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MantraMan97 t1_iy4jtdq wrote

Reply to comment by Acceptable_Lime1221 in The fact that Cats are far more dangerous than Wolf Spiders, yet we love them far more and are far less afraid of them, says a lot about how humans value physical appearance in creatures by Run_MCID37

The kind that feel nice and look pretty and make pleasing noises, but at the end of the day would only do something if it benefited them. The kind that like to inflict as much cruelty as they can before finally killing their prey.

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EpicSaberCat7771 t1_iy57rb7 wrote

people only hate cats because they don't blindly love everyone and they need personal space. I bet you wouldn't like it if giants constantly tried to pick you up or wouldn't stop touching you even when you had had enough. I don't blame cats for their behavior. it's part of their charm.

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MantraMan97 t1_iy60yfx wrote

It's not hatred. It's a statement of fact. I love cats and would never wish harm on one, but I also acknowledge that the only reason it isn't trying to bat me around for a few hours before it might eat my half dead mangle is that it's jaw is too narrow for my neck. Plus, domestic house cats are responsible for the extinction of no less than 2 species of Lizard, 21 mammals, and 40 birds. You can't really call them benevolent creatures. They might show affection and again, make a pleasing noise every now and then, but that glamour makes people forget the above mentioned facts. Because people at heart want to love and see the best in everything, and don't like to remember bad things. Even sometimes the would be predators.

To further my previous quote, "Style. That's all anyone remembers."

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Acceptable_Lime1221 t1_iy55pji wrote

On the one hand, I'd argue that every living thing acts in it's own benefit in the end (directly or otherwise) and that cats don't have the intellectual capacity to concieve of cruelty or know better.

But in the end, the why doesn't change the end result, so touché: well played.

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MantraMan97 t1_iy5z7nv wrote

It's more used as a frame of reference to give an example of the average Elf mindset in 'Lords and Ladies'. How they operate around life, and how they see and entrance others, and how what they offer, a brief memory, a pleasing visage, or even actual power over others through their Glamour. In the end there is no real value come sunrise, and all you're left with is the smell of the wilderness, and lost lives.

Even then it doesn't quite do them justice. Discworld Elves are so proud and full of themselves, the idea that other life is capable of feeling the same emotions as them is laughable to them. "They would break the world if they thought it would make a pretty sound."

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Acceptable_Lime1221 t1_iy5zh1a wrote

I really need to read his books at some point.

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MantraMan97 t1_iy61lix wrote

I highly recommend it. It's part of the Witches series of Discworld books. I'm hard pressed to find one I don't like, but that is certainly one of my favourites. Although it's full of a lot more humour and wit than I make it seem, it's also not without it's more serious moments. To quote a full description of Elves:

Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder. Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels. Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies. Elves are glamorous. They project glamour. Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment. Elves are terrific. They beget terror. The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning. No one ever said elves are nice. Elves are bad.

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