I Don't Understand

I just discovered that Oprah replays at 8pm every night. I watched it tonight primarily because she was interviewing a transgender man that is pregnant. Strange? Yes. Do I understand? No. But I'm going to have to ponder that one and post about it at a later time. They showed a clip of tomorrow's show which is about the horror of puppy mills. Please don't misunderstand what I am going to say. I am an animal lover and would and have gone out of my way to help animals. I also understand that we have a certain responsibility to care for animals. However, Oprah cried...the women in the audience were sobbing and covering their faces in horror. What I don't understand is why we can get so upset about the fate of dogs and ignore the fate of HUMANS around us.

Prior to watching Oprah I read an article on a situation happening in Somalia. People are fleeing Mogadishu because of the violence occurring there between Islamic insurgents and the local government. Approximately 200,000 to 250,000 people are living in a refugee camp estimated to be one of the largest internally displaced people camps anywhere in the world. Many of the people are fleeing Mogadishu after their homes have been destroyed by artillery shelling so they have absolutely nothing. They are building shelters out of sticks and scraps of fabric. There is not enough aid coming in to supply enough food. Food is currently distributed once a month. So if a family enters the camp the day after a food distribution they are forced to wait one month to receive any sort of food aid.

What I don't understand is why we see stories of puppy mills on TV and not stories about the trials and struggles of humans. If more of these stories were told people would be made aware of the situation. If they are aware of the situation they will be more likely to find a way to help or to encourage our government to help. Do we now care more about animals than people?