Petulism: Boudicca's Thought For The Day #4 - why so hung up about SEX?

Now, onto the vexed issue of sexuality – this is another instance of humans using terminology referring to us that has a rather judgmental edge – ‘animal passions’, ‘dogging’, ‘doggy-style’, ‘ at it like rabbits’, ‘hung like a horse’, etc etc.

This judgment is also displayed in your approach to animal sexuality itself – scared by our free-wheelin’ approach to making the lurrrve, and with, as ever, one eye to the economic impact, you impose controls on our chances of gettin’ it on.

Petulism: Boudicca's Thought For The Day #3 - The rat race and working feline INVECTIVE

We have referred briefly to the problem of unremunerated work in the owned animal community, but a deeper look at employment roles seems warranted. Let us leave aside the role of certain unlucky souls as consumable goods, as that's just too depressing to contemplate - instead, let us focus on the function of animals as actors in the economy more widely.

Petulism: Boudicca's Thought For The Day #2 - Media Paw-Trails and DUMBING DOWN

The media is often accused of 'dumbing down' culture to the detriment of all concerned. Historically, at a linguistic level, animals don't come out of this well - the stupid are described as 'bovine', the mindless as 'sheep', the fat and lazy as 'porcine', etc. When animal traits or characteristics are assigned to people, this is usually in a negative way. Ok, 'foxy' could be seen as a compliment, but that's a bit 70s and porny. Even a reference to 'animal instincts' etc is a derogatory norm.

Petulism: Boudicca's Thought For The Day #1 - Being and Not Having PROPERTY

Have the sales finished yet? Buying stuff is fun. Being owned is less fun. Humans in the west stopped doing it to each other hundreds of years ago but apparently it is still fine to own "pets". This is abuse.