Further Proof Western Civilization Is In Deep Trouble
By Mitch Berg
Pet owners demanding “Paw-Ternity” leave.
Money quote:
I couldn’t help but think that, just as Jameson was getting used to me, he feared I, too, was abandoning him. The guilt continues today: While my co-workers with kids walk out the door at 6 p.m., no one seems to care that I also have a child at home waiting for dinner.
You don’t have a “child” at home waiting for dinner. You have a pet. An animal whose instincts amply suit it to survived without “mom” juuuuuust fine.
Y’know where you teach your (two-legged) children not to mock people who look, think, act or believe differently than them? Let’s all make an exception for people who think pets are “children”.
(And if the free market can afford to pay for “paw-ternity” leave, I’m all for it. But you just know this is going to become yet another government mandate, don’t you?)
May 9th, 2016 at 9:00 am
When I first got a dog. I went home for lunch, every day, for the first couple of months. A four-month-old puppy doesn’t have a bladder big enough to handle 10 hours in a crate.
And I stayed later, every day, to make up for the long lunch.
The dog is 12, now. And I’m still making sure he’s not left alone for more than 12 hours at a stretch. Which means that when I’m living alone, I’m limited in what I do after work.
It’s called responsibility.
And yes, it does sometimes requires dedicated time off work. And that’s called vacation.
May 9th, 2016 at 9:25 am
JDege,
Like I said – if the free market wants to provide pet leave to a worker that brings them enough value to justify it, more power to ’em. I’m all for it.
May 9th, 2016 at 9:46 am
Wait, we are talking about a pet? And there I thought this idiot could not wait to get home to his whiskey. I could relate to that!
May 9th, 2016 at 10:14 am
There are places that allow pets at work, and Miss IConfusePetsWithChildren could find a job at one of those places.
May 9th, 2016 at 10:36 am
JPA FTW. I thought the same thing.
But writing as the owner of four dogs (kids use ’em for 4H), and as one who’s taken his daughter to the ER when someone else’s neglected dog bit her (no big scars thankfully), I’ve got to suggest that if every adult in the house is going to be gone 12 hours per day and asleep another 6-8, maybe, just maybe, pet ownership isn’t what you ought to be doing. And, for that matter, parenting.
(just noticed yesterday that back in 2014, our President noted that he “didn’t want” women to make the choice to stay home with their children…..and in such a world, “Cats in the Cradle” is going to be seen as wildly optimistic)
May 9th, 2016 at 11:10 am
Really? Western Civilization is in big trouble…..because of this?
I agree with you that animals are not the same as human children; it is unfair to a dog to anthropomorphize them, to try to make them into little humans. They’re animals, not children, not stuffed toys either, and deserve to live as such, with their REAL needs met.
If you want kids, have human children.
That said, there is an unfairness to those workers who don’t have children, who have to take up the slack for those who do. The same is true for those who are care givers to elderly family members.
I see nothing wrong with people getting the same amount of personal time for whatever they feel is important to their quality of life, and to their life choices.
But sheesh… nothing about this topic represents a threat to western civilization. Hype much?
May 9th, 2016 at 11:16 am
it is unfair to a dog to anthropomorphize them
Ok, point taken. We will never refer to you in human terms again. Now, go fetch!
May 9th, 2016 at 11:27 am
DG: yes, our civilization is in trouble if we think that maternity leave, or pawneternity leave, can be a substitute for a parent/pet owner. It may or may not be one of the more significant pieces of evidence, but it is certainly there.
May 9th, 2016 at 11:43 am
There is an inequality in giving parents time off for children while refusing to give pet owners time off for dogs. But inequality is not unfairness, it’s not injustice, it’s not discrimination.
The inability to distinguish those concepts leads to ill-considered public policies that ARE destroying America.
May 9th, 2016 at 12:08 pm
“I see nothing wrong with people getting the same amount of personal time for whatever they feel is important to their quality of life, and to their life choices.”
Right – but that’s not the same as mandatory paid family leave for animals. Which is what some are pushing for – to make the mandatory “family leave” that they’re demanding in some jurisdictions cover pets as well.
“But sheesh… nothing about this topic represents a threat to western civilization. Hype much?”
There are plenty of people out there who think of pets as “children”. People are entitled to their delusions (and to care deeply about their pets, as well), but not at a policy level.
May 9th, 2016 at 1:07 pm
That said, there is an unfairness to those workers who don’t have children, who have to take up the slack for those who do.
Do you have children, DG? The reason I ask is because I’ve observed people without children seem to think that way.
When you’re a parent, especially of small children, precious little time is your own. Personally, I feel I work more efficiently as a father than I ever did before: My job sometimes necessitates coordinating with teammates in other time zones on the other sides of oceans. In my work area, I often arrive before and stay later than my single and married co-workers who do not have small children at home.
Some working parents are fortunate enough to have a spouse that will stay home with the children. Others have spouses that work as well, and so the logistics of picking up kids from daycare becomes a sometimes-challenge. Most good employers recognize employees with families tend to stick around in the job longer, reducing turnover rates that cost employers money spent in training new hires.
By the way, life isn’t fair.
May 9th, 2016 at 1:45 pm
Maybe she doesn’t understand the word “policy”.
May 9th, 2016 at 2:03 pm
BTW, DG?
Two things:
1) If you’d please drop a quick “hi” or something, to confirm you’ve actually read this comment, I’d much appreciate it.
2) Give this a read, and please respond, here or there.
Thanks,
MBerg
May 9th, 2016 at 2:26 pm
My dog wants more nap time. He’s gnarly if he gets anything less than 18 hours a day.
May 9th, 2016 at 2:58 pm
Once again, Bubba hits it square. If you have to leave a dog alone all day while you work, you don’t need a dog; you need fish.
ps: dg, be a good little bitch and sit by your dish until you’re called.
May 9th, 2016 at 3:03 pm
I once had a co-worker that went through an awful divorce which left him with essentially nothing but two dogs (labs if memory serves). Because of the pay scale, he couldn’t afford the kennel charges for the “75% travel” noted in the job description (an inside joke – in order to keep the job you had to travel 100% of the time less Friday evening, Saturday & Sunday which we joked was the 25% non-travel) so he started taking his dogs on the road with him. After about 6 months, his manager got wind (literally – was riding in the company car and turned out to be allergic) of the dogs as co-workers routine and we got an update to the employee handbook the next week admonishing any traveling with a being that wasn’t a spouse. The guy was forced to quit and take a job that paid less with no travel.
That was twenty years ago – wonder if he could go the dog-gendered route today and sue the living piss out of the company for their hate speech?