Rat Empathy Experiments - How Racism Works with Rats

[Julius Seeker]

Interesting findings in the videos below.
* Rats will not be helpful toward rats with unfamiliar fur colours.
* Rats will help others before getting food.
* Anti-anxiety medication will make rats less empathetic - weird behavioural patterns on anti-anxiety medication has been observed among humans as well (such as removing suicidal inhibition among depressed/bipolar people).

[kali o.]

I only watched the first video, as it was such a load of bollocks I lost interest. The only thing that particular experiment evidenced was that the simple minds of rats will only display cooperative social behavior for other animals they are familiar with and, therefore, do not need to perceive as a threat.

That doesn't speak to racism, or any other stupid broad generalization. It speaks to the simplistic perception of rats and its evolutionary benefit (survival) of avoiding the unfamiliar. Anything beyond that is pontification.

I'll try to go check on the anxiety one later, as that potentially sounds interesting.

[Julius Seeker]

Haha, I was mostly joking around with the racism thing (because the word, while describing a horrible thing, is kind of funny).

[kali o.]

You might've been joking, but she definitely wasn't. When she was going on about "such an important message" or whatever, I wanted to slap her.

The anxiety one had the same problem....message was "don't take a drug, go out and help somebody, it will make you feel good"...the fuck? You proved (presumably) medication interfered with the cognitive workings and behavioral pattern in rats...pompous pseudo scientist.