ASPCA Commercial Feat. Sarah McLaughlin

A brief reaction to the ASPCA commercial featuring Sarah McLaughlin. I consider humanity’s livelihood verses animals and touch upon the global issue of famine.

For the past few months I have been seeing ASPCA commercials featuring Sarah McLaughlin and her song “In The Arms of the Angel.” Usually I am pretty turned off by the idea of animal cruelty - nothing deserves to be treated with disrespect. However, there is something about that commercial which always bothered me: its importance. While I certainly do not condone animal cruelty, to go on for 60 seconds singing about angels while showing images of beaten dogs, especially now after the devastating earthquake in Asia, makes me a bit sick.

The funny thing about this ASPCA commercial isn’t that I would never consider giving them a small donation, it’s just there are more important things, human lives for example, that need to come first. A feeling of helplessness sinks into my mind when I think about situations like this. Thousands of people are dying on a daily basis of starvation, yet I’m one person: what good could I do? Once the images of my fantasy revolution fade and I realize I cannot afford to fly to Africa or Asia with my own organization of do-gooders, I just sit and think about how lucky I am; how lucky all of us are to have food, shelter, and access to medical treatment.

I said this when I started college and I will say it again, publicly. When I have the means to do so, I will travel around the globe helping those in need, even if its a few weeks at a time. While money and goods are important, time is what it all comes down to. How much time can you give to help deliver food? How much time do they have until the next aftershock? How much time does that child have left to live?

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