So, you heard about the rats running rampant in the KFC, right?

[conuly]

I watched a news report, and somebody official said something along the lines of "We all have an innate aversion to rats, because frankly, rats are disgusting".

Talk like this makes me want to go out asking people if they've hugged a rat today.

Firstly, we don't all have an aversion to rats. I actually like watching them in the trains, clever little creatures. (I don't say this too much, because nobody really wants to hear it, but I do!) I know a lot of people who prefer rats as pets. Me, I wouldn't want to go too close to a wild rat, but that's because they're wild animals. (That's also why I don't want them near where I eat my food. As wild animals, I don't expect them to be housebroken.)

And rats are disgusting? Mayyyyybe? Seems to me that eating our garbage, they do a bit of a public service. No, I don't like rat droppings - but I don't like human droppings either, and we sure produce enough of those. Don't think I like beaver droppings, and everybody's thrilled that there's one making dams in the Bronx again. Rats carry disease? Well, if they're sick. But if you're so concerned about disease, endeavour to vaccinate all the rats and humans in the city.

Okay, I don't want wild rats living in local restaurants either. And I don't want them in my house. And I fully understand why this is a bad, bad thing. But that's because I don't want to be sharing my space with wild animals who aren't potty trained, not because they're inherantly disgusting and as a human it's my duty to be scared of them. For god's sake, they're smaller than me. How scary can they be?

Comments

[sayga.livejournal.com]

Kira and I went to look at the animals in PetCo today. they were restocking the rat cages and one escaped right in front of us. if i hadn't been pregnant (ie, if i was able to lay on my belly and look under the animal cages), i would've been on the floor helping catch it. i don't think they're gross at all. and Kira has never seen a live rat before this, and she certainly didn't seem to exhibit an innate aversion to them. bah.

[conuly]

They're just like squirrels! Except for the whole tail bit.

[sayga.livejournal.com]

squirrels are something of our "family animal." when daniel was a kid, he found several orphaned squirrels and raised them. and in college i discovered i could make squirrel noises and squirrels would come over and sit by me... we're both fans of squirrels.