PARENTAL WARNING! THE FOLLOWING POST DISCUSSES DIFFICULT ISSUES IN UNVARNISHED LANGUAGE. COVER YOUR DARLINGS' EYES.
I read your post last night and have been giving it some thought this morning. Examples of cruelty are, unfortunately, rather commonplace in that laboratory known as The Animal Farm.
The whole "pecking order" thing in chickens is well-known to many, but what is probably less known is that it expands well beyond the boundaries of that species. When I kept both chickens and waterfowl, the geese were at the top end of the scale and took great satisfaction in displays of dominance. They would, for no reason, take the cruelest snaps at the backs of the necks of the poor ducks that would waddle as fast as they possibly could run with necks pressed against the ground, hoping to avoid persecution. The geese also terrorized certain chickens -- in particular, the small black Silky hens (the kindest little hens that will nurture any young chick or duckling). If they got half a chance, they would grab small chicks or ducklings and toss them into water buckets to drown. Very large and aggressive roosters take a similar delight in inflicting fear and pain on any creature smaller than themselves. I've often seen roosters stalk and peck at the faces of barn cats until they drove them up into the rafters. I would have to say that the only thing that can be learned from such behaviour is that very large, powerful, and dangerous creatures sometimes get their kicks out of displaying their dominance in the cruelest of ways.
Likewise, that the meek shall turn against the strong is a given when the opportunity arises. One evening, I arrived at the barn to do chores, only to find that one of the chicken-wire gates had fallen over onto the largest and most aggressive rooster in the yard. In what was perhaps the course of a few hours, all of the poultry in the yard took great satisfaction in obtaining retribution by pecking at the trapped creature until there was not much left of it beyond a flattened heap of bloody feathers. I arrived to find them milling about, continuing to inflict occasional pecks and prods at the hated foe. The lines, "Ding-dong, the Witch is dead, the Witch is dead, the Witch is dead! Ding-dong the Wicked Witch is dead!" immediately came to mind and well express the malevolence that can build among the "ass-kicked" -- to turn this back to your discussion of human cruelty.
Returning to the question of the part of cruelty to Darwinian value, I suppose it has a place. Likewise, I would say that cooperation and kindness have their own valuable place as there are many examples of both amongst the animal kingdom as well.
Anyhow, interesting subject!
-croc |
