Blanton

Michiko Furukawa painted the "Obsession de la Muerte." It was displayed in the abstract section of the Blanton Museum. The artist created this painting to symbolize the tree of life. In this painting there are “sequences of scenes depicting the Spanish...the Nahuatl people of Huextzinco.” (From Blanton Bio) Also, in this work of art you can see that there are birds scattered throughout the entire tree.



The birds are surrounding the various images of the dead. Beside each bird there is greenery, which leads me to believe that the intent of these images was to convey freedom and life. Birds have the ability to soar above us mere mortals. The images depicted were of the Spanish Conquistadors versus the Aztec Indians, a battle that would be better labeled a massacre. The birds give the appearance of light in the face of the darkness that we, humans, bring when we inflict pain and murder.



At the very center is an image of the Virgen de Guadalupe this is a symbol usually associated with Catholicism. “It is perhaps Mexico's most popular religious and cultural image, and the focus of an extensive pilgrimage.” [1] She is said to be the mother of Jesus. So, she is the one that gave birth to the tree and to all of mankind.

Furukawa painted a life, with the source of life at the center, which the Virgen de Guadalupe. Next, the birds were placed as guardians to watch over humans. Lastly, human skeletons were represented as being the most barbaric link in the tree of life. If you look closely you can see some of the skeletons murdering the indigenous people. Each time you can see a smile on the skinless faces on the Conquistadors.



1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe

The Clay Pit

When I was walking over to The Clay Pit I remember thinking, “Oh, my God what am I going to have to eat?” Once I saw what was at the buffet I wasn’t sure what I was actually going to pick. I loaded my plate with lots of fruit and rice but, then I thought, “You're here already just try something new it won’t kill you, hopefully.” So, I grabbed some of the potatoes and spinach meal. I’m not going to lie, I have had better meals, but unfortunately all of those meals have always had some form of meat in it.



Although, right now I honestly do prefer meat I know that I could change my diet over time to become a vegetarian. In the beginning of high school I got a bad sore throat, so, I quit drinking anything that wasn’t water. It’s been about four years since I’ve drank soda. Some people think it’s weird that with every single meal I only drink water; they can’t imagine not drinking something not loaded with sugar and caffeine. Everyone’s different so, of course we’re all going to have different preferences to what were going to eat.



I know that if we at least reduced how much meat we consumed, and cut it back to even one meal a week, eventually we could work toward restoring our animal population and our earth from pollution. The problem with this plan is getting the rest of the world to see our solution. However some part of the world is ahead of us, a great example is India. There animals, specifically cows, are sacred gifts from God. For the United States being as advance as we think we are still manage to treat animals in barbaric ways in our slaughterhouses.

People Call Me Scat

“Scat, shoo, come on get out of here,” shouted the irritated man from his driveway. I scrambled on my paws to catch my balance as I raced down the street. My heart was pounding as I dodged an SUV coming toward me; the driver honked and yelled at me to move. I darted into a yard to try and catch my breath, but then I saw the sign, “Beware of Dogs.” I ran before the barking began. As soon as I saw the other stray cats wandering aimlessly underneath the bridge I knew I was almost home.



My cat name is Kylie but, people call me Scat. Most of them usually shout it out whenever I’m near. I’ve been an alley cat for almost a year now. I am one of the lucky cats actually, to have made it this long without dying of disease or without being captured. Most would have you believe that if you were caught at least you’d have a guaranteed meal and a chance at adoption. Well what they failed to mentioned is what happens when no one comes for you.

My story is a lesson to be learned. So, here it is. I was the youngest of five kittens. My mother named my older sister, Sasha, then Peter, Tim, Ann, and of course me, Kylie. My mother bore us in an abandoned building downtown. She never fully recovered from the delivery and lacked basic motherly instincts, to nourish us properly. Unfortunately, due to my mother’s inability to correctly care for us two of my siblings, Sasha and Tim died. There was no funeral or burial in their memory, one day they were here and the next they just didn’t wake up. We went on because that’s what our mother did.



When we reached the age of only five months my mother was gone. We never found out if she just took off or if she had been murdered, but regardless we had to go on. The three of us were quite young and I guess still cute. So, it wasn’t long before people picked us up. A very kind woman named, Pam, found us wandering around a dumpster in search for food; she took one look at us and knew she had to help. I wish I could tell you that was when everything changed and we all lived happily ever after, but I’d be lying. Instead, that was when we were separated from one another. You see Pam although very sweet, couldn’t afford to keep three young kittens. So, she tried to find suitable homes for us.

Until the time came for Pam to give us away, we stayed with her in a studio apartment for about a month. There she taught us how to use a litter box and I finally got to taste real authentic cat food, which by the way isn’t that great. Eventually Pam found a place for me, so I said goodbye to the only family I had left. I meowed and tried to hold on to Pam’s sweater, but my new owner just pulled me away. Now I can’t even remember how my brother or sister look anymore, but I remember their warmth whenever we’d cuddle together at night.



My new master’s name was Timothy, he was a nice enough fellow, and actually I was for his daughter, Sandra. She was only ten years old and had a very short attention span. We would sometimes play and soon thereafter she’d get bored easily; she’d prefer watching TV most days instead of playing with me. As she grew older she only became more distant and more self involved. It seems I was only in the family’s way and costing them money. Even though my family wasn’t perfect I still loved them very much.

Sadly, my love didn’t translate to my once beloved family. I gave them what affection I had left and they repaid me with abandonment. Timothy left me beside a park downtown, and I saw him for the last time as he drove over the bridge that I now call home. Looking back I don’t remember him having any remorse, the only thing he uttered was, “scat, shoo, get out here.”



Each day I wake up wondering what I did. Maybe I was too lazy, or ate too much, or shed too much hair, or maybe I’m just not worth anything. Perhaps I am unlovable. Why else would I be alone? Sure there are other stray cats living here, but we’re all damaged, left behind by the very people who promised to protect us. Many of the cats living here were tortured, starved, neglected, and are frightened by the very sight of a human. Some were overly aggressive, and as you could imagine we are not exactly the best company to have around.

Now, I have no idea how long I’ve been abandoned, it seems like an eternity. In reality, it’s most likely that I’ve suffered this lonely street life for a couple of years. Living out here, for such a long time has taught me that you can’t trust anyone. Not even your own species. When you’ve been separated from the social world for so long your personality changes, you become more primitive. Stray cats argue like everyone else with the added fact that we scratch and claw each other. We are animals, so our behavior isn’t surprising how we chose to resolve our disputes.

After living here, beneath the bridge, I’ve realized that life is short. Some of the cats would leave in search of food and would never come back. On one occasion, I recall a very tenacious cat, named mike, living nearby. He had recently been dumped. I was amazed he wasn’t bitter whatsoever. He just kept moving forward with his life, taking it one step at a time. Mike always seemed to find the silver lining in any and all situations. I admire him so.

At this point in my life I decided I wasn’t going to die without being loved or at least giving love. So, I changed my attitude. Maybe humans can’t see my beautiful heart or the amount of compassion I have inside me but, that’s their loss. I made a better effort to get to know the cats living beside me. So, it took a long time for each of us to trust one another. Eventually we all came together and created our own family. Above all else we would never dump a family member because, we would always love them.

I wish I could tell you that after creating our family that everyone and everything was perfect, but it wasn’t. The sad truth is that the streets are filled with dangerous situations that can leave you dead or an orphan, once again. Within the year, out of ten stray cats that made up our home, only three remained. Some were lost to the climate change, the winters here are brutal. So, some would go to sleep and never woke up again. Others were run over and left as rode kill. The humans that kill our family members are heartless, not one of them bothered to get out of their cars. Maybe if they had they would have seen that they weren’t dead just in agonizing pain. Of course, without the care of a veterinarian it was only a matter of time before their heart would cease to beat.

It seems anytime you try to make something for yourself, like a family and home, humans find a way to take it. Maybe not every human is completely heartless, but I have yet to find one in any of my nine lives. Every new summer would come more strays in search of a place to call home. I couldn’t bring myself to remember anymore names. What’s the point? Who knows if they’d be there in the morning? It’s difficult when you realize that you have no one to comfort you. Although, all the cats surrounding me were in the same situation, I still felt isolated.

Before I go I wanted to tell my story to someone, perhaps in an attempt to salvage another lost and forgotten soul. It’s been a long battle trying to survive out here, all alone. With the amount of time I have to think, I have come to realize that I’m ready to die. Death isn’t the worst thing that could happen to cat, that was a lesson I learned a long time ago when I was first left beside the bridge. So, tomorrow I’m going to walk to the notorious men with nets, who work for the pound. It won’t be long after that before the cage me and then stuff me in box where the suck the air out of me. The amount of torture is going to be excruciating but so is this feeling of loneliness, of hunger, of being homeless, and of constant fear.



I understand that you were recently abandoned yourself. Soon, you’ll come to
realize all of what I am telling you. Maybe you won’t choose this extreme, to commit suicide, but you will dread waking up to this nightmare. A word of caution: be very careful and do not trust the humans.

Word Count: 1,548

[1]Bridge:
http://www.cityofseattle.net/Neighborhoods/preservation/images/large/SchmitzParkBridge3DON.jpg
[2]Animal Dumping Sign:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenneth_moore/2588727777/
[3]Caged Cat:
http://www.grangeville.us/idahocounty/police/animalcontrol/uploaded_images/DSC02405-706107.JPG

Compassion in the West & East

As you go from West to East not only does the scenery and people change, but also people’s opinions and perspectives about animal change as well. Medieval thinkers said that “What really set people apart were their mental, and especially their spiritual, qualities.” (P.339) We should rethink our beliefs if what we are taught in is to support the brutal force humans’ use against defenseless animals. As the year progress the human race has continued to beat and kill animals into whatever it’s needed, food & entertainment. We’ve been so reckless in mistreating these poor creatures.



There many opposing position on the way animals should in fact be treated in,” The Western Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have created a dominantly human-focused morality...God above nature." (P.369) The importance of God is placed above the importance of anything else, including the treatment of animals. Some would argue that the bible is in favor of people using animals to whatever mean necessary, just read the passage in genesis.



In the East, “traditions of Confucianism and Taoism remain…in certain ways, some of the most life-affirming in the spectrum of world religions.” (P.370) Religion has been diverse and in accordance to what part of the world your living in, so as human shift from region to region our worlds view begin to change. But is our world changing for the better? According to Jainism, ahimsa (nonviolence) is the remedy for all miseries, sufferings, and cruelties of life…Vegetarianism.”(P.372) Those who follow Jainism are so strict in their beliefs that they even, “avoid the use of many varieties of vegetables as possible.” (P.372)

“Hindu scriptures tell us that the cow is a gift of the gods to the human race.” (P.375) It is considered the highest and most sacred gift bestowed upon humans. Their way of life tell them to protect cow and to hold them up to the highest respect possible.

Slavery

“Comparing the suffering of animals to that of blacks (or any other oppressed group) is offensive only to the speciest: one who has embraced the false notions of what animals are like.” (P.321) During the time when African-Americans were enslaved and were treated like animals, they had their liberties taken from them without a second thought from their captors. No remorse was ever shown to a slave who would stand up to their “masters” instead they were met with whips or even death to pound submission into them. The likeness between the treatment of slaves and animals are so parallel with one another. “To deny our similarities to animals is to deny and undermine our own power.” (P.321)



The placement of the PETA campaign by the MLK statue was genius for obvious reasons, the similarites between the injustices of African-Americans and animals are identical.

When you read the manuscript for Earthlings it sounds like a novel about slavery, all you need to do is insert the word slaves where you see animals and insert plantations where you see slaughterhouses. “What happens in slaughterhouses in a variation on the theme of exploitation of the weak by the strong.” (P.286) “In transportation, animals are packed so tightly into trucks, they are practically on top of one another. Heat, freezing temperatures, fatigue, trauma, and health conditions will kill some of these animals in route to the slaughterhouses.” (P.287) The way these two groups were treated (and animals are still being treated) is disgusting, we use them and act like what we are doing is completely legal. When slavery began many of the southern states saw absolutely nothing wrong with slavery, and neither did our government. It wasn’t until other people became aware and began to speak out did the country begin to shift its idea about what makes a slave a human being worth human rights.



“Animals have done us no harm and they have no power of resistance…There is something so very dreadful…in tormenting those who have never harmed us, who cannot defend themselves, who are utterly in our power.” (P.311D) If I were a plantation farmer I don’t think I too could harm someone who had never wronged me. So, after seeing a display or documentary as powerful as Earthling, I would most likely free my slaves, or at least keep them as paid help. I don’t see how so many people can cause so much pain without any remorse of it.



Jeremy Bentham said, “The question is not, Can they reason? Nor, Can they talk? But, Can they suffer? Why should the law refuse its protection to any sensitive being...The time will come when humanity will extend its mantle over everything which breathes."(P.313)He was referring of course to the suffering of non-humans mammals. His words express the nature the mankind has shown all creatures that are considered beneath them. Many people would justify their consumption and murder of animals with a simple, “it’s a necessity to eat.” Yes, we need food to survive, but we consider that if we were to become vegetarians. We would all decrease our chances of heart disease; we’d improve our environment, reduce toxic pollution, and save millions of innocent lives (of animals).

Racism

“The question is not, Can they reason? Nor, Can they talk? But rather, Can they suffer?” (P. 311C) Animals are mammals just like us humans. Animals can also communicate with their families and feel pain, so obviously they suffer when we attempt to separate, murder, and consume them. In the PETA displays on of the focus poster said, “JUSITIFICATION.” People try to justify the murder of millions of species, because they aren’t the ones actually killing the animals in slaughterhouses. “We are used to drinking milk from containers showing “contented” cows, whose real lives we want to hear nothing about, eating eggs and drumsticks from “happy” hens, and munching hamburgers advertised by bulls of integrity who see, to command their fate.” (P.316C)The public want to believe the lies instead of the ugly truth, we are murdering innocent and helpless animals for our own personal gains.



“Racism…a belief that human race have distinctive characteristics that determine their respective cultures, usually the idea that one’s own race is superior.” (P.317)We may chose to be oblivious to the racism we are inflicting to non-human mammals, but none the less we are all guilty of a crime. We are accomplices of murder. After eating out at our favorite restaurants, “however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity.” (P.311C) You may think that African-Americans suffered more during slavery or perhaps the Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz did. There’s no correct answer both endured a great deal before the “superior race” was stopped from eliminating and/or exploiting the other. “Both humans and animals share the ability to suffer from restricted freedom of movement, from the loss of social freedom, and to experience pain at the loss of a loved one.” (P.321)