by mgkeller » Sat Sep 11, 2004 2:22 pm
I will not defend what this guy did.
However, shooting/drowning puppies and kittens is not an uncommon practice in rural areas if the baby animals can not be given away. In the person's mind, they arn't being cruel, nor do they enjoy it, its just something they consider a necessity (whether or not it actually is). If you read John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men, there's one scene where somebody nonchalantly talks about drowning his dog's new litter as part of normal routine (he decides to give one pup to Lenny, but you should really read the book to find out more)... he doesn't do it to be sadistic, he simply has no way to take care of all those animals (the book was set during the great depression, though like I said, the practice is still common). In fact, in his own mind, he probably considers the action more humane than the alternative.
Different cultures, different rules. Again, I'm not defending the guy, any more than I 'd defend the Aztec's rituals of human sacrifice or the owning of people as slaves as practiced by nearly every "civilized" country in the world at some point, including this one. Just trying to elaborate on it...