Hello? this seems like an appropriate instance in which to invoke the concept of "grooming"

[oursin]

(And resisting the temptation to entitle this 'Horsey keep your tail up'.)

Article in today's Guardian on the controversial movie that attempts to humanise the bizarre world of zoophilia.
Devor decided that a highly stylised approach would be the most effective to counter the widespread dismissal of these men and their orientation. Anyone seeking

Comments

[flats]

There's a pretty good case that one's the 'natural order of things' and the other isn't - but I've studied too much anthro to allow "That's natural" to make any sort of argument without massive qualifications...

[oursin]

Maybe it's because they are killed and eaten? There is an episode in Isherwood's Down There On A Visit in which he feels distinctly queasy after the revelation that one of the Greek boys had sex with the chicken they've just eaten before cooking it - even though as he comments it was thoroughly cooked afterwards.

[dhole]

It's not actually about the goat.

If non-consensual canabalism was a serious problem, it's possible that people would be a bit disturbed by any sort of meat eating, even eating goats. But, at the moment, that's not really an issue.

Non-consensual sex, on the other hand, is something that's a live concern. So people get a bit squicked out by people for whom consent clearly isn't something that they need before intercourse.

Or at least, that's my theory.

[rysmiel]

"I aestheticized the sleaze out of it" really wants to go into common circulation in the same fashion as "the dog ate my homework".

[green_knight]

The arguments seem very similar to those sometimes invoked to justify paedophilia.They are exactly the same

[fox_in_sand]

Very good points about stallions/large dogs, especially in view of the how that man died at the beginning of the Guardian article. I am glad I haven't come across this so far on equestrian forums, nasty.

[lalouve]

I think one major difference between killing and eating a goat and buggering it is that the person killing and eating it does not justify it by citing an emotional connection. No one claims (I hope) that they have a loving connection with the goat which makes the goat consent to being killed and eaten. The lack of consent in clearly visible.
However, once consent is argued (for things which the animal might find as painful as being killed - I am aware of the sexual assaults on horses which happen regularly), the animal is given a status of human adulthood which can be used to justify a lot of abuse.

[fox_in_sand]

I think another difference here between killing and eating animals and zoophilia is welfare; the utilitarian view when it comes to breeding animals for meat tends to be that it's okay as long as the animal has been looked after humanely and are given a humane death; the killing and eating of an animal is not welfare, the quality of life is welfare (I realise that many vegetarians will disagree with me here, but this is what I've come to believe as a veterinary student).