Being in a risk taking mood (or should that feeling suicidal?) I thought I would hazard commenting on recent letters on the treatment animals. The recent BCSPCA advertising blitz featuring Sara McLaughlin adds impetus to my need to comment.

Having an intimate acquaintance with the realities of poverty, mental illness and homelessness in our province and our country causes me to wince deeply when ever I see letters, ads or campaigns to protect and shelter animals.

Not because I do not believe in applying ethics to the treatment of animals, but because this highlights a profoundly disturbing and troubling reality of our society. It is far easier to raise money, to get the public and “STARS” to support animal care and rights causes than it is to accomplish these task for the care and ethical treatment of human beings.

What does this say about us as people, a society or a race: that with the use of pictures of cute kittens, injured animals and animals that look profoundly sad you can raise far more funds and support than you can with the picture of a mentally ill person in filthy clothing wandering the streets arguing with the voices only they can hear in their heads?

Abbotsford City Council and city hall plead poverty when the issue of helping the homeless is raised. They have been studying, or is that stalling, for over two years while the problem worsens as they sit around talking instead of acting. Yet they quickly decided on and found thousands of dollars for a local animal shelter – while people live without shelter on the city streets.

To those animal lovers who are feeling a little upset at this point I say consider the words of Mr. George F. Evans: “Except for perceived compassionate people …who speak out, many if not most, take an apathetic role; This plays right into the hands of indifferent …”.

When was the last time you spoke out about the treatment of PEOPLE in need of help, shelter and healing? Or do you just sit apathetically by, thereby playing into the hands of the indifferent and permitting them to ignore and do nothing.

Why should this matter to those who pursue animal’s rights and ethical treatment? What is the connection between these two issues?

How can you expect a society to behave ethically towards animals when it does not treat human beings ethically? When you have permitted society to have created a class of disposable human beings; when you permit society to allow this class of disposable humans to continue to exist and grow; how could you possibly expect society not to treat animals in exactly the same disposable manner?

Open your eyes look around and see how unethically people are treated. Why would you expect animals to be treated differently?

In fact with some treating animals far better than they treat fellow humans; with others apparently more concerned about food, shelter and medical treatment for stray animals; with some fighting, advertising, advocating or writing letters for the ethical treatment of animals while sitting by with indifference and apathy to the reprehensible, unethical treatment of people – are they not contributing not only to the mistreatment of their fellow man but to society’s attitudes to and lack of ethics in dealing with animals?

I am not calling for advocates to stop working for the ethical treatment of animals or to not work to provide homes and healing for homeless animals. I am not demanding that stars such as Sara McLaughlin do not support the BCSPCA.

What I would ask is to think about the homeless – the mentally ill, the addicted, the poor – research/ think about these issues and when the opportunity presents its self, help bring about changes in attitude of the public and government so that we can begin to put in place the resources and programs needed to end homelessness. This applies to “stars” as both the person (Sara) and “(Sara) the Star”.

I am saying that these advocates and their supporters cannot sit around apparently indifferent, apathetic and condoning society’s current treatment of homeless people and those in need of help but must help bring about changes in attitude of the public and government so that we can begin to put in place the resources and programs needed to end homelessness

Because until we begin to treat our fellow man ethically, there is no hope we will treat animals ethically either.