We still have this notion and hubris that we're above animals, and animals are below us who are alright being stepped on and abused. I noticed that in a lot of cultures, their insults and profanities is being compared to an animal (in Europe, the profanities seem to be generally sexual).

Also, for the religious, admitting we're animals is definitely an insult and denial of biblical teachings that god created humans. When Charles Darwin's theory of evolution first became a mainstream sensation, some cartoonists drew him as a monkey. I debated with a religious before who believes in conspiracy theories. After pointing out about evolution, I was called a monkey. I wasn't even insulted though because, yes, that is basically what I'm trying to say. But technically I'm not a monkey, I'm an ape. Humans are apes. The monkeys are our cousins. Religious folks don't like to admit we're animals because it contradicts their beliefs.

I knew the furries were right all along

This is called speciesism, the believe that your live is worth more/you are better simply because of your species.

I love people who are like "we need to return to nature!"

Like, I get the sentiment and we should definitely try to coexist with the rest of the animals since were smart enough to, but i think its important to remember that we are nature. We cannot separate ourselves from it. Even skyscrapers are natural. Just ask a termite.

You and me baby ain’t nothing but mammals so let’s do it like they do on the discovery channel

Humans could all be grey blobs and people would still argue they are greyest and blobiest. They love to feel special.

That's why furries were invented

We don't pretend we are not animals. We pretend we are the ONLY animals, and all others are merely objects.

You might be interested in looking into Cynic philosophy and into the sparse but colorful stories surrounding Diogenes of Sinope

Pretending to be an animal doesn't solve much either but it's fun from time to time.

I don't know that taxonomy is our biggest problem...

I am? [farts]

Agree we are animals..but not sure that is the biggest problem..

The only animal capbable of destroying the earth and creating stock exchanges. And vaping. And sending a message to the universe.

Plus the 1969 Chevrolet Corvette.

Ha! Suck it, trilobites!

Speak for yourself. I'm a filthy mo fo

bass drop, old macdonald plays

If aliens were to visit Earth, human vs. not-humans (aka sentient vs. not) would be the single biggest thing to consider. Far more so than male vs. female, plants vs. animals, even alive vs. nonliving (rocks), humans can literally send nukes in their direction while they hang in outer space, while literally nothing else can. We light up the night sky... on purpose and could stop it in a moment if we wanted.

We're kinda a big deal.

Although now computers (e.g. Skynet) could do it too, so it's humans and those highly specialized rocks together on one side, vs. literally everything else on the other.

So humans are not "just" animals, like computers are not "just" rocks.