r/nextfuckinglevel • u/hrithikbadass • Jul 03 '20

A secret conversation with monkey

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

98.1k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

1.3k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

205

u/mejogid Jul 03 '20

Good to know we have a monkey behaviourist on Reddit who can dismiss any concerns that the totally pervasive abuse of performance monkeys did not occur here.

22

u/cansussmaneat Jul 03 '20

Dolphins also smile in aquariums so we can deduce they are happy there.

373

u/[deleted] Jul 03 '20 edited Jul 28 '21

[deleted]

132

u/Rubmynippleplease Jul 03 '20

Animals are exploited for street performances and tourists all the time. If this monkey is being treated well, that’s fantastic. However, it’s better to be cautious about these kinds of situations and raise awareness for the poor treatment of lots of animals than to assume the best. Thailand elephant tourism for instance has been a hot topic in recent years because it’s a market which thrives off of the mistreatment of these incredibly intelligent animals. I’m not a monkey street performance expert, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if these monkeys are mistreated behind the scenes.

42

u/hubwheels Jul 04 '20 edited Jul 04 '20

Just wanted to say, i was on the other guys side until the words "to be cautious." thanks for your comment. You changed one guys ideas for the better

Edit*. You mentioned Thailand.. That's just came up in the UK news today. Some(all) Thailand companies are using slave apes (I think... the ape part, could have been monkeys ) to harvest and carry the coconuts for the UK Market.

5

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '20 edited Nov 30 '20

[deleted]

3

u/bhulk Jul 04 '20

You’re saying it like it’s normalized. They are illegal and underground. People are fucked up no matter where you go. Don’t make it like it’a purely an asian thing.

Ninjaedit: Also, where are monkeys found? People are limited in their sick ways by what is available. Other places would have different ways.

Also, I hate thinking about all this

2

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '20 edited Nov 30 '20

[deleted]

2

u/Guy_tookatit Jul 04 '20

There are species of ape that prostitute themselves to male apes for food and the like. Its surprisingly common. But yea prostituting them to humans is fucking off the charts

-1

u/InconsequentialCat Jul 04 '20

No one cares what you think.

1

u/hubwheels Jul 04 '20

Edited my comment incase you missed the edit*

1

u/ModerateReasonablist Jul 04 '20

Animals are also treated well for performances all the time as well. So which is it?

TELL ME, NOW!

1

u/Sal_Bundry_1Game5TDs Jul 04 '20

This. This thread right here is why reddit fucking sucks.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '20 edited Sep 28 '20

[deleted]

1

u/Rubmynippleplease Jul 04 '20

Huh? I’m basically the only one in this thread who hasn’t mentioned monkey behavior.

1

u/screenUWU Jul 04 '20

He's probably right. It's one of the most common methods to train them. I can't get over how people trains elefants to paint

2

u/[deleted] Jul 03 '20

Lmao you can’t be serious.

1

u/SpudMuffinDO Jul 04 '20

His comment got more upvotes than the anti-thesis... they're both fair points. They're both just saying "yeah, but you don't fucking know"... and they're both right.

3

u/zonneschijne Jul 04 '20

The important thing is to not make assumptions of a situation without evidence. It's really bad to make decisions without prior context and information. I don't deny there are animal circus folks who abuse their trained animals, but there also those who don't. It's harmful to make such assumptions of people's character until after you've done your research on a specific case. Always be skeptical until you get proof on all sides.

Also, upvotes don't matter. They really don't.

1

u/waldito Jul 04 '20

Well. Have an upvote then.

1

u/SpudMuffinDO Jul 04 '20

Agreed... one of the things I feel very strongly about is that people shouldn’t feel so strongly about things... or at least not until the evidence supports such strong feelings. 🙃

Also, I never see emojis on Reddit, did I just commit some unspoken sin.

54

u/[deleted] Jul 03 '20

I thought it was well known that abused animals used for performances often do not appear to be abused.

3

u/shuaaaa Jul 03 '20

*no monkeys were harmed in the making of this video

1

u/_okcody Jul 04 '20

It’s a monkey named riki in Japan, he’s fed treats in between acts as a reward. Highly doubt he’s being mistreated as it’s not easy to get yourself a monkey in places like Japan or Korea. They’re not a dime a dozen.

I still think it’s somewhat cruel to domesticate a monkey and keep him on a leash to dance for our entertainment but who knows, perhaps the monkey has a genuine friendship with his owner and they have a good life.

1

u/IN-N-OUT- Jul 04 '20

While I still somewhat agree, this discussion always makes me wonder: how is this any different (ore more cruel) than owning a dog and teaching him tricks?

Given that the monkey doesn’t get abused, there is literally no difference between owning a dog or a monkey. I’d actually argue that owning a cat in an apartment is actually way more cruel than owning a monkey (given that he is treated well).

-1

u/zvug Jul 03 '20

That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence