To be offended by children throwing things at a dead animal on the side of the road?

[blackkitty1234]

Walking my dog and the kids are coming out of the local high school in their droves. Sadly there is a dead badger that’s been hit and placed on the grass verge. In come a group of boys who start throwing stuff at it. I told them to stop and they tell me ‘it’s a fucking animal’. AIBU to find this behaviour disgusting and pull them up on it? I wish parents would raise their children to have a deeper respect and compassion for non human life 😕

I remember being on the phone to DH (secondary teacher) on his lunch time and him saying 'got to go, year 7 have found a dead rat and I can see them poking it with sticks out the window'

Poking it with a stick is morbid curiosity though, totally different to throwing stuff at it.

So you wouldn’t have challenged this disgusting behaviour. Just let these feral brats go round thinking it’s acceptable. Yet I’m the bad guy for letting them know they are being fucking vile. You’ve got your priorities all wrong. God only knows what values you install in your own children, now that’s a scary thought.

You said "Lol, you’ve guessed my response to them. I shouted ‘So are you, you’re a fucking animal, you jerks’. They just continued walking. I suppose I’ve just been reminded of why I prefer animals to people. 😒"

So your "response" to them was to swear in the street. You then asked how I would have responded I said I wouldn't have responded to them. And this somehow makes me a terrible parent?!

You are being oddly intense about me saying it's not on to shout and swear at children in the street. I'm surprised you seem to think that's such a radical opinion.

@CastleOfDoom

I remember being on the phone to DH (secondary teacher) on his lunch time and him saying 'got to go, year 7 have found a dead rat and I can see them poking it with sticks out the window'

Poking it with a stick is morbid curiosity though, totally different to throwing stuff at it.

I think throwing stones at it is also morbid curiosity and if we're starting to split hairs between throwing stones and poking with sticks then I think even more that people are drawing some very arbitrary lines...

@Nikhedonia

So you wouldn’t have challenged this disgusting behaviour. Just let these feral brats go round thinking it’s acceptable. Yet I’m the bad guy for letting them know they are being fucking vile. You’ve got your priorities all wrong. God only knows what values you install in your own children, now that’s a scary thought.

You said "Lol, you’ve guessed my response to them. I shouted ‘So are you, you’re a fucking animal, you jerks’. They just continued walking. I suppose I’ve just been reminded of why I prefer animals to people. 😒"

So your "response" to them was to swear in the street. You then asked how I would have responded I said I wouldn't have responded to them. And this somehow makes me a terrible parent?!

You are being oddly intense about me saying it's not on to shout and swear at children in the street. I'm surprised you seem to think that's such a radical opinion.

I initially asked them nicely to stop but I was sworn and scoffed at. Do you really think I am going to continue to be nice about it after that?

I question the parenting of everyone who seems to think this kind of behaviour is acceptable as obviously they are not too concerned with installing values of respect and compassion.

You seem to think that children, old enough to understand why it’s wrong, are somehow exempt from being pulled up on their shitty behaviour? This is precisely why we as a society have a population of little feral brats.

I question the parenting of everyone who seems to think this kind of behaviour is acceptable as obviously they are not too concerned with installing values of respect and compassion.

I literally have not stated once that I think it's acceptable. I think it's bloody awful behaviour and a pretty odd thing for a child to want to do. BUT I also think it's pretty unacceptable for adults to shout and swear at children in the street.

But... it was dead. That’s not cruelty or torture. Is just messing about and probably showing off around each other. Life is very boring at the minute for kids. Let them play with the roadkill if it makes them happy.

Having said that, after Brexit we’ll probably be fighting over the lovely, nutritious roadkill anyway.

So many trolls on this thread OP. Ignore them. The kids were being vile. Nice kids don’t behave like that, it’s not ‘normal’ regardless of whether some people on here want to pretend is. My kids would think ‘ah, poor animal’. They’re not sadistic little fucks though. They’ve been shown how to behave like a decent human being by us since they were old enough to learn.

Let them play with the roadkill if it makes them happy.

That's seriously weird. Why on earth would playing with roadkill "make them happy" It's a pretty odd thing to want to do. If my child was happy when playing with dead animals I would seriously question their mental health and probably call a psychologist in.

If my child was happy when playing with dead animals I would seriously question their mental health and probably call a psychologist in.

Me too. It’s seriously fucked up. But some people are.

Hardback writer

The " It's only an animal"
Said by the group. Didn't seem to bother them. With such a flippant statement it basically said, because it was an animal it didn't matter.

It's like these children that pull wings of butterflies and such. It is often met with the same flippant response. To them it's only an animal so it shouldn't matter.

It's dead, so it's a bit weird to be offended

Of course children are interested in a dead animal - they usually only get to see chunks of dead animal not a whole one. It's a novelty.

Unless you'd be equally offended by them chucking things at a ham sandwich?

Of course children are interested in a dead animal - they usually only get to see chunks of dead animal not a whole one. It's a novelty

Novelty? Some if those dead animals will be someones beloved pet. Others will have babies left behind dying. It may have taken hours to die in pain, " this makes a change to those ones we see squished on the road" is really not a take id want my kids to have on the situation.

Good god.

@mooncakes

It's dead, so it's a bit weird to be offended

Of course children are interested in a dead animal - they usually only get to see chunks of dead animal not a whole one. It's a novelty.

Unless you'd be equally offended by them chucking things at a ham sandwich?

Just because it’s dead doesn’t make it ok. It’s disrespectful.

I'm sure you all say a very respectful little prayer before you tuck into a Big Mac.

@mooncakes

I'm sure you all say a very respectful little prayer before you tuck into a Big Mac.

I’m vegan.

Then I'm not surprised you're offended.

Of course children are interested in a dead animal - they usually only get to see chunks of dead animal not a whole one. It's a novelty.

Nah, interest is going up to it and maybe even poking it to see all the blood/gore, whatever. They were throwing things at it, which shows a clear lack of interest in the actual deadness of it (there was no morbid curiosity as to what a dead body looks like) there was just sheer contempt for what was a beautiful animal.
Disgusting behaviour.

Then I'm not surprised you're offended.

My initial observation about you was right I see.
🍑 🍩

@CastleOfDoom

Of course children are interested in a dead animal - they usually only get to see chunks of dead animal not a whole one. It's a novelty.

Nah, interest is going up to it and maybe even poking it to see all the blood/gore, whatever. They were throwing things at it, which shows a clear lack of interest in the actual deadness of it (there was no morbid curiosity as to what a dead body looks like) there was just sheer contempt for what was a beautiful animal.
Disgusting behaviour.

Chucking things at a dead animals vs keeping it in a cage, skinning it, chopping it up and eating it - what is most contemptuous? Or maybe repeatedly impregnating a beautiful, intelligent animal, keeping it captive, taking it's new born babies away and causing it pain and illness to harvest it's milk until it dies an early death from exhaustion? I kind of think that is far more disgusting than throwing a stone at a dead badger

Honestly I think you are over thinking this. It's just a dead badger. You lost your moral high ground when you swore back at them and it was none of your business in the first place.

Yes kids can make poor choices, they're vile at times and the story above about year 7 and a rat with sticks definitely rings true with my feral teenagers. But you are responsible for the choices you make and when you interfered, then swore back at them, in my opinion, is when you crossed a line.

It's certainly not nice behaviour at all, and I would definitely put a stop to it if the animal was alive and suffering.
I love all animals, and I don't eat meat, but I don't think that I'd get involved with kids messing about with road kill. If I saw my own kids doing it, then yes. Or kids I knew. But strangers, no.

I wish parents would raise their children to have a deeper respect and compassion for non human life

They may well have ‘a deeper respect and compassion for non human life‘. You didn’t see them being disrespectful or non-compassionate to a non-human life.

They were playing an unpleasant game with a carcass. You can’t necessarily extrapolate cruelty to live animals from kids throwing stones at a dead animal.

You can’t necessarily extrapolate cruelty to live animals from kids throwing stones at a dead animal.

Oh come on. We all know exactly the type of kids that would do this. Let’s not pretend they’re the nice children. They’re the antisocial little shits that cause problems at school and in the local area.

Posted too soon.
They are the kids most likely to be cruel to animals and vulnerable people....and anyone really that they fancy bullying. But keep pretending if it makes you feel better. 🤷🏻‍♀️