This is pretty much a vent. Trigger warning for animal death.
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We have a rat problem at work. Well, if you can call it at all. The occasional rat walks around, but they have a colony nearby, so they come from there. It's been a topic of discussion for a while, and we're still officially discussing what to do with them. And in the mean time, sadly, many rats died in very cruel ways. Stomped or worse. And my coworkers are particularly proud when they get to kill them. "Because they're plague!" they say.
Today my coworker just walked in front of me holding a dead rat in a transparent bag on his way to the trash can. He held it in front of me and talked to me about how I like rats. I was so shocked I couldn't even respond. I wanted to throw up, and frankly, I still do.
That changed my perception of him forever. Anyone who enjoys brutally killing an animal and excuses themselves because "they're plague" is, in my mind, disgusting. They're not genuinely worried about what diseases rats can bring. They're sadistic, and enjoy killing "lesser" beings. And since killing rats is "acceptable" because they have a terrible reputation, they express that sadism killing rats. I'm sure if killing larger animals, dogs, or other people, they would as well. These people are so dangerous and show the worst part of themselves like it's some kind of joke. At least they're so proud of their sadism they show themselves. At least I know who to avoid.
I just wanted to let this out. I'm still shook. I can't even stop thinking about the moment. This will not go without consequences. I'll make him think twice before he acts funny again. But the damage is done, so that's awful...