Cruelty

There is some sneaky, terrible, but undeniable aspect of the human psyche that gets a little kick of pleasure out of watching someone else be frustrated. I was thinking about it today in the context of cruelty to animals. To my mind there's nothing more despicable than animal cruelty; it's something that I passionately hate. Yet I have to admit that I'm not immune to feeling, on occasion, that flicker of satisfaction from watching an animal be frustrated. It can be as mild as holding my guinea pigs on their backs, where their little legs frantically churn the air as they try to flip over. Every time, I have to laugh - they're so cute. But at the same time, I feel bad. I shouldn't enjoy it, and the fact that I do disturbs me.

The other day, my friend saw some kids teasing a horse. They would hold up a handful of hay to the horse, then jerk it away as the horse reached for it. Each time they did this, the horse got more upset - stamping its feet and fussing - and each time the kids laughed harder. My friend stepped in and yelled at them. The oldest kid said, "We were just having fun." But why is it fun? Is it something about the horse's gullibility - falling for the same trick over and over? Is it funny because the horse can't predict they will jerk the hay away, so they get to feel superior? or because the horse is getting upset over such a little thing? I can't put my finger on it.

I don't think that holding a guinea pig on its back or teasing a horse with hay is actually cruel. It's obnoxious, and over time it could have consequences like making the guinea pig more skittish and less willing to be held, or making the horse into a biter, but it doesn't cause true suffering or anguish to the animal. But the sense of enjoyment that drives these mild situations is the same as the one that shows up in cases of real cruelty.

I've read stories of animal abuse from the Humane Society that literally keep me awake at night - cases where people deliberately set out to hurt or torture an animal. For most people, the distress they would feel from seeing an animal in real pain would eclipse any pleasure they'd get from the incident. But for a few, I guess the emotional wiring is off and that sneaky little kick of pleasure is magnified. I wish I could put my finger on why it brings people pleasure, so we could figure out how to short-circuit the process. What could be more important, of all the things we could teach a child, than an aversion to causing suffering?