To think kids should not chase pigeons

[greentreesdream]

I’m aware miserable bastard of the year award might belong to me but it pisses me off when I’m quietly making my way through a town or city centre and a flock of alarmed pigeons come flying towards me at eye-level.

There’s also something horribly aggressive in kids who stamp at them.

AIBU / miserable or do others agree it’s a bit of a shitty thing to do?

@stonehengedreamer no, you are quite right. Chickens have a lovely life before they get slaughtered, there is no other option but to eat them, and no one derives any pleasure whatsoever from eating chickens at all. They do so only to stay alive.
Animal rights is a broad issue and I don't think there is ever going to be a consensus.
I do tell my own child off for chasing pigeons, as it happens, and I do explain it scares them. But it's my place to do so.

As a child, I was taught that it was only okay to shoo away a pigeon if it came too close while you were eating outside.

After all, how would you like it if a massive giant suddenly ran at you, kicking and screaming?

alsohuman you are wrong. there IS plenty of sympathy for other 'vermin' (your use of that word speaks volumes about you...). chasing the pigeons isn't dealing with anything but instead lazy parenting/allowing your children to be little bastards. your attitude sounds anything but human so your user name doesn't suit . BTW it is terrorising them ffs

I'm alarmed that a third of voters think it's OK to do this. Nice.

EveryDayIsADuvetDay
The adults ignored me, so I shouted at the little bastards, one started bawling its eyes out, the other stood stock still. I drew the line at kicking/chasing them, but they were scuttled away pretty swiftly

Im quite alarmed at how many people think this is ok, let alone deserving of a medal!

concrete stop being so precious. if a child is behaving badly in a public place and the parent/carer is nowhere to be seen i don't see anything wrong with shouting at a child to stop doing what they are doing. there are different levels of shouting and i am not suggesting the scarier really loud type shouting but a polite please stop doing that is alright in my book

@beethecrackon24995

alsohuman you are wrong. there IS plenty of sympathy for other 'vermin' (your use of that word speaks volumes about you...). chasing the pigeons isn't dealing with anything but instead lazy parenting/allowing your children to be little bastards. your attitude sounds anything but human so your user name doesn't suit . BTW it is terrorising them ffs

What does my use of “vermin” applied to rats, mice and pigeons say about me? Apart from that I’m educated human being who understands its meaning? I understand the meaning of virtue signalling too.

beethecrackon24995

You think not wanting an angry stranger shouting at my child enough to make them cry is being precious?! You seriously think that is ok?!

The polite stop you mentioned is what I consider reasonable and acceptable. I don’t think that makes me precious at all.

I don't know when it became acceptable to torment animals in this way. I've had the OP's experience of a flock of pigeons coming at me at head height in the town centre many times. When I was a kid I never saw this - certainly never tried to do it. Not because my parents stopped me, just because even as a toddler it was obviously wrong.

Don't get me wrong, pigeons are vermin and every one of them should be wiped off the face of the planet (along with their bastard cousins, the seagulls). Thus I have no problem with the cruelty aspect, just the general cuntishness of doing it on a busy street.

human it says to me that you don't care for all animals & that you judge them/look down on ones you consider to be lesser beings. virtue signalling has no place in this conversation. I am an animal lover. i have no need to try and make myself look kind and caring. i love & care about animals so a genuine feelings that are not for show.

btw the use of the word vermin depicts the views of the person using it. some people (probably you...) use the word vermin to refer to a fox. many people of which i am one, would NEVER use the word vermin to describe a fox. i like rats too and no, i wouldn't want one running around my kitchen however i wouldn't use the word vermin to describe a rat either . the word is a put down

YANBU and if you let your kids do this you're a twat. I never allowed DS to do this. Try parenting your kids.

Ds has been taught to respect wildlife, regardless of whether it’s ‘only’ a town pigeon and we’ve never encouraged him to chase them.

So if that makes me also a miserable bastard, OP, then so be it.

Jeez everyone so worried about pigeons when they probably eat cows, pigs etc . Very confusing double standards

concrete i've been known to talk loudly (as opposed to shout) in my market yard to a child to put something down that it shouldn't be touching when the parents have fucked off elsewhere. i most certainly wouldn't want the child to cry/that wouldn't be my aim but a stern voice to tell the child NO is fine in my eyes. i shouldn't be doing the job of the parents. some kids aren't used to being told 'no'.

I must admit I do think "little shit" every time I see a child do this. I know it's just something they do but I don't think it's a positive thing and I do think it should be discouraged. Chasing animals for fun is surely something children should be taught isn't nice? I think the way children treat animals is an important element of them learning empathy.

concrete btw i agree in that i wouldn't want someone literally shouting in my childs face either (i should have stated that)

the word is a put down

Only if you put a value judgement on it. I use it purely as description. So what would you do if you found a rat in your kitchen? Tell it no and usher it gently out?

towel over it to capture. put in a box and drive out & free in nearby forest works well

Yeah of course. After the trip to A&E to have your finger sewn back on when by some miracle you caught it. What a load of absolute bollocks. You’ve obviously never encountered a rat.

Went out today to some local gardens, quite shocked at seeing children trying to chase and even kick the ducks, the parent did nothing to stop them. Thankfully the ducks were too fast for them. I thought it was disgusting.

@hellowembley

Jeez everyone so worried about pigeons when they probably eat cows, pigs etc . Very confusing double standards

Once again for the people at the back who are struggling to keep up:

It’s not the pigeon and the stress caused to the pigeon that is the issue but the fact that the child is being taught that to chase an animal for fun is ok.

YANBU

It’s dreadful for children to chase pigeons. I know they might want to, but they need to be prevented. I’m always shocked at poor parenting that doesn’t stop it, or even actually encourages it. Shooing away pigeons that are trying to eat your sandwich is fine.

Shooing away pigeons that are trying to eat your sandwich is fine

What’s the difference?