Fo’real???
According to a report published in the Journal of Animal Ethics, using “derogatory” terms such as “critters,” “beasts,” and ├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥ you guessed it ├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥ “pets” when referring to animals of any kind can affect the way they are treated.
In other words, a note for animal caretakers (don’t even mutter the word “owners” ├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥ that’s even worse than “pets”) everywhere: You’re doing it wrong.
We know what you’re thinking: What kind of far-out piece of academic research are you alluding to here? But in all seriousness, researchers from the Oxford Center for Animal Ethics, along with the University of Illinois and Penn State University, suggest that using these words to describe animals degrades the relationship that exists between humans and these… friends.
Instead of referring to animals as “wild” and “vermin,” which dates back to times when animals were treated unkindly, we should be cultivating a language that shows mutually respectful relationships between humans and the animals that live among us.
Don’t expect us to stop saying “pet” though, we really don’t think that’s a “bad” word to use.
Take that PC police.
[Image via WENN.]