Violent vs. Aggressive

Ilunga · Post by **Ilunga** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 12:33 pm

Do you think animals can be described as being violent? eg.The dog attacked the girl violently, it was a violent dog.
I don't think I would descibe any animals (bar primates perhaps) this way but I don't know if this is just Illunga logic or shared.
Having just read this it could be a silly question as I'm not sure if even I agree with my logic..but anyway...
The real question I suppose is do you think of violence as being a purely human trait whilst animals such as the ill-fated Pitbull are simply aggressive?

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 3:56 pm

Your intuitions seem founded: net searches on Yahoo and Google returned results such as "violent animal activists" and "links between animal abuse and violent behaviour", whilst "aggressive" can seem to describe both humans and animals. Also hit upon aggressive+violent: links between violent video games and aggressive behaviour in children etc.

Aggression can precede, but may not necessarily lead to actual violence; but violence can also be sudden, without obvious preceding aggression etc.

Animals can also be described simply as "dangerous" e.g. the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

How do these New Oxford Dictionary of English grab you?

aggressive: "ready or likely to attack or confront"

violent: "using or involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something"

It seems conscious (human) intent, or at least an awareness of the "violence" of a "violent" act (and debate about its intent, premeditatedness etc) and its aftermath are the keys to "violent".

LarryLatham · Post by **LarryLatham** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 11:56 pm

Are you familiar with the hunting habits of the African Hunting Dog? The African Hunting Dog works in packs to chase down its prey (often wild pigs, as well as other similar-sized animals) and then rips it apart and eats it while the prey is still alive, rather than killing the prey first.

Human observers have described hearing the pigs squealing in horror (although, perhaps the horror belongs to the observers) until they lose consciousness from bleeding out. I would call this action on the part of the African Hunting Dog as violent (although natural, to be sure) rather than merely aggressive. My last boss (a large woman) was aggressive, but not violent (thank goodness, or I'm sure I wouldn't be around).

My opinion, here, is that people who shrink from describing animals as violent are mostly the same ones who believe nature is inherently gentle and noble. I believe they couldn't be more wrong. Just imagine yourself as a wildebeest, for example, under attack from three lionesses. Or, closer to home, a field mouse in the clutches of your sweet little *beep* cat. What if we could ask them whether they think animals can be violent?

Larry Latham
(I just noticed that *beep* there. The original word was p*ssy. Thank goodness we have machines to look out for us.)

Andrew Patterson · Post by **Andrew Patterson** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 12:34 am

Just imagine yourself as a wildebeest, for example, under attack from three lionesses.

What is it about wildebeast, though. I don't think I've ever seen a herd of wilderbeast in a wildlife documentary without at least one of them getting done over by a lion or pack of hyenas.

It's almost like the guy in an old war movie who shows another soldier a picture of his girl back home. "We're getting married when all this is over."

Dead.