[Aztlan] Eating Humans - DOGS IN THE ANCIENT SOUTHWEST

[Greg Sandor]

Dear Barbara,

If you know of specific incidents or especially patterns of abuse of animals in county-run animal shelters you ought to contact the District Attorney immediately for a referral of criminal prosecution.  Michael Vick, despite his fame and wealth, was sucessfully prosecuted for felonies by the United States government and is now in federal prison for dogfighting.  

Cruelty in a society does not disqualify its claim to civilization.  When that cruelty is illegal or otherwise proscribed in the society there is even less claim that he society as a whole is indictable for it.  

Eating of humans and torture of animals have been made illegal by constitutionally elected governments in the United States.  Sure, individuals may break the law, but the society as a whole condemns them.  A casual claim that because a member of a society is cruel the entire society is uncivilized cannot stand, particularly when that cruelty is specifically prohibited by the laws of that society.  

As for a comparison of cultural norms, its a fun exercise with no right answer; we might as well talk about the ritual cannibalism I practice when I take communion at church, and argue whether I am closer to God by symbolically drinking my God's blood than Ahuitzotl was if he ate his captive's thigh.

For all that, what is "civillized treatment" of dogs or any other animal, in any culture?  Are modern Canadians uncivilized for eating dogs?  Am I more civilized because my beloved retriever Annie is carefully buried under the flowering magnolia in the back-yard?  Or am I less civilized because I had a hamburger for lunch?

I still don't see what this has to do with the archaeology of Mesoamerica, but if you can tie it in I love a smart debate with good evidence, and welcome it.  

En garde!

Regards,

Greg

(614) 517-7204
greg at gregsandor.com
http://www.gregsandor.com

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Siekba at cs.com 
  To: gregory_sandor at hotmail.com 
  Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2008 9:04 PM
  Subject: [Aztlan] Eating Humans - DOGS IN THE ANCIENT SOUTHWEST


  n a message dated 4/26/2008 12:00:36 PM Central Daylight Time, aztlan-request at lists.famsi.org writes: 

    Message: 3
    Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:24:23 -0400
    From: "Greg Sandor" <gregory_sandor at hotmail.com>
    Subject: Re: [Aztlan] 
    To: <aztlan at lists.famsi.org>
    Message-ID: <BAY103-DAV469F500F40962C15CFEA4E6DD0 at phx.gbl>


    We don't eat human beings in this "so-called civilized US," nor tear the 
    hearts from living bodies to feed the sun, though the Ancient Americans 
    certainly did as life-affirming (and life-sustaining) practices.




  Dear Mr. Sandor:

  Thank you for the response and the information. Clearly in the US, we do not eat humans nor rip out their hearts except in horror films, but as I said to Mr. Hollander, this does not negate my point that we have a way to go in the US re: civilized treatment of dogs when workers abuse them in pounds (you have doubtless seen the ongoing documentaries on this) and individuals punish-train dogs for money and sport, to name but a few abuses toward animals. 

  My comment about the US was not meant to offend you. I assumed that scholars on this list were open to all comments and if incorrect or irritatingly basic or limited in scope such comments would still be welcome for discussion. 

  Look at this from the bright side: my 'ignorance' might actually give you and other scholars who are more informed an opportunity to flex their intellectual muscles hopefully without resorting to being negative or condescending. My Ph.D. is in a field in a far distant galaxy, so I have much to learn in this one.

  Thank you.

  Barbara Siek