Orville used to be a cat that was one day hit and killed by a vehicle. His owner, professing that he loved his pet so much, decided to put the body in a freezer for 6 months while working on a remote controlled helicopter framework. He then had a taxidermist apply the skin to the helicopter frame, yielding a wide-eyed cat with all four legs splayed out in a very un-catlike stance. The thing has four propellers, one on each foot, and is remotely controlled by the owner whom claims that he is not desecrating the memory of the cat, but that every feline dreams of flying with the birds just like the Orvillecopter. Needless to say, controversy has erupted over the issue.
If you have a reasonably soft spot for animals, don’t watch this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePNdcdNm9fY
Holy crap. I don’t remember the last time I was ever so simultaneously repulsed, amused, and curious about any other concept or creation. It’s no small wonder that the Dutch “artist” and ex pet-owner (or is it ex-pet owner?) sparked so much controversy, especially since I had difficulty even making up my own mind! So many facets of my personality spoke out at once that I had trouble discerning what I ultimately felt about this thing, leading me to list the reactions here for your perusal.
The Shrink: You are one fucked-up individual. Someone needs to do a psyche evaluation on this guy before he discovers a high location and a coupon for a sniper rifle. This man’s eccentricity borders something most humans wouldn’t even dream of approaching, a potentially dangerous cocktail of corpse experimentation and a lack of regard for society’s mores.
The Child: That is sooo cool! Can I try it? Just don’t let it touch me.
The [mature] Child: That is fairly neat. May I have the controls so that I might take your pet for a spin? I would like very much not to come in contact with it, however, for health reasons.
The Extrapolater: What kind of precedent does this set for the future? If we think that this is acceptable now, where does it end? What extants will people go to before we draw the line? What about an actual helicopter adorned with cat heads or a go cart made from a water buffalo that you climb into and race? Or is this just a representation of a shifting society? When you compare American bathing suits and undergarments of the 1950’s to the streetwear of modern day, there is an obviously huge shift in what people think to be the norm. And even after that shift, there are still nations that embrace the previous viewpoint, a viewpoint that we claim to be ‘evolved’ passed. Are flying cat carcasses an example of this kind of future stygma?
The Realist: This is no different than people wearing fur in an age of synthetic fibers or mounting animal heads in their dens as trophies for being able to spend thousands of dollars on gear that is pre-tailored to kill animals. At least this guy didn’t kill his own cat. On top of that, the stifling oppressiveness of death has been lessened to some degree with the whimsical nature of a cat-copter. Seriously, who comes up with this stuff? Will we see a rash of people attaching their pets to vehicles? Hell no. Just drop your awe at the spectacle, realize its a transient thing, and understand that other humans do far worse things on a daily basis and don’t get as many waggling fingers at their miscreancy. The man’s mistake was being the first to do this.
The Over-Simplifier: It’s a dead bag of fur with glass eyes. Get over it.
The Pet Owner: How could you staple your dead pet’s head to a machine? That is cruel beyond comparison. You both had a mutual relationship and this is how you repay him? If a cat’s owner died suddenly and no one was left to care for the animals, and the animals ate his body for mere sustenance since no one could feed them, would we not look at them in a different light? Would we feel comfortable handling an animal who had consumed human flesh? You, sir, have cannibalized your pet’s body and made a mockery of his existence, whether for fame, recognition, mental health issues or all of the above. We should watch you carefully and deny any requests to own any animals for having potential to add to your freakshow menagerie.
The Atheist: The neural activity of this animal left its physical form long ago. The empty shell it left behind would be eaten by other animals or assimilated into the natural environment in some other way. Is this not another way of commemorating the existence of a lost pet that would otherwise have no other form on this world or another?
The Sentimentalist: I would never do this to my little Dusty-cat but if the man is sincere, then I guess it really is a form of commemoration. I mean, you can go out and “walk the dog” so many times in your life, but you’re left with nothing in death. Get a new puppy? Yeah I guess, or you could go “fly the dog”. I’d miss his little face a lot, and I guess when pictures won’t do you resort to drastic measures. I heard that a lot of people taxidermy their pets anyways. If you have the mechanical know-how, would you put an animatronic version of your pet with a pre-recorded meow playing every time you passed him? People have lingering feelings for things, and sometimes the weirdest ideas and objects give solace. How can an organization or outside individual know what is desecrating the pet’s memory? The cat would have little to no understanding of a cat-copter and the guy doesn’t seem to have any traumatized family. Who is this hurting? Who is this helping?
The Bystander: That’s nice, I have things to do. Can we focus on something important for a little while? The economy is shit and I’m worried about the devaluation of the American dollar. Can we bring the focus back to the political morass that we’re enbroiled in? Please? Helloooo? Does anyone care about anything substantial? We’ve got dictators, tyrants, sex trafficking, gangs, and natural disasters of varying magnitudes hitting us from every angle. The icecaps are melting, the United States is falling behind in GDP and education, and the media finds time to focus on some guy’s dead cat.
The Artist: Whoa dude! How come I didn’t think of that? The expression on the cat is classic creepy, but I think I see a hint of a smile on that furry face! The fur looks great! Now when you kept him in your freezer, did you use any preservatives on the pelt? What temperature was it set at and how did you combat moisture? Awesome. This is one of the most unique and original things I’ve seen in a while, and in an age of the internet, this is hard to accomplish!
The Weak Stomach: What else did you keep in that freezer?….hUrK…. And does this….bluGh…. thing smell like gasoline and roadkill?
The Competitor: I could do that. And possibly improve on your design. Did you ever consider adding a vertical rotor in the tail for stability and quick turning? I know you’ve got the thing hovering just fine but if we’re going for speed, you probably should have used a ferret or snake: thin, streamlined, and still furry. Well, except for the snake. If we make a little helmet to divert wind around the ears and up the horsepower (sans actual horses), we could set some records. I’m sensing the beginnings of a new sport. If fishing and fusball can be taken seriously, we could draw some real crowds for an event like this.
The Bidder: I must have it for my collection. When will it appear on eBay?
The Confused Survivalist: That’s right. Good on him. Don’t doubt for a second that, given the chance, a cat wouldn’t flay you and spread YOU out over a remote controlled toy! It’s because of evolution that we were lucky enough to get to him first. Blame Darwin if you’re going to get mad at someone!
The Philosopher: Yes, but what does this say about the human condition? When people skinned animals to stay warm, or harnessed beasts of burden to plow fields, how much resistance was placed on the enslavement and mutilation on animals then? We scoff at the idea of eating animal parts as aphrodisiacs and actively fight to preserve species even though billions of animal classifications have been wiped out of existence in the world’s history. But contradicting those views, we actively cram caged chickens into a clucking madhouse and harvest their young, we stick computer chips in animals to track their movement; we collar them, put yokes on them, and we eat veal. We wear their scents, put them in zoos with painted rocks to simulate ice, train bears to ride bikes for our own amusement, test the effects of make-up on bunnies, club baby seals, and grow human ears on laboratory mice! Why can’t some man in Europe put a couple of rotors on his dead pet? Isn’t this yet another way that we exploit animals for food, personal products, and entertainment?
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And finally….
All Sides Combined: Hmm. I’ve never seen THAT before. I’m going to forward this video to everyone I know.