Add in political candidates who change their stories depending on the audience they're addressing. Toss in a healthy dose of Internet content from dubious sources. Mix in a healthy suspicion and avoidance of propaganda, then top it all with Web site formats that make it difficult to compare candidates' views on important issues. The hard-logic arguments made by Marc Bekoff and Jane Goodall are compelling. Clearly, we are they, but they are not us.
Humans are animals, vertebrates, mammals, primates.
Biochemically and behaviorally, everything we do has been done by other animals for a lot longer. Logically, everyone accepts that. But the implication is that we are not really different and not really special. And a lot of people have trouble accepting that. When my dog was happy, she let me know.