Fury over Jennifer Lawrence’s dog reveals a culture that puts kids last |
Jennifer Lawrence is being pilloried for doing the one thing parents are morally obligated to do: protect their child.
The actress’s dog bit her young son, and she rehomed the pet with her parents.
End of story.
Or it should have been.
Instead, the internet erupted with outrage, as if choosing a child over a pet is some kind of moral failure.
“She should never own any dogs or pets if she thinks like that,” sniffed one Instagrammer.
“YIKES,” wrote a former fan.
“I hope people don’t think this is normal behavior.”
“I would rehome the kids,” another declared.
Let’s be clear about what actually happened: The dog bit a child.
At that point, the debate is over.
Parenting doesn’t allow for vibes-based decision-making.
What makes the backlash even more absurd is that the dog got off lucky: Often, a dog that bites a child is euthanized immediately.
Lawrence chose the most humane outcome available — and she’s still being treated like a villain.
This fury exposes how warped our culture’s thinking about animals has become.
Dogs are increasingly treated as moral equals to children — sometimes even as more deserving........