Q&A: The Curious Case of the Dog
The Curious Case of the Dog
Question
Hello Michi,
As is often the case with internet and news phenomena, it seems to me that certain aspects of the dog abuse case from last week slipped under the radar.
https://www.hashikma-batyam.co.il/news/27802/
https://www.maariv.co.il/news/law/Article-794409
https://www.maariv.co.il/news/israel/Article-794235
https://news.walla.co.il/item/3390875
What do you think when you watch the video?
I see a crowd that is genuinely hurting, but its pain is one-sided.
(So many animals are killed every day, and also, why is only a dog sacred?)
I see a man who enters, apparently without permission, into the home of a person suspected of the act, in order to do kindness for the suspect's dog (what is the legal status of Michel and his group בכלל?) and if he does have such a status—even though he presents himself as someone aware of the law—he seems at moments to be threatening the suspect, Alan, accompanied by several burly men.
I see a man who already, before this incident, was a major internet personality. Maybe someone who has something to gain when he manages to “deliver the goods” in real time. Which indeed raised his profile and surely added to his online “prestige.”
I see out-of-control thugs—clearly unprofessional—cursing in the background and even threatening the suspect, even though Michel made sure (apparently) that they wouldn’t touch him. You can see that the video is cut off in the third minute, so it’s impossible to know exactly what happened in between inside.
I see a stunned and frightened man—Alan—who, needless to say, I feel nothing for, but in any case appears to be afraid for his life because of a figure with no official authority.
Let there be no misunderstanding: I’m very glad the dog was taken, and it seems reasonable to assume that the police alone would have done a slower and less effective job. Still, it bothered me that Michel and his group didn’t hurry to leave the house after taking the dog, even though it seems that Michel at least did initially plan to do so.
Isn’t this a certain taking of the law into one’s own hands? Isn’t there an attempt here to appear heroic? Am I exaggerating, in your opinion?
I would be very glad to know what you think, and even more than that to hear an insight from a broader perspective—legal / moral / social—as much as you find one.
Thank you,
Ronen
Answer
I didn’t see it, so I have no thoughts about it.
Discussion on Answer
The face of the generation is like the face of the dog.
A. Rabbi Michi deleted the question about the kangaroo and the Flood, so I’ll say what I have to say here. Sorry if I hurt you in my last comment.
To Yishai — hello,
It seems to me that Rabbi Michi didn’t delete the discussion about the kangaroo. It’s just that when the discussion about the dog arrived, the kangaroo jumped and ran away. Dingoes are the most dangerous enemy of kangaroos, and when the kangaroo saw a dog, it quickly jumped off the site 🙂
Best regards, Abu Rigan
Ronen, we’re dealing here with two people who are the trash of society. They’re looking to rake in recognition and likes and shares regardless of who and what they are or what their past is. If someone doesn’t grasp that in a split second, I don’t even know how to respond to him—and there are many such people, judging by the recognition they get there. What does that say about society in Israel? That’s a question, and it’s pathetic and disgusting. In this case, there’s a story behind it, and it may very well even be a psychiatric case. What needs to be done should be done, but by people like these? And you’re absolutely right that the crowd is hypocritical—what’s new about that? In the industry this happens every day, so where is everyone’s public outrage? People gather downstairs wanting to lynch him, but who knows how many of them eat meat from the industry.