Not All Bandits Are Bad
This was news to us...
The phrase "not all bandits are bad" has often been used as a reference to a controversial political remark about armed groups in Nigeria, a satirical gaming theory about outlaws in Skyrim, or a romanticized version of Robin Hood folklore, in which bandits steal from the rich to help the poor.
This “Bandit” in Corvallis might be a little bit bad every now and then, but he deserves a chance. And so does his guardian.
Politics, sports, weather, court cases… are these really news stories? Maybe. But they'll always be there. They'll always be happening, day after day, so in the big picture… they're not really new… or newsworthy.
Anything that makes you question a longstanding viewpoint or opinion… that's what should be reported on. That's what's truly newsworthy.
Pet owners choose to take on a responsibility, and should own that responsibility for life. You’re a bad person for giving up your pet. You’re selfish. That was our view. Then we saw Kevin Kelly’s post today on social media, in the “Corvallis People” group… and realized we were wrong.
Kevin wrote
“My cat Bandit is at Heartland Humane Society right now because I can no longer provide him with a home. He loves people and gets along well with children of all ages and other cats. He will not go out of his way to attack dogs, but doesn’t like them near him. He is a very friendly 4 year 6 month old indoor/outdoor cat who loves laying in the yard, on your bed, or on a couch. He is fixed and does not spray.
His favorite toy is the cat fishing pole with a feather on the end, and he loves being petted especially on his chest and enjoys his chin being scratched. If you are interested in adopting him, I will cover the adoption fee so he can have a home. Please get in touch with me if you have any questions, and go visit him at Heartland if you want to meet him. Thanks!”
Bandit.
There's a lot you can take away from this post. Honestly, we hope it's Bandit. But what struck us most was that this person had to give up a responsibility they clearly didn't want to. Even after they did, they wrote about him. They marketed him. If you read it again, the undertones of love, sadness, and worry are all there.
We didn’t ask details, but we presume Kevin might be in a hard life situation. We presume he is not selfish. We presume he loved Bandit. We presume he still worries about Bandit. We presume that this was the last thing he wanted to do. We presume he is honest and humble. Based on his post.
So we deemed it as “news.” And against our better judgement we reported it. We reached out to Kevin, asking if it was ok to use the photo and his message, and all Kevin wrote back was:
“Yes, please feel free. And thank you for Bandit’s sake.”
I think our presumptions about Kevin were right, and our original views of pet owners were wrong. The cat may be named Bandit, but his owner, Kevin, is a hero.
If this is not newsworthy to you, fear not. Tomorrow, the elections, sports scores, and weather updates will change. Court cases will be held, and you can “read all about them.”
You most likely won't read a post like Kevin's. That one was new to us.
If you adopted Bandit, email us at editor@corvallisnow.com. We'll reimburse the adoption fee. Kevin has already paid a debt… and he has reinvigorated our faith in humanity.
https://www.heartlandhumane.org/
This article was written by Derek S., a contributor to The Corvallis Inquirer. Feel free to send us your stories or articles to publish at: editor@corvallisnow.com
Do you have a story for The Inquirer? Email: editor@corvallisnow.com
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