A case of human behavior, part #2

[Ghost of the dead horse]

A woman (A) is suprised to hear her sister keeps one of her two cats outside the house, whereas the other gets to stay inside. "What you're doing is cruel, tantamount to torturing the animal" the woman (Edit: A) says. The response: "I know how to treat my animals, and you're in no position to give me advise on anything." The two women never speak again.

What made her sister react in such an extreme manner? The woman reviews some details she thinks to be relevant. 1) A is youngest of the family. 2) A's other sibling, C, holds A in contempt. 3) Despite having the highest education in the family, A has the lowest income. 4) B and C seem to think highly of themselves. 5) B and C seem opinionated and uninterested in recieving advice in the past. 6) The family doesn't have a history of debating or discussing various viewpoints. 7) Everyone has tended to adopt the viewpoints of the one in "highest" ranking.

 

[Eilonwy]

I feel so primed. It makes it difficult to not follow what's already been suggested and look at the situation objectively.

 

[Ghost of the dead horse]

Well, then you're in my shoes!

 

[prplchknz]

cats actually survive outside on their own better than dogs,that being said it's possible that the outdoor cat prefers that situation. i think the woman is over reacting as it is not a child who would not be able to fend for its self unlike a cat.

 

[laterlazer]

Why is there not an option of A thinks she knows better about the situation and jumped to a conclusion where she shouldn't have, and possibly A regards herself superior due to having the highest education and is slightly bitter at having a lower income besides that fact?

 

[Ghost of the dead horse]

Why is there not an option of A thinks she knows better about the situation and jumped to a conclusion where she shouldn't have, and possibly A regards herself superior due to having the highest education and is slightly bitter at having a lower income besides that fact?

1 and 8 are probably closest options to what you thought

Edit: p.s. I showed this thread to the person I interviewed for this story, and she added that the cat's fur was in pretty bad shape due to cat being outside in the snowy Finnish winter. The cat had it's home at a dog house.

 

[Eilonwy]

My question is why did A choose to say what she said? If her ultimate goal was the welfare of the cats, then accusing someone of torture is not generally the way to go about it, especially a family member with whom there are other issues that will come into play. What percentage of each issue that A lists as possibly relevant to why her sister reacted the way she did are about A herself? Family dynamics are intertwined, so the issues listed will say something about A and her perspective of the family, as well as saying something about her siblings. Without knowing the other perspectives involved, it's safest to go with the more general options of the poll--how we think most people would react to A's statement, otherwise we are probably adding in our own perspectives and biases. So, I chose "She was blamed of animal torture. Her reaction is in line with such an accusation." However, "There are perfectly good reasons to treat her cats that way, and A should have just asked them." is also general enough that it's a good option to choose, too. Asking also would have been a better strategy to understanding her sister's choices, which would have helped in ultimately protecting the welfare of the cats. Sometimes there are good reasons for having one cat indoors and one out.

So, for this situation it's better to go towards generalities rather than specifics when guessing at an answer.

 

[laterlazer]

1 and 8 are probably closest options to what you thought

Edit: p.s. I showed this thread to the person I interviewed for this story, and she added that the cat's fur was in pretty bad shape due to cat being outside in the snowy Finnish winter. The cat had it's home at a dog house.

Idk the information sounds very biased towards A's side. Obvs we don't know the full story so was just speculating a different perspective. But yeah I'm gonna agree with 1.

 

[xenaprincess]

I chose the first and last ones.
If you accuse someone of something, you have a high chance of getting a reaction of like magnitude in response. It is often better to ask a neutral question first before stating your assumptions, such as 'that cat must like the outdoors a whole lot'!?

(Why yes, younger and less successful sister, he happens to pee on everything when cooped up inside!)

I think it's imaginative to infer a type of relationship between the sisters (in terms of status or history or birth order), but that's pure conjecture. To me, it's easier/more likely accurate to infer from the conversation itself.

 

[Ghost of the dead horse]

Do you have wishes for me to interview people in certain situations, so that their cases may be introduced in this context?

I meet a lot of people in different contexts, but their situations dont always interest me in the extreme (just somewhat) so I might not interview them on my own even if their situation might interest someone else.