Every culture has different norms regarding their classification of other animals. They are either pets (treated empathetically as “family”); parasites (treated as threat to our health and safety, such as rats and mice); or as meat, as sources of protein in our diets (chicken, beef, lamb, pork) or even as “game” (hunted purely for “sport” like deer or elk).
And only rarely as potential killers (bears, cougars, or wolves). When norms clash—when one culture’s food is another’s pet—prejudice and demonization often arises. But when such prejudices are deliberately fomented by rumors and outright lies from malevolent politicians like Trump and Vance, we should spare no pains in ridiculing and discrediting such vile demagogues!