- American Pit Bull terrier
LA GRANDE, OR - Carol Forsloff - A
pit bull attacked an Oregon State Police (OSP) trooper last week
Wednesday while trying to arrest the dog's owner. How can a simple story like
this teach us to hate?
In this incident, Trooper Robert Routt II shot and killed a pit bull
Wednesday night after he was bit while trying to arrest the dog's owner
during a traffic contact west of La Grande, Oregon. The trooper was
subsequently treated and released at a local hospital after the
incident.
These are some of the elements of what happened. It is important in
outlining what happened on this occasion and what the arguments are
about pit bulls.
On August 4, 2010 at approximately 8:28 p.m. Trooper Robert Routt II
stopped to help a disabled motorist eastbound on Interstate 84 near
milepost 254. When Routt called for a tow truck, he had a feeling the
driver wasn't entirely truthful about his identity. He tried to arrest
the driver, and the driver refused to comply and fled on foot into the
traffic lanes. Following that the driver jumped the guardrails and hid
in nearby bushes.
Routt
found the man and ordered him to come out of the bushes. As Routt was
taking him into custody the driver's put bull came out of the vehicle
and attacked Routt, biting him in his right calf.
Routt
drew his handgun and shot at the pit bull as it continued to bite his
leg. The pit bull let go and moved a few feet away when Routt shot and
killed it.
The
driver, Ricky Jo Helton, age 20, from La Grande, was taken into custody
without further incident. He was lodged in the Union County Jail for
Misdemeanor Attempt to Elude on Foot, Furnishing False Information to a
Police Officer, Failure to Carry and Present a Driver License,
Disorderly Conduct, and Maintaining a Dangerous Dog.
In
this case a pit bull was owned by someone a police officer was
arresting and potentially a suspect in a crime. Pit bull owners and
organizations that advocate against animal cruelty say that it is not
fair to single out pit bulls for profiling and that they make good pets
if properly trained and handled. This story could be used as is, with the facts and details just as news about Routt and a police incident. Or the story could be used to illustrate how pit bulls are owned by criminals.
One writer
observes that often the media simply offers additional evidence for
stereotypes that exist. There is an underlying psychology to how this
happens, as the writer explains.
"In psychology, confirmation bias
is the process by which a person forms a theory and then searches for
things that prove their theory while ignoring things that are
contradictory.
is the process by which a person forms a theory and then searches for
things that prove their theory while ignoring things that are
contradictory.
This
is how stereotypes form and grow. The seed is planted, and each event
that confirms the stereotype causes it to grow, while events that refute
the stereotype are minimized or rejected."
is how stereotypes form and grow. The seed is planted, and each event
that confirms the stereotype causes it to grow, while events that refute
the stereotype are minimized or rejected."
In
this case, the reference is to the stereotypes about pit bulls
associated with criminals. There are stories in the news about pit
bulls and drug dealers using them but few in the media look at the
majority of pit bull owners who are not criminals, according to this
explanation.
this case, the reference is to the stereotypes about pit bulls
associated with criminals. There are stories in the news about pit
bulls and drug dealers using them but few in the media look at the
majority of pit bull owners who are not criminals, according to this
explanation.
It
also explains how people learn to hate others, whether those others are
dogs or other people. An article about a hated group or individual who
does something bad becomes associated with a preconceived bias, that
psychological principle called confirmation bias. So when a preacher
like Jimmy Swaggart falls from grace we can use that to illustrate how
all preachers say one thing and do another, how they are all
hypocrites. This can lead to our thinking a specific religious group is
bad or on a wider level that all preachers are bad.
also explains how people learn to hate others, whether those others are
dogs or other people. An article about a hated group or individual who
does something bad becomes associated with a preconceived bias, that
psychological principle called confirmation bias. So when a preacher
like Jimmy Swaggart falls from grace we can use that to illustrate how
all preachers say one thing and do another, how they are all
hypocrites. This can lead to our thinking a specific religious group is
bad or on a wider level that all preachers are bad.
Pit
pulls and preachers are surely different, but the parallels of bias and
stereotype exist in how confirmation bias is used to influence our
opinions, our beliefs and our prejudices.
The deceased pit bull in La Grande, Oregon is to be tested for rabies.
Swaggart continues to preach, and for many years there have been no more reports of his sexual misconduct.
if the dog let go and backed off when the shot was fired at the dog, why did the trooper feel the need to then murder the dog. would he have done the same if a human had done the same thing? why not, if shooting the dog was absolutely necessary why not just put one in his rump, did he really have to murder the dog? the dog was only trying to defend his human, dog's don't know one uniform from another, he only saw a person harming his human an acted accordingly. bad on the trooper for a bad shoot. if the trooper was treated and released then obviously his injuries were not life threatening. but the dog paid for his loyalty with his life.
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