@Daydreamer all that was very interesting. I also think it's pretty cool the way dogs have been domesticated and bred for whatever uses they are for. (And I enjoyed reading your book - I mean essay. lol) I really did enjoy it.
In a similar vein, I actually wrote an essay on cat domestication once, we got to pick what video we based our essays on. However, the main focus was on how and why visual design choices were made to illustrate certain facts/stories in the video.
What I actually meant by humanizing, though, is a little different. It's why we place human characteristics onto an animal (or even objects sometimes).
My mistake. It is indeed quite common to place human characteristics onto objects. The wind
complained, the stairs
groaned...I do enjoy some good personification so long as it isn't overdone. We humanise objects or natural events for different reasons. It can be to create an effect, or because we have a particular emotional connection to that thing/item. For example, as a child I would name almost all of my toys. I'd pick up a teddy bear, and it wouldn't
just be a teddy bear. No, that teddy bear had a name and a story. An assigned personality. Even now I'll pick up one of my old teddy bears when tidying my room, and I'll say "Oh, it's *insert name here*" instead of "Oh, my old toy".
Emotions aren't always logical. I think that it can be actually quite cool how humans can tie certain feelings and almost an identity by itself to an inanimate object. Whenever finding out about an old house or a boat, I'm more likely to be interested if it has a name and a history. Have you ever been somewhere old, and there's just this feeling in the air that something is off about that place? Buildings can comes across as
miserable or
playful, even though we know that it's just a bunch of bricks and other materials. Our homes, work buildings, friend's homes...they all carry emotional connections.
A boat can
just be a boat, or it can be something associated with pleasant personal memories. It has a pronoun and a name. The boat is thought to be
happy, because that's what the person feels when thinking about that boat in particular. Or it could be terrifying/ seems as though it's
taunting you (even though you know that's irrational) if you'd had a bad experience with one. You give the boat a personality based on your own feelings. A big part of graphic design is understanding
what people associate with certain colours, fonts and objects, as well as
why that is. Perfume, deodorant and cologne adverts try to sell a
lifestyle behind a product. It doesn't always say it directly, but there's often an implication that if you buy their product then you'll be successful/lead a better life/ everyone will want you.
Truth is, you might just smell a bit better.
Now, let's talk about animals. I don't connect with every dog and cat I meet either. Which is understandable, as the same goes for humans. Animals have different personalities, some we get on with, others we don't, and some remain acquaintances. I will say that I get on with most cats though, since I am indeed
that lady who knows all the neighbourhood cats and gets excited when she meets one that's new to the area.
Or spends a party socialising with the host's pets instead of talking to people.
Humans do have a habit of applying human expectations to animals. I see threads sometimes where people ask "Are cats autistic?" or "Do dogs have ADHD?" but the problem with that is what is average for a dog or a cat is different to what is average in a human. Take a look at the eyes of a cat. No visible white. Human eyes are often quite expressive, the white allows for more visual communication through facial expressions. You can tell someone is looking to the side easily, even if their head is forward. The iris and pupil are in the direction of what they are looking at. Humans often mostly use eyes, other facial features, their arms and hands, plus other overall gestures to communicate non-verbally. As a generalisation, obviously various factors apply.
Whereas cats rely on their ears, tail, etc. There was less development geared towards socialising between cats because they are a fairly solitary species, or at least compared to human society. Many cats hunt alone, with an obvious exception being lions. Although I have seen a few feral cats work together.
Where did the time go? I should end it here.
Thanks.
