Jessica Valenti is a Nice Guy (TM)

August 28, 2007

Help Puppies

I got this comment last night on my blog:

“i read your comments on feministing.com- re:jessica and her new puppy. i was disgusted by your far too overwhelming vigilance. take it easy on the poor girl. you can’t be a very pleasant person. i feel sorry for you for being so angry.”

They’re referring to a few comments I made questioning Jessica Valenti’s decision to buy a puppy from a breeder in another state. Specifically, I made this oh-so-mean comment:

“He’s very cute. And I’m sure you’ll be a good fur-mommy.
But I have to wonder why this dog? Why didn’t you adopt a needy dog from a nearby animal shelter?
I’m guessing he’s from a breeder. And he is being flown here as cargo? Please say no.” (source)

I followed up by responding to other commenters, but I have only made three puppy related comments directed at Jessica. One was about the subway and the most recent was suggesting a show & tell. My point is that if dog-blogging truly belongs on Feministing, then we ought to consider the feminist implications:

  1. How pet ownership commodifies love and pleasure (in the same was that prostitution does).
  2. How our society’s treatment of animals reflects the patriarchy, structures of power, justification of slavery, and oppression in general.

The commenter left their note on my lunar eclipse post, so I marked it as spam since it’s obviously not relevant to a lunar eclipse. The fact that they left the comment on that post indicates whoever left the comment didn’t read my blog thoroughly. They just left a comment on the first post they saw. They didn’t find a more relevant post to leave the comment on, perhaps Pets Are Not Cargo or Pound Puppies or Puppies Are Not Biodegradable or How To Find A Small Adoptable Dog At An Animal Shelter or More Peas In A Pod. And they certainly didn’t read enough of my blog to understand my perspective.

The commenter wants me to extend a level of respect to Jessica that they’re unwilling to extend to me.

Moreover, neither Jessica nor the commenter address my concerns about the dog. Jessica won’t admit she got it from a breeder, though it’s painfully obvious. And she won’t answer how the puppy was delivered to her home, or how she knows for a fact that he’s old enough to be separated from his mother. In fact, Jessica hasn’t demonstrated any knowledge of dogs or animal care whatsoever.

Jessica treats the entire situation as though she has a right to the pleasure created by having a puppy. It’s exactly the same type of justification Nice Guys (TM) give. They think they deserve a wife or girlfriend because they want one. And they refuse to acknowledge that they treat living beings as slaves because they’re neutral or benevolent dictators.

Moreover, how is Jessica a “poor girl”? She’s got a very successful political blog, a book, and columns. Sure, she’s received harassment and hate mail, but my comments are not in that category. I make a point to stay on topic and to not use ad hominem attacks. I am simply encouraging a deeper feminist analysis of her choices than she gives. If that makes me unpleasant, so be it.

Jessica comes across as selfish (in a bad way) and somewhat superficial, both in her book and her blog. I want more in a leader of the feminist movement. If she’s unwilling to supply that, fine. She can ignore my criticism. It’s not really for her, anyway. It’s for the other readers.

People are often offended by my ethical criticisms of their choices. I’m sorry they feel hurt and I feel bad for causing that pain, but my criticisms are not personal. I believe treating animals as slaves is wrong, pure and simple. If that upsets you, that’s your problem, not mine.

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Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Animals, Feminism, People, Philosophy and Guidance, The Woman, The World 

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Comments

10 Responses to “Jessica Valenti is a Nice Guy (TM)”

  1. Roni on August 28th, 2007 4:21 pm

    Ya know, I stayed out of her puppy posts because I didn’t want to get into the breeder thing, esp since we were looking for a doxie thru the rescue channels. It didn’t take as long as I thought it would, but it was well worth it.

    You are totally proper in bringing breeders up as a feminist topic. I’m not a vegan, so I have my own animal rights flaws, but I just could not bring myself to buy from a breeder. For one, the hell if I’m paying $800+ for a dog when I can rescue one for $65 (local shelter) on up.

    Oy…this is getting long and I think I’ll move it to my blog tonight.

  2. Hector B. on August 29th, 2007 3:06 am

    I don’t want to criticize you, you seem to mean well, but you appear to assume dogs are interchangeable pieces of property: “why this dog? Why didn’t you adopt a needy dog from a nearby animal shelter?”
    I’ve had second hand dogs for over 20 years and I know from experience that a shelter dog is a pig in a poke. Usually they are a puppy mill dog who proved a problem to the family who bought it at the pet store. Or they’re the product of two pet store dogs, bred by ignorami who thought they could make some money from it.
    My best dogs were bred by conscientious show breeders who took their dogs back when their owners couldn’t keep them any more, and placed them with me. They had the typical breed traits that I wanted. Conscientious breeders make sure the family pets they place will be spayed or neutered. Conscientious breeders raise litters infrequently, making as sure as they can that the puppies are healthy, with the desired temperament. Conscientious breeders are responsible for life for the dogs they breed.
    Our puppy mill shelter dog was fearful, she had separation anxiety, and turned out to be epileptic — at first she only seizured when we were all sleeping. I know money means nothing to you, but years of treatment by a specialist vet, plus her prescriptions (which could only be obtained at one of the two remaining compounding pharmacies in our region) made this “cheap” dog the most expensive one I ever owned. In contrast, the well-bred second hand dogs I’ve had have been healthy, happy, and confident. Our old boy just passed away at 14, so if we had paid $800 for him, it would have come to $57 a year.
    Shelter dogs are the product of greed (puppy mills and pet stores) and ignorance (backyard breeders). Dog owners are under no responsibility to bail these people out.
    And to address your other concerns: wellbred puppies are in short enough supply where you might have to go out of state if you want one within a reasonable time (say, within one-two years). Unlike pet store dogs, conscientious breeders don’t let their pups go to their forever homes till the optimum age. Unlike puppy mills, conscientious breeders don’t produce puppies like they were caged broiler chickens. One thing on which we agree: I would be leery myself of shipping a dog by air this time of year. The best thing would be for Jessica to fly down and drive back with her pup.

  3. Elaine Vigneault on August 29th, 2007 8:49 am

    Hector,
    You’re the one treating dogs like property.

    I would never pay a breeder to create a special dog for me with special traits when there are millions of dogs killed every year in shelters.

    Dogs at shelters are there for any number of reasons, mostly because many humans are irresponsible and don’t take their commitment seriously. Your experience is just one in a million and it doesn’t prove anything.

    You said, “Dog owners are under no responsibility to bail these people out.”

    To me, that’s exactly like saying you would never consider adopting a needy child because that child was his or her parents responsibility and you’re not obligated to bail that person out. It’s like saying you’d rather pay someone to have a blue-eyed baby for you rather than adopt a Black baby.

    Luckily, we don’t euthanize orphaned human babies, but we do kill the “excess” dogs and cats. When someone chooses to buy a dog rather than adopt a dog, they are directly contributing to dog over population and they are responsible for taking a dog’s life. They are treating dogs as commodities. You’re focusing on the wrong animal, the human instead of the dog.

    It’s selfish. And you can’t deny it. You can rationalize it any way you want, but ultimately, it’s just selfish.

    Since I can provide a safe loving home for a dog who would otherwise be killed in a shelter, I do.

  4. Hector B. on August 29th, 2007 12:20 pm

    By readily adopting shelter dogs, you help salve the conscience of owners who dump their dogs at any excuse, and irresponsible backyard breeders who won’t take back their unwanted dogs, or place them with responsible owners. You also provide an aftermarket for the puppy mills and pet stores who just crank out puppies for profit. If you’re not helping shut down the puppy mills and the stores that sell animals you’re part of the problem, I’m sorry to say. I’m proud to say that in my community, there are no stores that sell pets other than fish.

  5. Elaine Vigneault on August 29th, 2007 12:36 pm

    People who bring their dogs to shelters might hope and believe that their dog will be adopted, but millions are not. They are killed. Anyone who brings their dog to a shelter believing it will be rescued by a kind heart is deluded. Those people salve their own consciences with lies, not with my actions to save animals’ lives.

    You wrote “If you’re not helping shut down the puppy mills and the stores that sell animals you’re part of the problem”
    I don’t shop for pet food or pet supplies at stores that sell cats and dogs. The food we purchase comes from a pet food store, where all they sell is food and supplies, no pets, not even fish.

    But that’s not the issue. The issue is referring to dogs as products and saying there’s an “aftermarket” for them. Adopting pets from shelters and rescue organizations is not providing an “aftermarket.”

    For one thing, the adoption fee is a donation and is tax deductible, it’s totally different than a price. For another thing, animals that come from shelters are chosen by adoptive guardians and the shelters have to approve the adoption. You can’t just order your puppy the way you can order a Prius. “I’d like one in black, please, with some hip dysplasia on the side, thank you.”

    Animals that come from shelters are not products. Animals that come from breeders, no matter whether they’re good breeders or puppy mills, are.

  6. secondhandsarah on September 3rd, 2007 2:14 pm

    I was interested in what you had to say until you said that Jessica is selfish and superficial. Although you are entitled to that opinion, I find it to be mean-spirited and unnecessary to your argument (I also disagree). I think it would be different if you had said that you find her to be selfish and superficial in this instance, but it seems extreme to sum up her entire personality like that.

    in my opinion, you should let the facts of your argument stand for themselves; it is much more persuasive. When you say things like she is selfish and superficial, it makes me dismiss the whole thing as some kind of personal attack.

    In addition, I think it’s excellent for everyone to educate others, especially in areas where you have knowledge that they do not, but I think one must always keep in mind that the point is to get the word out, to explain to the person you disagree with what your position is and also to educate others who read your blog about your position; I do not believe that the purpose should be to humiliate or “best” the person you disagree with.

    I hope this doesn’t come off as too preachy or anything; just sharing my opinion.

  7. Elaine Vigneault on September 3rd, 2007 5:40 pm

    Sarah,
    I’m not trying to humiliate her.
    If she or anyone else takes offense, thinking that is my goal, I’m sorry.

    I asked her a direct question on her blog. She didn’t answer. I made other comments. She never responded. I posted here and she never responded. I left another comment on feministing and she never responded. I’m not intending to humiliate her. I am simply offering my opinion.

    Thank you for your comment. It was thoughtful.

  8. secondhandsarah on September 3rd, 2007 6:37 pm

    Hello,
    I commented over at feministing under the name secondhandsally. Just wanted to let you know I made the comment before seeing you had responded here (I should have checked!). I didn’t want you to think I am trying to bombard you with my opinion on multiple sites! Anyway, I’m happy to agree to disagree.
    Thanks!

  9. Daomadan on September 4th, 2007 9:04 am

    I’m a lurker over at feministing and I just wanted to thank you for pointing this out. I don’t go to a feminist blog to read about someone’s puppy, but I do go to read the discussion as it relates to feminist issues. You’ve made me rethink dog breeding for profit as well as the breeder vs. shelter debate. Thank you.

  10. rgrey on September 4th, 2007 8:12 pm

    Hey Elaine–

    Again, smart and cogent points over at feministing. I need to repress blog rage so I think I’ll take a break from feministing which frustrates me more than it informs me in general. You are always so level-headed, though– kudos:)

    RGrey

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