Am I wrong to see poetic justice in this story?

[Amstaffer]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080217/ap_on_re_as/afghan_violence

Poetic Justice? I think the Taliban is evil just like Al Qaeda but I have to think there is some Poetic Justice for Dog fighters to get blown up in this attack.

I know that must have been some innocent people and dogs who were maimed or killed and that is a tragedy but I would rather see them blow up a bunch of dogfighters instead of a Market or Mosque.

Ok join in and tell me how twisted I am.........

[blue]

Nope thats pretty spot on.

[RD]

I don't think you're twisted, but all people do bad things. Even those who happen to be in a mosque or market at the time of their death, instead of watching a gruesome "sport".

My first thought was "serves them right", but I can't help feeling bad for thinking that.

[noludoru]

Ditto, RD.

[Lilavati]

I saw poetic justice in it, but then I thought a little harder.

Dog fighting is wrong. However, its a long standing tradition in that part of the world. THEY don't see it as wrong. They see it as a night's entertainment, the way we might see a horse race or a basketball game. In their own minds, they were out for a night of fun and gambling . . . and they were murdered.

In other parts of the world, people don't have the same empathy for animals that we do. They should, of course, but they don't, and its been that way for thousands of years. Dog fighting has only been illegal in the West for about 100 years, and only socially unacceptable for about a 100 years before that. Moreover, this is a culture that does not keep dogs as pets. At all. They are hunting companions, guards and sometimes herders, but never pets.

Regardless of what they were doing, the bomb was cold blooded murder. There is little poetic justice . . . this was not some cosmic event (such as if a asteroid had it the place). This was human malice, addressed at these people because they were crowded in one place. They could have been having a wedding, or a funeral, or watching a horse race. There were a lot of them, so someone killed them.

These people did not know, did not believe, that they were doing anything wrong. By their cultural standards, they were having a nice evening. This doesn't mean we shouldn't discourage the practice of dog fighting in Afganistan, of course. But they did not deserve to die.

[Kayla]

Taken from article

"Fighting dogs in Afghanistan — German shepherds, bully kuttas and Afghan mastiffs — have clipped ears and tails and carry the scars of battle. The dogs do not fight to the death but rather until one dog pins another or one runs away."

Not going to comment on the rest but at least there more civilized then most dog fights in the US.

[Lilavati]

Taken from article

"Fighting dogs in Afghanistan — German shepherds, bully kuttas and Afghan mastiffs — have clipped ears and tails and carry the scars of battle. The dogs do not fight to the death but rather until one dog pins another or one runs away."

Not going to comment on the rest but at least there more civilized then most dog fights in the US.

That's partially because those dogs are not primarily fighters, from my understanding. They are working dogs that their owners also fight. So they have value other than just as disposable sources of amusement.

[J's crew]

I saw poetic justice in it, but then I thought a little harder.

Dog fighting is wrong. However, its a long standing tradition in that part of the world. THEY don't see it as wrong. They see it as a night's entertainment, the way we might see a horse race or a basketball game. In their own minds, they were out for a night of fun and gambling . . . and they were murdered.

In other parts of the world, people don't have the same empathy for animals that we do. They should, of course, but they don't, and its been that way for thousands of years. Dog fighting has only been illegal in the West for about 100 years, and only socially unacceptable for about a 100 years before that. Moreover, this is a culture that does not keep dogs as pets. At all. They are hunting companions, guards and sometimes herders, but never pets.

Regardless of what they were doing, the bomb was cold blooded murder. There is little poetic justice . . . this was not some cosmic event (such as if a asteroid had it the place). This was human malice, addressed at these people because they were crowded in one place. They could have been having a wedding, or a funeral, or watching a horse race. There were a lot of them, so someone killed them.

These people did not know, did not believe, that they were doing anything wrong. By their cultural standards, they were having a nice evening. This doesn't mean we shouldn't discourage the practice of dog fighting in Afganistan, of course. But they did not deserve to die.

I don't know. IMO, no matter what your culture, humans are humans and should know instinctively that cruelty is wrong.
Maybe I don't understand other cultures. But I do believe it's poetic justice.

[Lilavati]

I don't know. IMO, no matter what your culture, humans are humans and should know instinctively that cruelty is wrong.
Maybe I don't understand other cultures. But I do believe it's poetic justice.

I would agree with you, but having lived in a very different culture (India) (and having spent a lot time in rural areas in the US) I am aware that they don't SEE it is a cruelty. They would very likely see, say, skinning a dog alive as cruelty, but not fighting them. Even here, where most people would agree that dog fighting is cruel, there have been, within my memory, and I'm fairly young, common practices with regard to animals that I would call cruel.

I'm not saying that it isn't cruel, or that it isn't wrong, only that these people, because of their culture and their general ignorance, do not perceive dog fighting as either cruel or wrong. I don't think they deserved to die for that. Their families certainly didn't deserve to be denied the protection and love of their male relatives. The dogs, most of whom would have survived, didn't deserve to be blown up either.