issue 16 / volume 40 Pet-thetic » Should pet owners be punished for punishing their pets? Elliot Chan Opinions Editor M opinions @theotherpress.ca AM 2013 ended, a video surfaced on the Internet showing a Taiwanese college student, Kiki Lin, stuffing her pet cat into a jar. The video went viral and the public was irresponsible act. At first there was speculation that Lin was punishing her pet; then she stated that she loved her cat and was only looking fora different way of transporting it. Regardless of the intention, the act was inhumane and regrettable. Still, this situation triggered some questions: is it ever okay to punish an animal? How does an owner discipline their pet without seeming cruel? Is that possible? Every culture has a different technique for disciplining their pets, the same way they have different techniques for raising children. While spanking is appropriate and accepted in some places, it isn’t in North America. We must abide by these cultural customs. Bringing children into the world and pets : into the household is a big : responsibility, and when life : is affected, we should always : follow the status quo. Physical punishment is never okay. Period. Striking : an animal with your hand, : a newspaper, or any foreign : object will not teach the : : animal anything but fear—and : : fear is not obedience. We, as: outraged by the despicable and : Owners, must understand that : : there is a difference between : discipline and punishment. : Dogs, cats, and other animals : don’t think logically like we do, : : so punishing them is nothing : more than abuse, because : : they cannot comprehend what : : they've done wrong. Poor owners become trapped in a weird situation : where they must spend time : and effort correcting their : pet, grudgingly accepting its : misbehaviour, orabandoning : : it. Ifyou find yourself unhappy : : with a pet and you have : strained all your patience, : : youre probably not right for it. : : : question again: should owners : be punished for abusing Like any domestic : relationship, chemistry and : compatibility matter. It doesn’t : : mean that you hate animals or : : that you might beat your wife : when times get tough, but why : : should you live with something : : or someone you dislike? You : might not be punishing the : animals, but you're definitely : punishing yourself. The animal : won't be able to divorce or be : emancipated from you, so it’s : up to you, with your human : brain, to decide the decent : action to take. There is a belief that animals cannot judge their : owner, plan, or instigate, but I believe that animals are more : intelligent then people give : them credit for. Sometimes : humans and pets just don’t see eye to eye and it’s best for both : parties to separate. There are : a lot of animals left as strays in the SPCA; let that be the last : resort. It’s a better option than : animal cruelty, which can cost : youa court trial, thousands of : dollars in fines, and years of : imprisonment. Give up the animal if you : don’t want it. It’s not your toy, it’s not your slave. If you ever : see an animal being mistreated : by an owner, let them know the severity of the law. I ask the their pets? Odds are, they are already punishing themselves : and we must step in to help them. Let’s hope the solution can keep both animals out of : acage. opinions // 17 The Report Card: Retiring an act Elliot Chan Opinions Editor © opinions @theotherpress.ca Cecrnnts often go through transformations. Usually these changes happen on-screen or stage when they’re portraying scripted characters, but sometimes these metamorphoses happen in real life; their daily actions become the performance, and you don't need to buy a ticket to watch. Sometimes it’s comical, sometimes it’s tragic, and sometimes it’s absolutely cringe-worthy, but it’s always entertaining. Pass: Joaquin Phoenix Faking retirement is often a good PR strategy to gain more fanfare. It’s akin to faking a death and seeing how much people miss you... or the idea of you. After gaining recognition as one of Hollywood’s top leading men, Phoenix stumbled into rehab and a car crash in 2006. A couple of years after the accident, Phoenix announced his retirement from acting—he was intending to pursue a career as a rapper. It turns out that the retirement was a hoax, alla performance for a Casey Affleck mockumentary film entitled I'm Still Here. Some people claimed they knew it all along, while others shook their heads in disapproval of such a blatant ploy to attract media attention to a less than mediocre movie. Still, Phoenix rose from the clichéd ashes and won back his audience. Not always an easy feat in an industry where the public will be more than happy to label you as a lunatic. Phoenix went on to work with legitimate filmmakers and star in highly acclaimed movies including The Master and Her. If he ever truly went away, this would have been quite a comeback. He played the role and he took chances. Sure, some said he embarrassed himself, but he did it for the sake of art. And that is worth some respect. Fail: Shia LaBeouf Asa fan (the word “fan” being used loosely) of Even Stevens, it’s sad to see LaBeouf’s current downward spiral in public media. Recent accusations of plagiarism for his short film Howard Cantour.com along with mockery from his peers have made the 27-year-old announce his “retirement from all public life’—whatever that means. LaBeouf was bred to bea star. He could have been a respectable comedian, an adored action hero, or even just a modest dramatic actor. Instead, he wasted his Disney springboard to fame by getting himself into numerous legal issues including assault, trespassing, and driving under the influence. Yes, plagiarism seems minor compared to those other acts, but as an actor, all of this is suicide. His last-ditch attempt to gain back his audience before going into social media reclusion was by writing his apology to Daniel Clowes (whose work he had plagiarized) in skywriting. Why he decided to choose that extravagant form of communication to express what should have been an embarrassing but private scenario, I’m not sure. What I do know is that LaBeouf is a performer and that he must get some pleasure from attention. I have not met him, but I believe that his arrogance has gotten him into trouble more than once and such behaviour is a sign of immaturity. The same way a stubborn teenager would slam their door to their parents’ scolding, LaBeouf is slamming the door on us through Twitter. Sooner or later he'll emerge, he'll be all cried out, and he'll be seeking our approval again. We'll accept him, because we love entertainment. And we love to tease celebrities, so we'll joke about his shortcomings again. It’s upon his reaction then that we'll decide whether Shia LaBeouf has grown up or not.