this post was submitted on 13 Apr 2024
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So it is used as a term of respect for the animals killed to further science. A way to remind ourselves that we should not be taking their lives without purpose.
A long time ago I was a lab assistant and remember feeling very bad about a series of experiments that were in my view poorly planned and largely pointless. We sacrificed those rats, I personally euthanized them, and I think it is good to be reminded that they are living creatures.
Statue honoring lab mice
Wasn't sure if you were joking. But after 3 minutes of research I see you weren't. Thanks for that info. .. turns out they don't euphemize their euthanize.
I'll see myself out
Admittedly it is a bit silly and we are anthropomorphizing them a bit, but it's helps keep us from being monsters in how we treat the animals, which in turn helps people sleep at night.
That is assuming people take it a little seriously and not just use the term as an excuse to justify being cold and ruthless in how we work with animals.
I don't think that's anthropomorphizing, just an awareness that animals are being literally killed for the research and being respectful of it
Well, they are not choosing to be sacrificed - its not like they are making a noble decision to be sacrificed. I guess that is what I meant by that.
I feel like that statue should look like a real mouse, not a human mouse. Like imagine if a huge species used us as lab testing animals and built a statue of us to honor our sacrifice. But it just looks like one of them, only cartoonishly like a human. You wouldn't like it or feel appreciated. I think if we really did admire the animal we would build a statue of one that actually looks like it.
In the contrary you could argue, that humanizing them makes it easier to emotionally connect for humans. If that was the intention of the statue it works better that way. But I agree: if the statue would purely be for honoring the mice, it would be more appropriate to look like a real mouse.