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GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member


"Why should I wor-rah? Why should I keh-heh-heh-hare? I may not have a dime, but I got streeeeeet savoir faire.."
 
Cheesy1

Cheesy1

So Grumpy Cat and Lil' Bub had a fight to the death . . .

. . . no, not really. But they did stare at each other and then took a nap.



 
Tress

Tress

I'm sorry, but that kitten died of smoke inhalation shortly after. Does that affect how you view the value or ethical nature of the commercial?
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

Tress said:
I'm sorry, but that kitten died of smoke inhalation shortly after. Does that affect how you view the value or ethical nature of the commercial?
Click to expand...
Sigh. I didn't think @Tress was being mean, but I was hoping that would not be the case. I know cats pretty well (though I'm no certified expert), and at the end of that video, that kitten is in some obvious distress. It reminded me of another video (which I will not link here, because this ain't the place for it) where a kitten exhibits the exact same panic behavior/vocalizations in a situation far worse than that one. The rescuers in that one manage to free that animal and deliver it to a shelter, but that one also died within a couple days (from shock/exposure, from injury, the exact cause is not mentioned). When I saw this video, I had hoped that this one made it, y'know?

As far as the ethical value of the commercial? No, I don't think that its message is diluted by the eventual outcome. The guy was obviously documenting his daily life, something which would otherwise be difficult to do, and the camera in question is one designed to do that job, and the subject matter is a good example of the sort of thing that would be lost without its presence. Without the camera, it would've merely made an inspirational tale. With the camera, it's a much more immersive experience. I don't believe that the guy who cut together the original video did it as a self-aggrandizing bid for fame, I think he did it to show that he takes his duty seriously and also extends his responsibility to the non-humans he meets (in the original video, he even identifies himself as vegan). I also think that the camera manufacturer saw this as a combination of a good example of the camera's capability as well as one which matches the image they wish to portray. I don't feel like any of them are glorifying nor profiting by the death of the animal, I doubt anyone involved was at all responsible for initially putting that kitten into harm's way in order to sell cameras, and I don't feel like they are trying to suggest that the kitten will be saved if I buy enough cameras or give it enough Likes on Facebook or something. The kitten may have ultimately failed its saving throw (even with the +3 provided by the firefighter, and this is indeed sad), but I got to at least see a guy legitimately attempt to save it, and it's nice to see evidence that there exist people who care about anonymous kittens.

--Patrick
 
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