If a constellation called Companion Animal Labeling Major existed, it would have been right over my house when I recorded this. Granted my interest in the effect the terminology we use to describe companion animals goes all the way back to when I read pediatric neurologist Mel Levine’s groundbreaking book A Mind at a Time. In addition to pointing out how standard teaching methods weren’t kid-brain-friendly because they didn’t take into account how kids evolved to learn, he also pointed out the downward spiral set into place by labeling a child as “learning disabled” or otherwise a “problem”. This intrigued me because it mimicked what I see in human-animal interactions.
Sad to say, I expect it to get worse before it gets better because this kind of thinking lends itself to sound-bites and the other abbreviated forms of communication that increasingly become the norm in our society. It used to be that only actors worried about being type-cast. Now we and others may impose that same burden on dogs and cats, too.
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