"I did it as a joke because I thought it would be funny."

[Amerigo Vespucci]

How the World Works
Wednesday, Aug 25, 2010 18:28 ET

The eyes of the world are on the cat-bin lady -- and on you too

Mary Bale thought no one would see when she dumped Lola in a trash can. But the Internet found out, and got mad Video

By Andrew Leonard

http://www.salon.com/technology/how_the_world_works/2010/08/25/the_curious_case_of_the_cat_bin_woman/index.html



Case closed. The Panopticon is here, signed, sealed and delivered. We've seen it coming since as far back as the days of Rodney King, but a few cops caught on hand-held video in the pre-Internet era is nothing compared to what the combination of ubiquitous closed circuit television, videocam-equipped smartphones, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have wrought. All of society now fits into Jeremy Bentham's vision of an all-seeing, all-knowing prison. Henceforth, no one is safe from society's pitiless scrutiny. Or maybe that means everyone's safe, because no one can get away with spontaneous spasms of crazy evil. It's hard to be sure.

That is the paradox raised by the extraordinary story of Mary Bale, the now-notorious "cat bin woman." On Saturday, Ms. Bale, age 45, was walking down a street in Coventry, a city in the county of West Midlands in England, when she happened upon Lola, a four-year-old tabby cat minding her own business. As captured by closed circuit television (CCTV), Ms. Bale first pets Lola, and then, for reasons that will probably never be fully clear either to herself or to the rest of the world, picks the cat up by the scruff of the neck, pops open the top of a nearby trash bin, and deposits the poor feline inside. Looking for a glimpse of the darkness that resides inside the soul of every human? Watch the video. It's not pretty.

According to the Daily Mail, the cat's owner, Darryl Mann, heard Lola meowing from inside the bin some 15 hours later. After inspecting footage from his own security cameras, he posted the video of the woman and the cat to a Facebook group. Cue: Viral video madness.

Now the whole world hates Mary Bale. Hundreds of thousands of viewers have weighed in, and its safe to say that Bale doesn't have a whole lot of fans. Death threats are flying around the Internet. The police have stationed guards at her home. Bale told the Daily Mail "I did it as a joke because I thought it would be funny." She doesn't think it's so funny now.

[d_r]

1. well they found her

I guess she isn't mentally ill. I can't understand why she did that. I can't.

[Regret My New Name]

2. cat /bin/woman

[Regret My New Name]

12. This would have worked better if I had more patience

lame

[unblock]

29. bwahaha!!!!

ok, that joke appeals to a limited audience, but count me in!

:rofl:

[Silent3]

33. You outgeeked the first geek by far. :) n/t

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

41. Another "limited audience" member checking in

:thumbsup: :rofl:

[Silent3]

32. Damn geeks! n/t

[Hell Hath No Fury]

3. Funny?

I would like the opportunity to put her in a bin -- I think that would be hysterical!

[TheKentuckian]

4. Doesn't a joke require an audience, somebody to laugh?

The dog ate my homework is an infinitely better excuse. What a piece of cruel shit.

[Regret My New Name]

8. I wonder if she's been diagnosed with any mental illness...

[RKP5637]

5. Today a cat, tomorrow a baby, child or adult. People like this have dangerous latent

psychotic tendencies IMO. Thankfully the cat is OK. Another living thing might not be so fortunate next time around. I hope this individual remains under watch.

[Regret My New Name]

6. I heard she started with trash and then moved to cat...

[Arugula Latte]

9. Even if it never escalates, doing it to a cat is horrific enough.

Gawd this kind of stuff just makes me furious and sick at heart.

I adore all kitties and can't imagine the mindset that would produce this action.

I'm glad she's getting hell for it. :grr:

[RKP5637]

22. Stuff as bad as this goes on everyday, and as one poster said to homeless

people too. One good thing today is a lot of stuff gets more public visibility I think than in the past. Hopefully, that raises the sensitivity to this stuff. Some of our politicians would like to do the same to people, throw them away in the trash. I guess we live in a better world today, but it's still a pretty sick world.

Yep, I'm glad too she's getting hell for it too. :grr:

[bobbolink]

16. Homeless people are being tossed away everyday, but it isn't considered crazy or a crime.

Like the author of Empathy Gap said, sometimes empathy gets a bit blown out of proportion, and given a wrong target.

[TheKentuckian]

18. Don't underestimate empathy for animals it can be a bridge to fellow human beings.

Anything to register outrage at the failures of humankind's stewardship can be a trigger to a more holistic level of concern for life in this world.

Honestly, I worry more for those who have no soft spot for innocent creatures than those who value humans and not the animals because they are one burned bridge from heartless.

[bobbolink]

20. No, it doesn't work that way. I have dealt with this a long time, and know whereof I speak.

However, if you don't believe me, I would welcome trading places with you.

Or, you could also read Empathy Gap. Eye-opener.

[TheKentuckian]

35. I'll try to read it, I speak only of my own observations

[snagglepuss]

27. Well said. nt

[Lost4words]

38. exactly, I agree!

[RKP5637]

19. I think it's horrible what our society often does to people and animals. n/t

[bobbolink]

21. Horrible and tragic. But the people who are thrown away are .... invisible.

And it happens right here on DU.

[RKP5637]

28. I've seen that and always wonder WTF. IMO it's the I've got mine, F you syndrome. n/t

[bobbolink]

31. Yes, that. Those of us who are in this situation, when we talk with each other, we can't understan

the attitude, because we know if the situation was reversed, we wouldn't be able to be so cavelier about human suffering and death.

I've heard people say it makes them feel crazy... how can people be that dismissive and harsh? I think that sometimes, that sense of being crazy because of the harshness is even worse than the physical suffering.

We feel like we are a different species.

That sense of separation is a killer.

[RKP5637]

34. I think that what happens when a capitalistic economy goes on without

appropriate regulation is that sociopathic personalities develop. In a capitalistic economy without appropriate regulation, and checks and balances, the elements of sociopathic personalities are handsomely rewarded. I think I see an element of that in today's society. Often those with the most power, the most money, the most control have the least desire to help all of society.

Many have said the US will not correct its economic behavior until it bottoms out like in the Great Depression. So far the 3% of cornered wealth in this country have not been hit hard enough by this recession. For therm, it's out of sight, out of mind. This is not a healthy country in many respects.

[bobbolink]

46. That's a fine understanding and analysis.

However, it really doesn't help, either emotionally or practically, those who are thrown away and suffering and dying because of it.

There really is an Empathy Gap in this society.

[chemenger]

43. Otherwise known as the Ayn Rand Syndrome.

n/t

[stray cat]

23. So who have you welcomed into your house to help - or did you throw them out too?

[bobbolink]

25. What brought on that bout of hatefulness?

Having a bad day?

[Divine Discontent]

36. sad post I agree. anyhow, I cannot believe this lady started by petting the cat, then tossed it

what a wicked action...

[bobbolink]

47. And my reply is that action is akin to what happens to poor and homeless people all the time,

but that is not acknowledged, nor does it receive outrage.

[Divine Discontent]

48. yep, you hear about it all the time, or see it, where people start talking nice to a homeless person

just to harass them for kicks, or to tell them to go get a job and stop being on the street. I have approached my fair share of people who are without a structured home, and I make sure to keep a little distance so they don't feel threatened, as I know the crap they go through, before I gain their trust and sit near them. The things people do to each other (and animals)... so sad.

[bobbolink]

49. Excellent point, and I very much appreciate your sensitivity!

If the majority of people were like you, our lives would be easier.

:yourock:

[Divine Discontent]

50. always welcome. I'm the one that had the story on here 2 years ago about the lady in the SUV callin

the cops on me for helping Laura, the homeless woman who had swollen legs and, as I was tending to her, some rich woman in a Mercedes SUV pulled up and told me to stop, because "that only encourages them to stay!".... I told her, "you mind your own business", and eventually, "Get behind me, Satan!" She said she was calling the cops on me. Like they care what some rich busy-body (nosy) was complaining about!

Take care, bobbolink!

[stray cat]

24. It's the difference between you murdering someone versus you not saving someone

[bobbolink]

26. Who are you accusing me of murdering?

And what the hell is eating you?

What got you so wound up and defensive?

Your words are really bizarre.. I suggest you take a deep breath and recalibrate.

[TwilightGardener]

37. I agree--wonder what else she's done to other powerless creatures (and people) that

we'll never know about. It's chilling, how some of the most normal-seeming people among us are capable of going psycho in an instant--one second petting a cat and enjoying its company, then in the next, abruptly grabbing it by the neck and harming it. Scary shit.

[Hawkowl]

7. She's very lucky

She is very lucky it wasn't my cat she did that too. Very, very, lucky indeed.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

10. I feel the same way about 4chan's retribution.

[Rex]

11. What an evil ******, I hope she finds hell as comfortable as poor Lola

found the trash can. Some people are 'graced' by evil and love to torture or make simple beasts suffer. Look at all the crazy people that get caught (after 14 years) raising CHILDREN in cages or in a closet, for totally evil reasons.

[Xipe Totec]

15. We are all Portnoy

[Mimosa]

13. Imagine Mary Bale looking after a toddler....scary...

As for the Salon author's sentence "Looking for a glimpse of the darkness that resides inside the soul of every human?"

Yes, there is some darkness in my human soul but I couldn't do that to a helpless creature who trusts humans.

[ZombieHorde]

14. What a weird thing to do. Sadism seems like the only motivator. nt

[slampoet]

17. And who are you telling this funny joke to? Who was supposed to laugh?

Must be somebody else since you aren't laughing in the video.


Are you too stupid to think about your own alibi when you have two days to plan one?

[mikeytherat]

42. Not only that - her alibi changes mid-alibi!

She goes from "it was a joke" to "my moment of madness." Well, if it's a joke, it's not madness, and if it's madness, it ain't a joke.

Two days to get an alibi straight and she cocks it up the first time she tries it. Impressive.

mikey_the_rat

[unblock]

30. "safe to say bale doesn't have a whole lot of fans"? ich don' tink zo

she's got plenty of people who hate her, sure.

but there are a lot, i mean a LOT of people out there who loathe cats with a passion i can not begin to comprehend. those people are quietly cheering her on for doing to a cat the sort of thing they've always dreamed of doing themselves. sick, sick, sick, but you know they're out there.

[Odin2005]

39. She's a sociopath.

[davidpdx]

40. Her and Dick Armey are both getting death threats

Coincidentally neither one have a heart....

[Urban Prairie]

44. "I did it as a joke because I thought it would be funny."

She got caught and that is no "joke" although she likely has become the butt of many. I also firmly believe that this isn't the first time that Bale has committed an act of cruelty to an animal. Her only salvation is that eventually enough time will pass and the global court of public opinion's virally incensed loathing of her and her cruel deed will gradually subside.

[red red red]

45. Isn't that what the Rethug said...

after he posted the "Here come the Dogs" video of Democratic women! Weird sense of humor, 'doncha' think? :crazy:

[Radical Activist]

51. But did she get her Chicken McNuggets?