K.A Applegate is a stereotyping bigot

[BSerAkafanofblake]

I'll be chief of staff, and we can go to war with the Harry Potter forums
I think the Capn and I can take them, and Snoopy can sneak up from behind for kicks

as much as I like hp what does that have to do with the price of chinchllas?

[Sassy_Cat]

Nothing..... And by French will not be excused.

[BSerAkafanofblake]

Ya know even if ka DID do that kind of thing (which I doubt) It wouldn't be the first time. Take the way Jessie was treated when she first appeared in the BSC books. And the whole "Pureblood vs halfblood or mugglebon" thing.

[AverageSparrow]

Wow. Um. I respect your opinion, absolutely, but I don't think K.A. was really being serious and I don't think that one offhand remark about cats makes her a bigot. This is especially true considering that in all of her series she does a wonderful job of portraying race and gender fairly. If I recall, there is even a line in one of the books in which Tobias scoffs at the Boy Scouts for not letting a gay boy join.

[BSerAkafanofblake]

I do not remember that

[The_Brigadier]

Um, when did that happen?

[Mtn_otter]

I only read the first five pages or so, so I'm probably repeating something somebody else said without knowing it, but I have three points I would like to make:

1: You said repeatedly that the word "animal" can only mean "any living thing that belongs to the kingdom Animalia". Snoopy has been using it to mean "any living thing that belongs to the kingdom Animalia, with the exception of the speciesHomo Sapiens." The conflict here is not that one of you is using it incorrectly, it is that you both are using it correctly. It is true that, in most, if not all, modern scientific contexts it simply refers to the kingdom Animalia. It is also true that the vast majority of people will exclude their own species from that list. It's not arrogance, its simply the fact that the English language is poorly designed for scientific discussion. According to Dictionary.com, "Animal", means:

1. any member of the kingdom Animalia, comprising multicellular organisms that have a well-defined shape and usually limited growth, can move voluntarily, actively acquire food and digest it internally, and have sensory and nervous systems that allow them to respond rapidly to stimuli: some classification schemes also include protozoa and certain other single-celled eukaryotes that have motility and animallike nutritional modes.
2. any such living thing other than a human being.
3. a mammal, as opposed to a fish, bird, etc.

Notice that nowhere does it equate the word with "non-sentient". Since the majority of humans will not need to have significant interactions with non-humans(as far as they know) on a daily basis, it is only a convenient feature of the language that allows them to differentiate when they do have to interact with non-humans.

2: You say that cats are sentient. This is true, but not in the way that you mean. "Sentient", in its most accurate definition, only means "Having the ability to detect sensation; conscious". Cats most definitely are capable of detecting sensations, and though they spend quite a lot of their time asleep, they are capable of consciousness. Therefore, in that context, cats are sentient. However, you are using the word to mean "Self-aware; Capable of higher-level thought". Since humans have almost no way of communicating with cats beyond interpreting body language, it is almost impossible to prove or disprove it. Most primates can be taught sign language, and dolphins have been shown to have at least a rudimentary language already, so it is possible for them to confirmed sentient in the second context(though it will likely not happen in at least the next decade, since most people wouldn't like to accept that they aren't different from another species in any significant way) eventually. The only real way to prove anything sentient in that context is to have a conversation and see if they are capable of saying anything that suggests higher-level thinking. There is almost no way to have a conversation with a cat, and therefore, it is not possible to either prove or disprove it.

3: Why is this in the politics forum? If anything, it belongs in the Animorphs discussion section.

[BSerAkafanofblake]

I Was wondering why it,s in the politics section too.

[Sassy_Cat]

If I recall, there is even a line in one of the books in which Tobias scoffs at the Boy Scouts for not letting a gay boy join.

What book is that?

[Tashicat]

I don't remember which book it was but Tobias DID say that, he was talking about the free Hork Bajir fitting in to society after the war, asking how the local troupe would tolerate having a Hork-Bajir on the team when "They couldn't even tolerate some gay kid"