The Abandoned Animals of Dubai are Emblematic of Capitalism’s Inherent Cruelty

Since Israel and the United States launched their unprovoked war against Iran, thousands of Westerners in the Gulf states have been scrambling for the exits. In their haste to abandon the glittering towers of the desert, many have also abandoned the animals in their care. Thousands of cats and dogs have been left in locked apartments or tied to lampposts. And veterinarians have reported an uptick in requests for euthanasia.

None of this should be surprising. This loathsome class of vapid, luxury-obsessed Western parasites barely value human life, so why would they have any care for the lives of non-humans? To them, everything is a product. An object meant for consumption and exploitation.

And this exposes the entire sham of Dubai itself. This artificial outpost for the wealthy was never organic. It did not arise from any real connection with the land. It was always transactional. And once the bombs started falling, the illusion was shattered.

Dubai is emblematic of the hollow promises of late capitalism. Its sprawling cityscape was built by foreign labourers who are kept in modern-day slave camps, and now it is sustained by them. Everything in this city is an illusion. It possesses no soul or roots, as all of that was scraped away years ago. The fishing and pearling village on the banks of the Persian Gulf is a distant memory.

Since the oil boom, Dubai became a centre for rapid development. But in the process, it rebranded itself as a destination for the global jet set. And over time, that morphed into the Las Vegas-esque dystopia we see today. In the past couple weeks, this haven for influencers and tax-evaders has become a nightmare. Dissent has always been strictly forbidden. But now, even talking about Iran’s retaliatory strikes can get you sent to prison.

The situation for non-humans in such a scheme has always been conditional. And this is why it is emblematic of capitalism and its ruling class in general. Under a worldview where life is only valued if it produces currency and profit, it is also easily disposable. The abandoned animals of Dubai were never thought of as beings with intrinsic worth to this class. They were merely props to compliment their wealth index in social media posts. And now, those props have been left on stage for someone else to deal with.

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