Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Humans

Saving Civilization one person at a time
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The Dolphin General
 
Our special spokesman sees human behavior with more insight than we sometimes see ourselves. Some of his views are presented below.
 
The Pit Bull Syndrome   
  by the Dolphin General

Humans were upset some time back by revelations of vicious dog fighting contests run by Atlanta Falcons star football player Michael Vick. The dogs were bred to rip each other to shreds for the entertainment and gambling gain of their masters. After using them in this sadistic manner, the owners mercilessly killed the losing dogs which were no longer of use to them.

Dogs that tear each other up gain nothing but a meaningless victory over their adversaries. Tragically, humans themselves are often caught up in what I call the Pit Bull Syndrome. People cruelly shred one another in ways that make no sense. What sinister forces manipulate humans to engage in such cruel behavior. All it does is hurt everyone involved.

I think ego must be behind a lot of it. One human doesn't like the way another growls at him, and the fight is on. But there are also constructive ways people can get affirmation. One way is by good behavior. I have signed on to represent the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Humans because it is organized to do just that.

I hope a great wave of sadness and outrage will arise among the humans in response to the Pit Bull Syndrome. I yearn for the day when they join voices to say, "No more!" As it says in the sensible Book the humans are supposed to go by, "If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other" (Galatians 5:15).

To this I say, "Amen! Save the humans!"
 
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Do Nice Guys Finish Last?
by the Dolphin General

The humans have a saying, "Nice guys finish last."  Famed baseball manager Leo Durocher coined the phrase but it's applied far beyond baseball. For example, human females often prefer a macho jerk to a really nice but "boring" gentleman. Nice guys finish last. In the human corporate world, cutthroat executives put their personal advantage, and obscene riches ahead of service to employees, to customers, or to the public. In politics, candidates embrace rough-up-the-other guy tactics in order to come out on top. In almost everything the humans do, the attitude seems to prevail: If you get in my way I will hurt you. I don't want to, of course, but "nice guys finish last."

By contrast the ancient wisdom of the Bible says that the person who obeys God's law (and love your neighbor is really, really high on that list) "is like a tree planted by streams of water . . . whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away" (Psalm 1). 

Though the humans like the idea of neighbor love, their desire  to "finish first," to win at others' expense, seems to carry the day in personal relationships, sports, the business world, national and international politics, and everywhere else except church or temple, and sometimes even there. I have to think that is a clue as to why the world is in the mess it is today.
 
The current economic crisis shows vividly that not nice corporate types not only don't finish well but they drag down everybody else with them. Everybody loses. 
 
Let's see how nice versus not nice has worked out in other contexts.

● Not nice Islamic radicals sacrificed their lives to strike at the very center of America's commerce (the World Trade Center) and America's military complex (the Pentagon). Result: America was staggered but united, and the rest of the civilized world rallied to its side. Soon the perpetrators of 9/11 were hiding in the rocks and caves of a no-man's land. The nice guys finished well ahead.

● Not nice radical Americans over-reacted. They danced around the laws that prohibit torture and engaged in it on the sly. They disrespected other countries and began to throw their weight around on the world stage. Result: America alienated much of the world, forfeited the sympathy and support generated by 9/11, and brought American prestige to a new low. American unity at home evaporated, and the country faced intractable political, social, and economic challenges. Not good.

● Not nice Al Qaida terrorists seized the opportunity to use Sunnis in Iraq to foment violence. Result: the country descended into chaos.Then, Sunni leaders of Anbar Province decided not nice was not working so well. They stopped their bombings and suicide attacks and drove out Al Quaida.They concluded that the Americans, as bad as some had been, were better than the terrorists. Hmmm. Who finishes last?

"Nice guys finish last"? Well, the first three words are true. Nice guys finish, while the cruel start plenty but can't sustain long enough to finish anything.

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