Do you remember the scene in The Good Son where the deranged young boy played by Macaulay Culkin intentionally kills a neighborhood dog? Director Joseph Rubin never questioned that the film’s viewers would recognize that a child who willingly murders a neighborhood pet is nothing short of psychotic. Sadly, the slaughter of Marcus the pet lamb at the request of schoolchildren in Kent, England reveals that sadistic behavior in young people is tolerated, and even encouraged, by some adults today.
The slaughter of Marcus reveals that children killing pets is no longer considered worrisome by many parents.
As part of a school project, schoolchildren who reared a lamb from birth and named it Marcus overrode the outcries of some fellow students and animal rights activists by voting to send their school pet to the abattoir. The student council, comprised of fourteen children aged 6-11, voted 13-1 to have Marcus slaughtered at just 6 months old. Marcus was raised with care and attention. He trusted human beings, much like a pet dog or cat. Supported by headmistress Andrea Chapman, the student council seemingly had little difficulty betraying the docile lamb they played with and bottle fed. Despite countless offers by animal rights organizations and celebrities to provide Marcus with sanctuary, Marcus was heartlessly sent to slaughter by his child caregivers. Worse yet, his limbs were auctioned off by the school to raise money for the purchase of more school pets. The money from Marcus’ demise was supposed to buy piglets for the children to raise and then condemn to death. Fortunately, international outcry over Marcus’ fate has caused the animal farming project at this school to be put on hold indefinitely.
Marcus was heartlessly sent to slaughter by the children he trusted.
There was no reason for Marcus not to be spared. Thousands of dollars were offered to the school by activists and public figures to save his life. With the right kind of support from teachers and parents, Marcus could have taught the children an invaluable lesson about compassion and commitment. Rather, Marcus’ demise has shown these children that there are no repercussions for killing animals.
If you don’t believe that disregard for animal life severely impacts a child’s psychological development, consider the findings of American Sociological Association expert Amy Fitzgerald. According to her research, communities with slaughterhouses where the population is largely immune to animal cruelty consistently have higher rates of violent crime than demographically comparable areas without slaughterhouses. There is also substantial research which confirms that youths who are raised to knowingly condone the mistreatment of animals for sport, produce, or other purposes are more likely to become violent adults.
In 1979, sixteen year old Brenda Ann Spencer shot eight children and one police officer at Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego. Upon her arrest, Brenda famously stated “I don’t like Mondays. This livens up the day. It was just like shooting ducks in a pond. The children looked like a herd of cows standing around; it was really easy pickings.”
Despite the tragic ending to Marcus’ story, it is important to note that his death was not entirely in vain. Although the children on the student council who voted for Marcus’ slaughter may be unrepentant, many of their non-enfranchised peers are reporting difficulty sleeping and are even openly committing to a vegan lifestyle. Having lost a beloved pet, some of the children are thinking about where meat comes from for the first time and are rejecting the bloody spoils of a soulless industry.