Is it okay/acceptable/normal for you to torture insects?

[XRabbitHeartX]

Some guy friends of mine love taking flies and cutting their wings off and torturing them. It makes me sick to my stomach. Just cause it's a little insect doesn't mean you have the right to torture it for your own pleasure. I understand if it's a life threatening insect but honestly if you want to kill it, then kill it but don't put this little creature in pain for a long time just to have fun. We will never know for sure if they do feel pain or not, whether they have nerves or not. We won't ever know. I'm disturbed by it.

so my question is do you think it's normal to enjoy it to torture insects? Do you do it? If so why?

[Anonymous]

Once, as a kid, I went to the birthday party of one of my weirder friends (who is, in retrospect, terrifyingly normal in comparison to all her little brothers and their friends), and we were going fake snow sledding on a watered down wet turf hill (I live where it snows every several millenia). I have only 3 remaining memories of that birthday. One was accidentally running into someone's little sister because I went too soon after her and the following two stories.

There was a stray frog on the hill, and said girl's brothers and co. started sledding in the frog's direction, hitting it multiple times and as they were coming up, went on the turf and started kicking it around until all the turf around them was red.

Later on, or maybe before, we were eating, and someone had brought a veggie platter. One of the boys got a piece of broccoli and I asked him why he was eating raw broccoli. He said it wasn't for him, he wanted to see if the grasshopper would eat it.

What grasshopper?

They leveled the broccoli next to this grasshopper they had speared on a fork. It tried to eat the broccoli.

I figure, every kid's captured insects at one point in their life and tortured them to some extent, but if they start to enjoy it too much, it might upgrade to small animals, then medium sized animals, then large animals, like humans.

Because they don't do it to kill, or for any real purpose besides for fun... Doesn't that remind you of a serial killer in training for some reason?

[hemingway]

He gets pleasure from causing harm to something smaller than him. Insect or not, it's a helpless, harmless, and powerless and there's a chance it causes pain and that shows a lot for his character. That's not normal, nor is it right. There's people who will stomp on an ant if it crosses their path and I personally, don't agree with doing that, but it's also killing an insect quickly because it's an insect, and a lot of people would justify it. That is a lot more acceptable. Whether they feel pain or not, just the idea behind the whole thing is twisted and not normal. If he does this to insects, it could one day progress into bigger beings. Small insects --> bigger insects --> small animals --> bigger animals... you get the idea

[windy-rose]

So- in 2nd grade we had to make insect collections. The teacher told us not to kill bugs, rather find ones that were already dead.

I went home and all I could find were mangled flies that had died in the bug zapper in the barn. Needless to say, I did not think a collection of fly parts was going to make a good grade.

So I over turned some rocks in the front yard. There was this little armored worm I remember picking up, setting on my Styrofoam, then sticking a needle in and watching struggle till he stopped moving.

Its been 15 years and I still feel awful about that project.

[FruitJuice]

I see nothing wrong with torturing insects, if you look at it from a ethical point of view. Sense insects don't have the understanding of emotions, therefore you can't feel sorry for them, they're actions are purely primitive, and live only for one purpose: survive and reproduce.
You can though feel disgust towards the person torturing the insects, but ethically there is nothing wrong with it.

[XRabbitHeartX]

But why enjoy killing something? I mean, what kind of satisfaction is there in doing the action? I can't agree with it being ethical. For some people being ethical means having some compassion and integrity. I like to live on those principles.

[FruitJuice]

I too don't see why you would do that, I just don't feel sorry for insects. They surely don't cry when they see me tortured or sorry about eating my dead corpse if I'm murdered or dead for some reason :)

[Somebody12]

you see it the way i do thank you

[AdamBH]

i think its horrible, It's not as bad as killing or torturing animals, and we don't actually know if they have nerves or not but I think regardless of whether or not they do feel pain, it says a lot about those guys if they enjoy doing it.

[AdamBH]

thank you :))

[Dantemustdie]

I can honestly say I've never done that to an insect and I don't think it's normal, I've had friends who I've seen doing it but I always wondered did they even know what harm they were causing, they were young then so I guess not. This might sound pathetic but I hate killing things, even if its a small spider. I usually capture them and release them somewhere else rather than kill them, they are small creatures and don't have much brainpower but that doesn't mean they don't feel pain. I think in life we need to learn to be tolerant of everything around us, and that includes insects lol :D

[Anonymous]

Really you people are freaking out because he tortures a fly? Look peta lovers does the fly scream, or does it say no no stop that hurts? If anything comes close to torture that would be when they stuck in a spider web they struggle an struggle and struggle, and then a spider comes along and sucks the life right out of them. Is that torture? No it's Nature it happens. Plus a fly only lives for a few days and then dies.

Here's another fun fact for every one, your beloved Orcas or Killer Whales like to grab seals throw them in the air, smash them on ice, play catch with their buddies, jump on them a few times all while they are still alive, and eventually when they are done playing with the little seal they kill it and eat it. Is that torture? The seal feels the pain, bleeds, cries, and is helpless, shall we go harpoon all the Orcas for that.

[Somebody12]

you can end this whole debate with that evedence

[Anonymous]

guy FRIENDS? friends? they are pathetic cowards. real men would never do that. just because I am able to torture insects (and get away with it), I don't do it. it shows how weak they are. they feel the need to torture a helpless creature cause they feel inferior/not man enough. they are tired of being weak/inferior and that's why they want to feel strong for once/they love the feeling of power. since they are unable to dominate real men, they pick on weak creatures. anyway, your "friends" are not the only ones who love to pick on the weak. it is a proven fact that most can be encouraged to actively torture others. only men (and women) of strong character don't feel the need to/control themselves.

[ryanrhino]

No, it's not natural to want to torture any other being. Sure, I've killed animals in my life, but I try to make it quick. I prefer no animals in my bathroom, so I may react quickly and execute them, but I try to release them alive back outside when I can.

I find that every living being is connected. Sure, plants get the lower end of the deal, but in the soul cycle, you got to start somewhere and evolve...

[The-Dude-Next-Door]

I used to do that. I used to pull all of the legs off grasshoppers and then put them on an ant bed. But now when I see grasshoppers and crickets, I just step on them, because they are pests (they eat grass and destroy crops).

I think he's doing it, because he's bored. Find him a good hobby or a good video game, and he will probably occupy his mind with something else. The reason I stopped is because I would rather do something else . . . but not necessarily productive.

[MrJune]

That is not normal at all, it could develop into something as said serial-killer style. And anyway, their still living creatures in my book that's a pretty disgusting thing to do.

I can honestly say I've never done it, but! Most of my child hood is somewhat blank, so I could have but I was a wuss so I probably didn't. Tried to avoid them, even had problems in high school cutting things open.

[MrsJones7]

I don't mind if someone smashes the life out of a bug for me because I'm disgusted and scared of them but taking your time to process a torture session on a helpless bug after the age of 13 calls for mental evaluation.

[IHateMeganFox]

They always say the ones who torture animals are the ones who become serial killers. I will include insects in that. It's sick and I don't condone it. -_-

[jacquesvol]

I don't think insects have a nerve system that's developed enough to feel pain. (you ought to look that up). If they don't feel pain , it isn't torture.

I just kill them.

[Kain6th]

link

[Kain6th]

"If they don't feel pain , it isn't torture."

I don't know if I agree with that though

[XRabbitHeartX]

I understand that they don't have a nerve system BUT we will never know for 100% sure if they do or don't because none of us have ever BEEN an insect. We can resort to biology theories or "tests" but till we have physically been a animal/insect we won't know if they are capable of feeling pain or not.

[Allijackson]

I've wondered about that myself. Interesting opinion.

[jacquesvol]

@Question Asker, making mosquitos starve by denying them the food they need, is that acceptable?

[AmberChick]

It is kind of disturbing... I had a cute little snail on my purse. My first instinct was to jab at it but then I thought it was small and helpless so I picked it up and put it outside. If only I do that with spiders though

[FierceMegan]

I think that is horrible! I don't think it is normal. I think people who do that are ignorant and don't know any better, or are just plain cruel. It makes me sick too.

[chriiistelkelly]

i don't think there's anything wrong with it. I used to do it when I was like, 5. I'd capture spiders, and cut off their legs. and I'd cut worms in half. it was entertaining, I guess. but now, I scream at the sight of ANY bug. they're gross.

[ricepaddy]

As a kid, I used to be very careful with insects and even befriending them by giving them some of my food. I never really killed them and released spiders from my house. But, as I grew up I started to enjoy killing and torturing insects. I don't know why. Maybe a combination of childhood trauma and loss of innocence? I remember distinctly feeling good after watching an ant become lifeless after stabbing it with a sharp object.

[curiouschica]

I'm guessing they're not vegetarians...no I think that's just wrong...why prolong their suffering? They wouldn't be laughing if they were on the other end of the stick...

[Kain6th]

Well I've been guilty of taking a lighter to a trail of ants... but... yeah I guess I would object to that too. Who knows they might move on to rodents and dogs and cats... and maybe even become serial killers. O_O

[Somebody12]

its funny watching the fire to move up the trail

[MissConfused93]

I know many young boys who do that. No, the insects don't feel pain. They don't have a nervous system.

[Chillout-Ikeed]

It's awful to "torture" them. But since I have this crazy insectophobia, I don't mind it when people "smash" them for me. They scare the sh*t out of me!

[desidoll]

Its normal to kill some insects like flies,spider or mosquitos but cutting wings and torturing them sounds immature and cruel to me.

[Somebody12]

The guy who said they insticts are primative is right i mean even in nature it is observed in animals such as wolfs and lions even to cats and dogs that they will torture or play with their prey before killing it.

[CindiluvsFriends]

Sure,why not? My brothers used to do that all the time(yes,they've stopped. lol). I see nothing wrong with it.