I am a firm believer in being kind to animals. I don't mind eating a hamburger or chicken sandwich so my "animal kindness" may be considered an oxymoron.
I don't kick cats, or shoot dogs with a bb-gun. I would never torture an animal. Oftentimes I avoid stepping on ants and have been known to safely transport a spider out of the house.
One time I had a black snake in my garage. My daughter and I wrangled it up and set it free in a snake-friendly environment. Another time a different black snake got in our chicken coup and he was relocated to safety.
Yesterday, I stopped the car, got out and encouraged a snake to cross the street so it didn't get run over.
I heard something the other day on the radio and thought it was a joke then realized it was a real story.
A quick search on the computer confirmed.
A group, PETA I think it is, has decided that the language we Americans are using is harmful to animals.
I was chatting on discord with my good friend @dreemsteem about random stuff. She is such a sweet lady.
Anyway, I mentioned the phrase "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink". and she replied, "however you can put a lot of salt in their oats". which I had not heard before and it made me laugh.
I will save you from the entire conversation except to say I couldn't find a horse in discord fast so instead, put a :camel: because I was too lazy to find a horse.
My conversation with @dreemsteem reminded me of the animal-FRIENDLY language that PETA says we should have.
So here are some examples:
Harmful: Kill 2 birds with 1 stone
Friendly: Feed 2 birds with 1 scone
Harmful: let the cat out of the bag
Friendly: spill the beans (I would argue the beans might be offended)
Harmful: Take the bull by the horns
Friendly: Take the Rose by the Thorns ( cause, after all, Every rose has its thorn)
Harmful: Be a guinea pig
Friendly: be the test tube
Harmful: hold your horses (how is this harmful it could keep them safe)
Friendly: Hold the phone
Harmful: Open a can of worms
Friendly: Open Pandora's box (hmmm)
Harmful: Bring home the bacon
Friendly: Bring home some bagels ( but bacon tastes so good...doesn't it mean bring money home anyway?)
Harmful: Beat a dead horse
Friendly: Feed a FED horse (why would you feed something that was already fed?)
Harmful: More than one way to skin a cat
Friendly: More than one way to peel a potato (once again what about the potatoes feelings?)
Harmful: The elephant in the room
Friendly: there is really something big we need to talk about but it is uncomfortable to talk about it right now.
Harmful: all your eggs in one basket
Friendly: all your berries in one bowl (what about the rights of berries?)
Harmful: that really gets my goat
Friendly: could you not drop my grapes
Harmful: watch him like a hawk
Friendly: observe a growing stalk
Harmful: I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
Friendly: I am so hungry I could eat my SHORTS.
Can you think of your own animal sayings that can be made more friendly? Here are some Harmfuls to get you thinking:
Let sleeping dogs lie
Quit cold turkey
Like a fish out of water
ants in your pants
Mad as a hornet
Wild goose chase
What others can you think of? Please try to think of Friendly ones that could replace the harmful. lol