100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

Jane Stephens: the wild comparisons that turn us all into animals

Do you have a news tip? Click here to send to our news team.

Property boom continues but affordability slows growth

Sunshine Coast real estate prices are continuing to climb, placing more pressure on first-home buyers and renters. Data from real estate experts PropTrack shows the More

Airport powers ahead with solar scheme

A key regional aviation hub has unveiled its first large-scale solar project, with 320 panels installed on the terminal roof. Sunshine Coast Airport's 190.24kW system More

B2B: Why trust minutes are so important for good governance

Preparing trust minutes is a critical part of good governance and compliance for trustees. Here’s why they are so important. Also known as a trust More

Photo of the day: dog at dawn

Win Fowles took this photo at Coondibah Creek, Currimundi. If you have a photo of the day offering, email photo@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. Photos must be horizontal/landscape and More

Tough calls and tighter belts in council budget shake-up

Sunshine Coast Council has launched a major financial overhaul in its annual budget, cutting costs while lifting rates to manage rising pressures. The $1 billion More

Pub out, wellness in: revised plan up for feedback

Residents are being invited to have their say on proposed changes to a development in a bustling Sunshine Coast suburb. Locals have until July 21 More

It’s beastly: comparing people to animals is a questionable, ancient habit.

Cute little animals often double as pet names for children or lovers, with terms such as kitten, chickie and baby bear. They are not my cup of tea, but I get why these appeal.

We use animal descriptors for people who have desirable human traits: brave people are lion-hearted and the perceptive ones are eagle-eyed.

Many of us use animal similes in our everyday life. We might be hungry as a wolf, strong as an ox, busy as a bee, happy as a pig in mud. Some people swim like fish and some are like rabbits when they pursue other more carnal activities.

We horse around, can be dog tired or a lone wolf. We squirrel away money and are bird-brained when we forget something.

Smart people are wise owls and those who follow blindly are sheep. We can be chicken if something is scary and are rats when we reveal someone else’s secret.

Being called catty or bitchy or swanning about seems to be reserved exclusively for women, as are parallels with cows and toads. And if a woman has a much younger lover, they are a cougar.

We are animals, of course, but we are apex predators – smarter than the average bear, if you will.

We have rational thought and future fears but presume other creatures don’t. We certainly have a modicum of rat cunning and we ape civility.

We control the structures of our environment, and have powers of reason, choice and self-control.

An idea seeded in ancient times by philosophers including Plato and Aristotle, and developed in the Middle Ages, suggests there is a hierarchy in nature and we are all but top dogs.

According to ‘scala naturae’, human beings are a step above animals with only god and the angels above us. Third rock from the sun, third rung on the ladder – we are sitting pretty whichever way you spin it.

Local journalists supporting local people. Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our free daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email. See SUBSCRIBE at the top of this article 

But much of the time when we compare humans to other animals, it is as a slur and that has caused some fur to fly.

In January, the international vegan lobby group PETA pleaded with people to stop using animal insults, particularly online.

PETA also asked respected resources such as the Oxford, Colins and Miriam-Webster dictionaries to remove harmful definitions.

For example, Merriam-Webster gives one pig definition as “a dirty, gluttonous, or repulsive person” and snake can be “a worthless or treacherous fellow” and PETA doesn’t like that.

But PETA itself also used animals in insults, including a campaign in recent years that featured a very fat woman in a bikini with the slogan ‘Save the whales. Lose the blubber: go vegetarian’.

So maybe they are allowed to use animal insults but regular people are not.

Their argument is that language should progress, just as our culture does.

In their world, every dog has its day and they hope you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Jane Stephens is a USC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer. The views expressed are her own.

Subscribe to SCN’s free daily news email

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
[scn_go_back_button] Return Home
Share