to be blubbing over those donkey and general animal charity ads but the starving children ones...

[CaptainTripps]

and suchlike leave me cold.

I mean ffs what is wrong with me? It should be the other way around.

Have I got an human empathy chip missing? I feel really bad about this.

[themonsteratemyspacebar]

Hi OP,

I could have written your post too. I have always felt like that, and had many people try to start arguements with me when they have discussed this.
The main reasons everyone gives is because i don't have children. And i have to say, they may be partly right. My perception of these ads may change if i have them as i may imagine what would that be like to my own children IYSWIM?

But in all, as my life so far, watching the animal cruelty adverts makes me feel physically sick and enraged, whereas the children ones don't. I expect this may change if i have kids. Do you have children OP?

[hiddenhome]

Yes, I feel more upset about the animal ones. I do have to admit to feeling somewhat detached from my own species. I do feel sorry for them and do give to human charities, but it's the animal ones that choke me up and leave me feeling unhappy and depressed about the world.

[WooWooOwl]

The bear one is awful.

I think I feel similar to you, and after considering it since I first read your post, I wonder if it might be because the animals are being deliberately hurt and mistreated by humans. It's easier to imagine a 'someone' to be angry with.

Whereas children starving is something that is a part of the human race. There has always been extreme poverty somewhere in the world, and there probably always will be. It's a more overwhelming problem with no one single and obvious cause or solution.

No one is out there making these children starve on purpose in the same way they are with animals.

I think the captivity thing makes me feel worse as well. There is something that seems disturbing about wild animals being forced into captivity by our species.

[bleedingheart]

I think animal charities do rather well in relation to some others, childrens' charities probably do well too. There's never enough though, unfortunately. I think charities for older people generally struggle don't they?

I hate to see any cruelty but I admit my donations tend towards childrens causes.

[bleedingheart]

Didn't press refresh and x-posted with others.

[Hayleychopper]

Curlew I dont think any animal charity raises as much money as Children in Need etc. of course I could be wrong

[Beastofburden]

It's also well known that we respond more strongly to a story of one individual suffering than to a story of groups of people suffering.

But I have to say it doesn't work that way round with me and donkeys. i do care about animal suffering, but I am still more sorry for children than for animals, if only because they have so much more potential for knowing what will happen to them next, and so much more ability to grieve for the family that have lost.

[ViviPru]

I have the same responses. While on occasion I've been curious as to why this is, I don't view it as a failing on my part/something to be corrected. If anything, for me, I'm almost relieved that not all tragic stories have such a profound effect on me as animal cruelty, or else I'd just be a gibbering wreck the whole time...

[sashh]

Nothing is wrong with you, I think it is something that humans do to protect themselves, I think everyone is capable of it, we do it to survive.

I was watching an old Stephen Fry talk this morning, he was talking about ordinary people who went to work as guards in concentration camps.

He was talking about the role of language in dehumanising people, but I think there is something deep n us that protects us mentally. It's a sport of, I can't cope with this, so it becomes normalised.


There was an ad that really struck home for me a few years ago - I can't find a link to the ad - link to an awards ceremony mentioning it below.

The ad is basically a small boy going into a public toilet, sticking his hands into the toilet, pulling up a mouthful of water and drinking.

Then there is the voice over, "Five million children die in the Third World from drinking water polluted with feces. . . . If you don't mind little black children drinking out of a toilet, you won't mind little white children drinking out of a toilet either. Or is there a difference?"

There is no logical reason for this ad to have had such an impact 20+ years ago that I still remember it, not logical in the sense that this is a well fed child being paid to act. On the other hand we do not see adequately clothed and fed white children drinking dirty water every day. Somehow the number of these ads make them normal.

articles.latimes.com/1989-10-12/entertainment/ca-80_1_public-service-ad

[2goatytocare]

Not hungry children hayley starving children

[NoComet]

I don't give a fuck about dogs and cats and thought it was great that the supermarket had put a huge exploding fire work poster over the dog food collecting kennel.

[mrsjay]

it is maybe because the humans are treating the animals badly that upset you I dont think you are heartless or without empathy you do realise children are starving too, I do react animal adverts but the nspcc ones really get to me too ,

[baggyoldcow]

Captain, would it make any difference if the starving children were from closer to home? I just wonder whether the distance between you (I assume you are in the UK) and the starving children is part of the reason for your lack of interest? I think it is quite common for people to feel more concerned about problems closer to home. I assume the animal charity ads you are moved by are more local - but I could be wrong of course.
Just a thought.

[Chesntoots]

I'm the same. I just can't watch the animal ones, but the children ones have no effect on me whatsoever.

That is the first time I have said that, I thought I was on my own

[Ragwort]

Personally I can't understand people giving to animal charities when children are starving to death or being ill treated and abused in both this country and overseas . I also think it is shocking how the elderly are mis-treated, charities for older people do not get the same levels of support as childrens' charities.

Yes, animal charities do receive an awful lot of donations, I agree with curlew.

I really can't feel any empathy with animal charity appeals, but I guess it's good that we all have different views.

[Ragwort]

Star - it really irritates me when supermarkets have collecting bins for cat and dog food but not for the local Food Bank.

[Only1scoop]

Cry at them all at moment....

[tethersend]

I'm the other way around. The animal ones leave me cold.

summary of giving in the UK in 2012.

[NoComet]

Yes, school and church do the food bank at Harvest, but I don't know any where that collects year round.

I keep meaning to ask google. Food bank is in nearest town and I tend not to be there during normal business hours.

[NoComet]

Yes, no collection points listed except HQ weekday afternoons.

[cloggal]

I'm not an animal lover and don't cry at the animal ads, even the shocking ones, but do get very affected by the children's ones.

The reaction of some of my friends to this is as if I've harmed the animals personally.

You're not being unreasonable. You can see that something is awful without it necessarily moving you to tears. To be fair, desensitisation may be part of the answer otherwise no one could watch the news most nights.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Interesting tethers as usual. However, where do overseas children's charities go in this IYSWIM.

I used to work with recovering addicts and homeless ex-offenders. How we laughed when we saw what the donkey sanctuaries made while our blokes were eating beef from the EU that looked like dog food because that was what we had.

The people who don't cry about the children's plight in other countries, do you when there is a news story like baby P or Daniel?

[WooWooOwl]

I don't cry, but when it comes to cases of child abuse I feel much the same way as I do when I see animals abused.

I don't think child abuse is any worse than animal abuse to be honest, although I know that will probably shock some people.

In my mind pain and suffering at the hands of someone else is pain and suffering at the hands of someone else, it's equally bad no matter which species its happening to.

[decaffwithcream]

"Part of me feels that animals are the poor relatives of fund raising but there will always be someone to look out for the children."

Holy Fuck.

19,000 children a day die from preventable causes - malaria, malnutrition, exposure. etc.

So please don't use "there will always be someone to look out for the children" as your justification.

Part of the reason between the discrepancy in your emotional response may be that in the animal ads you clearly see cruelty to animals from humans and/or the effects of the cruelty. That is not what you see in ads with starving children. You may find that if the NSPCC tended to use similarily graphic ads about cruelty to children, that would trigger more of an emotional response. It may be that the direct cruelty is what you are responding to. Rather than animals vs humans.

[Writerwannabe83]

I'm 100% with you OP - I find it so difficult watching adverts about animal cruelty and neglect, but I don't have any emotional reaction to the 'Starving Children' adverts. Much like I will cry my eyes out at animal rescue programmes and find them more upsetting to watch than if I were watching a Documentary about adult abuse in nursing homes, for example. I'm in absolute bits when someone has to have their pet put to sleep.... [sleep]