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California State University, Dominguez Hills
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Soka University Japan - Transcend Art and Peace
Created: April 12, 2003
Latest Update: April 12, 2003
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

Cats: Love 'Em or Leave 'Em?

Site Copyright: Jeanne Curran and Susan R. Takata and Individual Authors, April 2003.
"Fair use" encouraged.

On Thursday, March 13, 2003, Ariana Rivera wrote:

Subject: response to article on cats

well I am not a great fan of cats, but I noticed how people can build up such a relationship with them. My boyfriend's father has a cat that he loves very dearly. This cat will not sit on top of a microwave, but he will wait for him everyday by the window when he gets out from work. His step father will not have dinner before he has fed his cat. Oh, by the way it is a big, very big fat cat. The cat will leave during the day and do things that he is not supposed to do, but when Tony (step father) comes come, he will follow him around all evening, except when he hears a dog; then he will kind of hide. But, Tony even takes him in the bathroom with him. I think It is okay to have that animal that will probably help him relax, or feel more at ease, but I also feel that they are animals, and we should not have to spoil them as much as we do. But again this is just my opinion. I could be wrong.

On Saturday, April 12, 2003, jeanne responded:

Hi, Ariana. Thank you for reminding me that I had not responded to you yet. I apologize for running late. And nagging me with a new e-mail is just the right thing to do.

Also, you've given me some good material to work with here. If I were to read this without understanding our attempt at building illocutionary discourse, I might wonder why you would submit it for a meaure of your learning in Sociology of Reality. Maybe you're wondering the same thing, hmm? Well, let's look together at what it tells me:

1. "I am not a great fan of cats". Here, you've defined for me your perspective. For an A on the submission it would be a good idea to tell me that this is your perspective, so that I wouldn't have to fill this in for myself, but I would recognize that you know that the perspective that you're coming from makes a difference in how you respond to the piece.

2. "But again this is just my opinion. I could be wrong." Here you reaffirm your perspecive, and acknowledge a willingness to open to other perspectives. Those are the technical terms for what you're saying. So you get an A for this part of the submission by articulating that there are multiple perspectives, and that you are willing to address the validity claims of others, like Tony (the step-father). I think I'd prefer to see "others could feel differently" instead of "I could be wrong," since it really isn't about right and wrong, but about difference.

3. "but I noticed how people can build up such a relationship with them [cats]." Here again, right in the beginning, you are telling me that you have observed people who do feel differently and determined the extent to which they react differently to cats than you might. Why should that measure your learning? Because the willingness to observe carefully, and you've given me lots of detail on those observations, is one measure of your willingness to respond to the other in good faith.

4. "My boyfriend's father has a cat that he loves very dearly." Here you announce a story from your lived experience: a good way to put into practice the sociological theories you are reading about and discussing.

5. "This cat will not sit on top of a microwave, but he will wait for him everyday by the window when he gets out from work. His step father will not have dinner before he has fed his cat. Oh, by the way it is a big, very big fat cat. The cat will leave during the day and do things that he is not supposed to do, but when Tony (step father) comes come, he will follow him around all evening, except when he hears a dog; then he will kind of hide. But, Tony even takes him in the bathroom with him." Good. You conceptually linked your story of Tony's cat to the article you're responding to: the microwave. The cat in the article was on the microwave. Tony's cat can be recognized by other things he does that one wouldn't normally expect of a cat, like following Tony about like a dog, and going into the bathroom with him. (By the way, the little gray cat on the microwave follows my husband into the bathroom, too!)

   What can this matter in Sociology of Reality? Well, if you think about it for a while, you and I now have a common point of reference. We both know someone who has a cat that follows them around and to whom they seem amazingly attached. We know that because we've listened to each other. I kind of share the attachment to the cat, so you already see some differences between you and me, but also some similarities. That's what illocutionary discussion is about. On the important social issue of cats, we have now come to understand a little about each other as real people. That would make it harder for me to treat you unfairly or harshly as a student, because I know you. Hopefully, that will make it a little harder for you to expect me to be an ogre and scare you to death as a student. And that comes about from our dialog over such strange things as cats and the people who love them.

6. "I think It is okay to have that animal that will probably help him relax, or feel more at ease," . Here you are helping to justify the validity claim of behavior that's kind of alien to your own perspective. You're actively looking to give some rational explanation as to why Tony loves that cat. That is good faith of the highest order. You aren't challenging Tony's claim of love for the cat by demanding that he rationalize or explain it; you're trying to do that for him. And to do that you are borrowing from sociological concepts you learned either here or in the past: the important health need to deal affirmatively with stress.

7. "but I also feel that they are animals, and we should not have to spoil them as much as we do." And here, finally, you initmate what makes you uncomfortable about the attentiion lavished on this cat. For an A on the submission, I'd like you to go into this a little more deeply. That means, tell me how Tony's cat is spoiled. Recognize that you have apparently not found adequate justification for that spoiling, and see if you can explain your frustration in detail. For example, does Tony lavish money on the cat that could be spent and is needed elsewhere? Or does the cat do some kind of serious harm in those things he is not supposed to do? Maybe you and Tony, or Tony and his son need to resolve some of these issues. But once you've come this far to hearing Tony's love for the cat, it might be much easier to make minor corrections in the cat's behavior. Does that matter? YES! It's little things like this that make relationships harder for Tony and his son, and in turn, for you and his son. Such a little thing, but a little thing that can be eliminated as a source of frustration.

   This is how we ultimately make and keep peace, in our families, in our world.

   Good submission. For an A be sure that you check with me that you could now place the story conceptually into the course.

   love and peace, jeanne