On a walk near Lake Monona over the weekend, I passed this sign. I took a photo, since I thought you might be curious to see it.
I’m so curious about readers’ stance on specieism… Wasn’t completely sure on the definition, so I looked it up; Thinking that one species is more important than the others… Hmm, cats can be rather selfish. Alligators are very me, me, me. What other species might they mean? Oh, we humans?
That little scorched earth world domination thing we have going on? Yes, that is a problem.
What’s your favorite species?
¡Olé! –Rebecca
Part of Debbie’s Six Word Saturday.
Fake Flamenco 
It’s not so much that I have a favourite species, but I do have a few un-favourites. I mean, what IS the point of horseflies? They’re not even remotely irreplaceable in the food chain, and all they do is give grief to horses, cattle and humans alike.
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Very funny, Margaret. I do so agree, having grown up on Minnesota lakes with red welts from their painful bites.
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Oh, don’t mention horseflies! We were on holiday in the Hebrides last summer. We went for a walk on Jura. A local man warned us the ‘clegs’ were out and we’d get bitten. Not knowing the local dialect we thought clegs must be midges, as Scotland is famous for those little pests.
But NO! We soon found out that clegs are horseflies. Hundreds and hundreds of them. We were driven back from our walk.!
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Aaagh. I feel your pain. My worst horsefly day resulted in 7 bites. Yours sounds even worse.
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7! Ouch, that’s too many.
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You see why I’m not keen on them?
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I sure can! I think 3-4 bites was my max. I’d go underwater to avoid them.
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It’s a bit hard to do that when you’re yomping up a mountain side!
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So true!
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Oh dear, beware the clegs of summer!
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I suppose that species would be the cat, and particularly the house cat, for it is the only known species that has on occasion domesticated us humans.
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Hee hee, good point Lou!
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It’s the first I’ve heard of this particular phrase.
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Since it’s difficult even to pronounce, it may not get bandied about. 🙂
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Haha! Yes very true.
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I never heard of it, but somehow I don’t think I like it. Seems to foster prejudice or something.
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I suppose it could, although I think they mean to point out our human bias for our own species.
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My fave speces is a dog! They are not so self centred. XX
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Thanks, Carol Anne! Woman’s best friend 😉
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Exactly 😊
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I am not sure how I feel about this term, but I did enjoy your sarcastic sentiment about us humans! 😁
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Thanks, Michele. I read somewhere that humans are animals who think they are gods.
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You are welcome, Rebecca. Much truth in that statement. I was watching a show last night about octopuses and thought… and we think we are the intelligent species!
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Yes, many sea creatures are very smart.
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Probably more to the point, humans are animals who don’t think they are.
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We decide which other animals live or die, according to our whim. We would not be just gods, but we believe we have the right to control and change all other species.
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Huh, funny. I would have had to look it up too so I’m glad you provided the definition. The problem seems to me to be that it’s always hard to “stop” a habit or trait so perhaps promoting what we should do instead might be more effective….
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Great point, Wynne. I agree! I’ve read that in parenting books. Start valuing other species. Each species has value. (Except horseflies, I’m with Margaret)
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Yes, I’m with you on horseflies too… 🙂
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Well, on the flip side, I would much rather NOT prefer bed bugs: after encountering them a few times on my travels, they bring nothing but misery and disgust to our lives– not to forget ruin the entire trip! They can go extinct, thank you very much!
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Ugh, I had a bad experience with bedbugs. Feeling compassion for parasites is tricky.
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The midges in Scotland . I think they can go extinct.
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Parasites are not popular with our readers!
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Wow, I have a lot of species that I love, but to chose one!?! Hmmmmm llamas/alpacas are probably it. 😊 As others have stated I too have some hates, but let’s stay with the loves. Maggie
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Thanks, Maggies. Those are wonderful Andean creatures!
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Why there was a need of such sign board anyway? 😅
What’s the purpose.
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Thanks for your comment, Devang. Yes, why risk the $300 fine for defacing the sign? Do bumper stickers change minds?
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I still don’t understand what’s the sign board is trying to tell.
I read your post multiple times, but I’m clueless.
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Well, “speciesism” means favoring one species over the others. I imagine that someone tired of human arrogance, meant to give the world a message to think upon with this bumper sticker. But they weren’t very clear in expressing what they wanted instead of humans believing humans are the only species worth saving. I’d say this defaced sign is a failed protest because it changed nothing; changed no minds, helped no additional species survive humans’ reign of terror on the earth.
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My favourite species would be any and all of the dodolpin species, including Orcas. Clever and fun loving!
We’ve had several encounters with dolphins in the Azores, and also Orcas around Vancouver Island. What is impressive is how much they like to interact with us humans. We really don’t deserve it….
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Dolphins are so joyful. We really could learn a lot from them. 🙂
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I will tell my husband about that sign. It is one of his themes.
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Interesting, please elaborate. What term would he use for this human tendency?
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Nice and intriguing post Rebecca. Well I have to say I have never in my life seen a Stop sign written speciesm beneath it. I guess they placed it there for a reason.
I love dogs as a species 😜😂
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Nice
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Try Midgies, millions of them on a damp warm summer’s evening on the west coast of Scotland when you are camping. Horseflies by comparison are a piece of cake!
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Thanks for your comments, Colm. I haven’t encountered midgies. Can’t say I’ve ever met a parasite I like. They must be bird and fish food …
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