Shouldn't animals be the ones insulted to be compared to humans?

Many animals act purely on instinct, and humans are supposed to be “better” than that… we are supposed to consider the physical and emotional repercussions of our actions, and it’s an insult to be told you’re more like an animal.
And not all animal comparisons are negative; it’s a good thing to be sly as a fox, quiet as a mouse, to be coltish, to have eagle-eyes, or to be happy as a bunny in clover or a pig in shit… and on my best day I’m not as sweet and loyal as my “bitch.”

Yes.

Happy as a clam (?), dumb as an ox, horse around, the cat’s meow or pajamas, a dog day, lounge lizard, “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is
To have a thankless child!”

So to really insult an animal you would say, Cruel as a Human.

Yes but why would you insult an animal through words in the first place?

Other animals > human animals.

are we not all really animals?

@Tink1113 LMAO. You got me! He chewed my favorite shoes and I don’t want to kick him/ her?

@slick44 Good one. That would be the point. Was just wondering why people do feel insulted to be compared to an animal when we are much worse.
I can see by some of the examples given where a comparison would be insulting but as a much more complicated animal we really can be considered worse. We may be smarter but are we better?

@Pandora , how true that is my friend.

@Pandora I get it now, lol. I was confused as to why you’d want to do that to begin with. :)

Are animals capable of indignation?

@boots As far as we can tell! I don’t know. My dog acts like he’s insulted if I don’t give him a treat after doing a trick. He won’t do another one unless I make a treat appear. (or maybe he is just an extortionist) Of course its just my perception.

Animals are fully capable of a complex range of emotions. Consider this: many drugs like Prozac etc are also used on animals with the same effect.

Nature can be very cruel.

The first thing that a lion does when it takes over a pride is to kill all the cubs. There are other animals that practice infanticide. Lions also go after young cheetahs for reasons that are not entirely clear.

There are plants that spread chemicals that are poisonous to other plants.

There are many animals that maintain pecking orders based on the ability to physical dominate others. In maintaining the hierarchy, they will fight against one another and sometimes these conflicts can result in the death of one of the combatants.

I saw a nature show where one herd of elephants stole an infant from another herd. The members of the infant’s herd confronted the other herd and got the baby back. This shows a rather high level of sophistication, but also demonstrates how cruel these animals can be toward one another.

Animals not capable of cruelty is a myth.