Black Cat Adoption and Halloween

Controversial issues tend to obscure more than enlighten. People react reflexively rather than reflect on their political habits. I wish to illustrate leftism through an issue which has not been even a minor issue in any election: black cat adoption and Halloween. In this issue, we see leftism acting to cause pain in the real world out of some misguided commitment to a bizarre principle--that black cats should be treated like other cats. To prevent the torture of black cats, animal shelters have not permitted the adoption of black cats near Halloween. Some leftists say that this practice harms black cats more than protects them.

From the AP arcticle "Black cat adoptions banned on Halloween" by Rebecca Boone posted on Sat Oct 28, 2006 5:19 PM ET:

"Black cats already suffer a stigma because of their color," said Gail Buchwald, vice president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shelter in New York City. "Why penalize them any more by limiting the times when they can be adopted?"

Black cats tend to be adopted less often than other felines, Buchwald said.

"Behaviorally, there's no difference from the color of the cat. It's tied into this whole mythology about the animal — don't let it cross your path or some foreboding or foreshadowing of evil — and that's an outdated superstition," she said.

Basically, Buchwald is arguing for the torture of black cats in the name of removing their social stigma. The basic problem with freedom of speech is that people like Buchwald never have to take responsibility for the evil they advocate. In a just world, people would have to take responsibility for what they advocate when there are clear consequences. In this case, I advocate putting Buchwald in a prison cell. On the walls of her cells, there would be all day projections of films of black cats being tortured to death in the most gruesome ways. To get out, she wouldn't just to have to admit that permitting the adoption of black cats before Halloween in our actual society where there are sadist is a bad idea. She would also have to admit that the leftism that lead her to advocate the adoption of black cats before Halloween is utterly wrong. She would have to promise to forsake "rights"--human or cat--and think of consequence. No human or animal "right" makes a damn bit of difference when its only result is only to empower the most sadistic torturers. I continue to advocate freedom of speech despite leftist political frivolity.

This framework applies equally to people who call Islam a religion of peace. Sadly, freedom of speech also means that they too can be as irresponsible as Buchwald.