I try to not make snap judgements on people's character, but certain acts make it very difficult
needless cruelty to insects is one of them
dude on my (mostly empty) train car just stomped a roach repeatedly
why is this necessary? was it hurting him? it posed him no threat
one might say that this person didn't really mean it, they just acted automatically, on reflex
I would ask, does not questioning your own impulses absolve you of all moral culpability?
personally, I think not; we each have the responsibility to interrogate our automatic actions
admittedly, I do kill gnats, roaches sometimes, when within the confines of my home
and mosquitos, whatever they are, with extreme prejudice
but otherwise, I take care to not terminate life when it's avoidable
the ew factor aside, roaches are fascinatingly complex beings
insects are the closest thing to biological robots, clever little automatons w/ complex behavior, social structures, capabilities
if you wouldn't kill a bee, why a roach? they're even less able to harm u. this is cuteness privilege
(if you'd kill a bee pls unfollow asap)
if you've never really thought about this before, I'd urge you to reconsider your automatic reactions to icky bugs; do you really need to kill them? or are they just an eyesore?
if so, maybe you can try to see the beauty in them; all life is sacred, even ugly unpleasant life
killing roaches outside your own home is naught but an unquestioned disgust response act of cruelty
I admit that they're not the most appetizing of creatures
but is termination on sight truly warranted? or is it a socially-acceptable outlet for aggression?