Thinking Animals Are Like Humans

This story involves a bitter controversy in Los Angeles over euthanizing the millions of stray cats and dogs that LA has to contend with, the tactics of some animal liberationists that may have successfully induced (coerced?) the mayor to fire an embattled head of the city’s animal control system, and the steps his successor is taking to assuage the protestors. I am not going to get into all of that, but this made me shake my head:

“Still on vacation when he arrived in town two weeks ago, Boks [the new guy] got right down to business, meeting with the community, visiting shelters, and putting out the word that he needs volunteers to help paint the facilities bright, non-institutional colors, just as he did in New York.” (My emphasis.)

This is fine, I suppose. Make the place cheerier for the people who work there. But if it is being done “for the animals,” it is an example of the rampant anthromorphization that is endemic in the animal rights movement: The dogs and cats sheltered won’t give a tinker’s darn about what colors the walls are. They are color blind.