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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Sobbing since 6am because humans are horrible

189 replies

inkzooka · 27/07/2017 07:20

Okay I'm probably BU but I decided to listen to Space Doggity again and started reading stuff about Laika and I'm just HORRENDOUSLY angry at the people who did this to her and how scared she must have been and how alone she must have been when she died :(

I have 0 maternal instinct for babies but all I want to do is cuddle that poor dog who died terrified and alone in space.

I'm gonna do some tribute art but I'm just so sad and I don't really know WHY this has hit me so hard.

OP posts:
stitchglitched · 27/07/2017 10:06

I think you could have expressed your sadness without the need to throw in that you have no maternal instinct for babies.

WannaBeDelgadaToFitInToMyPrada · 27/07/2017 10:11

ach, there's a song about this dog and it made me cry when I first heard it in the late 80s. I know she was just a dog, and humans are being starved and raped and beaten and tortured every day but I admit to shedding a tear when I first heard the song. It's by Mecano.

WannaBeDelgadaToFitInToMyPrada · 27/07/2017 10:13
Mummyoflittledragon · 27/07/2017 10:16

Apparently she died within hours of takeoff. She would have been unconscious and not suffered. Not that is much consolation.

Original poster
inkzooka · 27/07/2017 10:17

I understand no spanish but if you're serious I'll listen and look it up!

And mostly the maternal instinct was about my usual lack of being good at looking after things. Probably didn't serve mentioning, but I feel like obviously because it's MUMsnet you get assumed to be a parent.

OP posts:
Mummyoflittledragon · 27/07/2017 10:18

Have you read the Paul Auster book Timbuktu? Very sad and lovely.

WannaBeDelgadaToFitInToMyPrada · 27/07/2017 10:26

It's kind of sweet but not as deeply moving {eye roll} as I found it at 18. I just listened to it again.

Shortly after the mission, according to the song, a new star appeared in the sky. Star No idea if that's true. That bit might be fiction! Laika, a star forever though.

Also according to the song the astronauts on earth smiled cheered and drank champagne when they heard her bark in space. I suppose that's true.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 27/07/2017 10:27

I have to admit that every now and then Laika comes into my mind - I don't know why, but she does - and it breaks my heart, too. A horrible, sad and lonely death for a helpless and harmless little dog who just wanted a place by the fire and someone to love.

Awful things are being done to animals, and people, all over the world, in "civilised" countries and backwardness, directly and indirectly. It's awful and personally I feel helpless in the face of such casual cruelty.

FriteFuaite · 27/07/2017 10:29

WannaBeDelgada fab song!! Thanks for the reminder! That whole album is great, in fact. I had such a crush on Ana Torroja, and Miguel (?), too, him with the swooshy hair 😍

squishysquirmy · 27/07/2017 10:29

Flowers inkzooka.

I get where you are coming from. I think that those who are advising you to look up even more horrendously sad things are missing the point somewhat, and I hope they never try to cheer anyone up in real life because they are likely to be utterly crap at it.

I've cried about all sorts of daft things, and remained dry eyed at some really tragic things.
The truth is NONE of us really pay that much attention to the daily horrors of the world. We can't. If we all went around thinking about those things all day every day we would end up too distraught to be any use to anyone. Not seeing the bigger picture is a self protection mechanism we are all equipped with, and it means that we often have disproportionate responses to sad events.

Make your art, I am sure it will be beautiful. Do it for yourself, you don't have to show anyone if you don't want to, and ignore the numpties who think it has to be "for" something. I doubt that they never spend time doing something for the sake of it/because it makes them feel better.

WannaBeDelgadaToFitInToMyPrada · 27/07/2017 10:35

Isn't it beautiful? so nice to think of Laika as another star in the sky forever. I took that very literally at 18!

Just had a sneaky listen to La fuerza del destino and being dragged back in time.

BlurryFace · 27/07/2017 10:35

Sorry you got so upset inkzooka, I understand where you're coming from. My dog is the same age as yours and has started greying round the muzzle and I have started to think "geez, how much longer am I going to have you?"

I do have a maternal instinct for babies, but it also gets shared with animals and I find mistreatment of animals very sad, the domestic ones really sort of rely on human nature and frequently we let them down.

StarHeartDiamond · 27/07/2017 10:36

Are you completely against animal testing and research everything you use to ensure it's not been tested on animals? If yes then yanbu because Laika is one of many you care about except you happen to know her name. If not then yabu because why should Laika get your devastation for something you could not help when there's plenty existing and suffering who you could make a personal stand about in terms of the products you choose.

MsMims · 27/07/2017 10:37

Mummyoflittledragon

She did suffer. Her heart rate was 3x its normal rate at take off. She was stressed and panicked with no one to comfort her like there had been during the training for the mission. She then died of overheating which is a painful way to go.

Pibbee · 27/07/2017 10:39

I totally get where you're coming from OP. Flowers

HipsterHunter · 27/07/2017 10:40

@inkzooka I hope you are a veggie.

All those poor little lambs on their way to slaughter, separated from their mummies, crying, confused, stressed, no one to comfort them only KILL THEM :-(

Mummyoflittledragon · 27/07/2017 10:43

MrsMims

I didn't know about the heart rate. I also don't think they should have been allowed to do this.

boggedoff · 27/07/2017 10:44

:( op it is sad

randomer · 27/07/2017 10:48

21 children die every minute. Op perhaps you are not too well? I mean this kindly

InvisableLobstee · 27/07/2017 10:52

I don't think it's hypocritical to care about one case of animal cruelty unless you care about every case and take action. This might be a starting point for the OP to form her values round and work out what action she might be able to take to help prevent animal cruelty. People can only do so much and you can't solve every problem in the world but that doesn't mean you should stop caring about something that resonates with you. It's actually the opposite that is telling you something you should be looking at getting involved with.

squishysquirmy · 27/07/2017 10:55

randomer: that means that posters like duracellred are also applying their empathy and grief disproportionately. If you looked at it logically, why is one child's death more sad than thousands of others? But our emotional responses to things aren't logical.

I do wonder if there is more going on though, inkzooka. If this is the case, then please be kind to yourself and please, please, ignore the links and references to even more sad events.

JockTamsonsBairns · 27/07/2017 10:55

It was so terribly sad for that dog, just as it is for many millions of other animals and humans suffering across the globe today. So sorry you've had such an emotional start to the day OP.

Perhaps I could take the opportunity to shoehorn this clip in, just as an example of some wonderful human kindness? Hope the link works, I'm not used to posting links!

www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/item/63c3faf8-bb2a-4b8d-a072-a3b5cace5597

Summerswallow · 27/07/2017 10:58

inzooka you say you are not alright and waiting to go to uni to get 'proper help'. Can I suggest you go to the GP in your home town first as a starting point? I certainly think on arriving at uni you should get in touch with Student Welfare, let your tutor know if you are struggling and sign up with a local GP there (they are used to this arrangement) but I also know that student services whilst very good can sometimes be overloaded, and I wouldn't want you to rely just on that as a solution, which is two months away anyway. So, it could be months and months before you saw a counsellor through that route. Private counselling is another option.

I'm saying this as whilst of course it is normal to feel sad about the world, deliberately listening to sad songs at 6am and crying for an hour suggests something else is going on to me, and you also hint at this, and it's better not to just allow this to flourish into a full blown mental health issue if you can help it, with these big changes coming up as well. Hope all is ok.

WannaBeDelgadaToFitInToMyPrada · 27/07/2017 11:01

It's completely natural to feel more touched by say a bombing at a pop concert in Paris France than a bomb in suburb of the middle east we didn't know existed until we heard it was bombed. That is not callous. It's just we can't visualise their lives as clearly and we don't recognise their language and we haven't been there we haven't read books/films set there. This is a natural psychology and shaming people who feel a stronger reaction to one piece of news over another piece of news fails to acknowledge that.

Helendee · 27/07/2017 11:01

Do you honestly care more about animals than children? I'm always wary of people who say this. I accept that people can care equally for all living creatures but to prioritise animals over humans is odd in my very humble opinion.