love, but no one polled the other species.

As for the OP, the same argument can be made for the homeless. We spend far more on self-storage than efforts to house and uplift homeless people. Our priorities are fouled up!

[JI7]

29. Because it's not as simple as people think in some cases like with the homeless

There have been homeless who have often been offered shelter and they refuse. It's a bigger problem that includes things like mental illness.

With the animals it's much more easier because we have control over the animals .

[marie999]

8. The ASPCA was founded in 1866.

The New York Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Children was founded in 1874.

[Sloumeau]

9. Just because some of us care about animals...

doesn't mean we don't also care about children.

[Raine]

46. Exactly ...

There's nothing wrong with caring about animals,we can care about more then one thing at a time.

[Bear Creek]

10. Done before

Nazi Germany the people cared more about animal well being over the horrific atrocities they were committing to the people they had objectified.

[Dios Mio]

11. The saddest

hundreds of children may never see their parents.

[yaesu]

13. Well, either ad would be wasted on fox snooze as Psychopaths/ sociopaths do not have empathy or

compassion for any living things

[Sunsky]

14. I totally get your point

And nowhere did you imply that we should not care about animals as some of the responses seem to suggest.
Back to the point- some of my associates were shocked last night when Biden mentioned over 500 kids are still separated from their parents. I've received text messages asking about the validity of that statement. The media has long moved on from those suffering children. Where is the outrage? I've always said this was one of the key reasons to get rid of Donald Trump. How inhumane!

[Kaleva]

15. I don't watch tv that has ads so I don't see them

[ashredux]

16. A sick dog is sad.... but I will pick up the sick child FIRST

[spudspud]

39. +1

[Duppers]

17. Tell me how I can directly help those children

Besides writing to my CongressCritters, which I have done, & voting against all Rethugians, which I have done. I also send $ to democratic candidates.

I'm not aware of any fundraising that can help those poor kids directly.
But I do know my donations to animal charities directly helps to feed & neuter critters. You would rather I not do that?

[mopinko]

18. exactly. ask ppl to bring those kids into their homes and

the lines would wrap around the block.

[IronLionZion]

20. It's not one or the other

People can care about both. Both problems will see tremendous improvements once we elect a president who loves dogs and children.

[SlogginThroughIt]

24. The point is that people do not appear to

The point is that people do not appear to be concerned about both. YOU may be. Probably everyone here on this site cares about both. The point is that we KNOW this is going on and it gets lost in the chaos. You are right that it will get better for these kids in about 80 some days. But thats 80 days on top of how long it has been.

[JI7]

27. But you are basing it on the ads. Those ads for Animals involve raising money which can be used

to help those animals directly. People have access to those animals and and get them the help they need.

People don't have access to the kids. Even publilc officals have often been turned away while trying to see them .

There are people who volunteer to provide legal help.

The problem is political when it comes to the kids. What we need is a change in leadership.

But it is true that many people don't care about the kids and those people are mainly racists .

[NJCher]

36. good points

I think they complement my post 34, above.

[ehrnst]

21. The relative privation fallacy:

Fallacy of relative privation (also known as "appeal to worse problems" or "not as bad as" ) – dismissing an argument or complaint due to what are perceived to be more important problems.

[paleotn]

31. Thank you.

[SlogginThroughIt]

23. When I read this I knew you would be attacked for it.

I got your point.

[JI7]

25. Those ads involve giving money which goes directly to helping Animals. For the Children we need

change in elected officials .

[flying_wahini]

26. Sorry that some here jumped in just to slam you. I think of the children too when it see those ads.

[BusyBeingBest]

41. I appreciate your efforts to clean up.

I do the same sometimes on my rural gravel road that attracts litterers and trash-dumpers almost daily. Your poo piles are probably from the same handful of dogs of the same handful of asshole owners who go there every day to walk their dogs so they don't have to pick it up from their own yards. My mom has a guy in her neighborhood who brings his dog to other people's yards to shit and then walks back up the street like nothing happened. But most dog owners aren't like that (being a dog owner myself).

[elevator]

44. Worse than Trump voters?

Pedophiles, rapist, murderers, abusive spouses, gangbangers, drug dealers, venal politicians, bullies, terrorists?

Maybe you should review your priorities.

[Raine]

47. It doesn't have to be either or, it can be both

I hate when caring about animals and children are pitted against each other! 😖