Do you think we use Pokemon as slaves?

[Marc]

I mean, we capture Pokemon from the wild against their will in what we call "poke balls" and force them to battle other Pokemon to the death for our own amusement. We decide when to feed them (ya know, those juicy oran berries etc) or let them die from poison or burn statuses when going along our merry way.

So I ask you, Pedians, do you think as Pokemon trainers, we treat Pokemon as slaves?

 

[Alex]

Hell yeah. Nothing wrong with a little bit of slave labour. It's what made Britain great, after all.

#MakeBritainGreatAgain

 

[Duffy]

Some trainers do, especially in game. In the anime less so. Doesn’t seem wntirely ethical but it’s like pets- we decide what our dogs eat (dog food) where they go (ouside or inside) what time of day they go on walks, some humans even abuse animals...

 

[Pandaxclone2]

Agreed with 3dsCollector. It's similar to owning and caring for a pet which comes with responsibilities. The difference between that and Pokemon though is that it's considered morally unethical to have your pets fight each other, not to mention they don't have control over the elements and they don't evolve.

In the Pokemon universe however, Pokemon fight because they want to grow stronger, so it's in their best interest to be with a trainer who can care for them and put them in battles so they gain experience. And contrary to popular belief, badges aren't mind control devices that make traded Pokemon obey your will either; traded Pokemon just simply won't recognise you as a strong trainer or respect you, unless you have those badges. That is proof to them that you know what you're doing, so they'll trust you.

So as Pokemon trainers, do we treat Pokemon as slaves? It generally just depends on the trainer, but for a good chunk of them they should be treated fairly. Look towards Team Rocket for people who treat Pokemon like slaves.

 

[Artisan]

Why yes we do enslave Pokémon. Remember the Cooltrainers and Cue Ball in in Gen 1? They had whips even though that is not an item in the game and they weren't even on an evil team. But if you want to argue against that here's some text from Gale of Darkness to help you out. "Pokemon are just tools for battling." Which I entirely believe. They are just tools on a game so you can win more virtual cash or points. Sure you can feed them but that is so they can last longer in battle or win ribbons.

 

[Alegria]

of course, if Pokémon were real, I wouldn't do what I do.
I wouldn't catch/breed in order to trade.
I wouldn't fill my PC (and even Poké-exploitation ... I mean Poké-Pelago). Only a team of 6.
I wouldn't get a Pokémon through a trade with who-knows-who, to put it with a ditto, to hatch their egg and put the new born kid with their parent in the daycare.
I wouldn't consider that a fainted Pokémon is ok because I won't do anymore fight until the Pokécenter. I wouldn't even wait for the Poké-center to revive them.
I wouldn't do fights for fun: training against wild Pokémon, fight tower/ gyms/ other things that are for sole purpose of being the best in Pokémon fight.
I wouldn't even bother fighting the Team Meanies's Pokémon, I'd aim the guys in their faces.
I wouldn't throw more than one Pokéball at a Pokémon. If they don't want, they must have reasons.

So... all the things above, I consider them as slavery.

 

[Pandaxclone2]

Why yes we do enslave Pokémon. Remember the Cooltrainers and Cue Ball in in Gen 1? They had whips even though that is not an item in the game and they weren't even on an evil team. But if you want to argue against that here's some text from Gale of Darkness to help you out. "Pokemon are just tools for battling."

Bad people don't account for the entirety of Pokémon trainers. To say "yes, we enslave Pokémon" because some trainers carry whips or consider them expendable is to say the same of all trainers, despite the fact that a good chunk of them do care for their Pokémon. Heck, even James from Team Rocket cares for and respects his own Pokémon more than his job description implies.

 

[Big Yoshi]

We do use them as slaves. If you'd tell me that breeding 20 (or more) Pokemons with a Ditto, only to get a good IVs one, and then Wonder Trade the others with random people to get as many Trainer IDs for a better chance at the Lotto ID to get a Master Ball, only to catch MORE Pokemons to abuse, then take them to fights that faints them to be the champion (or just fight for fun), and get a LOT of money as a 10 years old is fine, I would question who on earth will do that?

 

[Pandaxclone2]

@Amit0603 Competitive Pokemon gamers. It's kinda why I dislike the whole metagame.

In-universe however, it's improbable that Pokemon trainers would do that.

 

[Selaphi]

It depends I guess on the type of trainer you are. If pokemon were real I imagine I'd treat them a lot like my family the way I do my cats. That being said, I don't know if I would want a flaming lizard that could turn me to ash in my home or around my family... So some of the pokemon suddenly become a lot less practical to befriend LOL

 

[Shiny]

We basically do treat them as slaves. But I think Pokemon could use the slave labor.

 

[Zukrad]

Uuuh... no?

Like, that was the main theme of Pokémon Black and White, which concluded in "No, we don't, is ok"

The relation between Pokémon and Humans is symbiotic. Pokémon like to fight each other. If they win, they grow stronger, if they lose, they only have to rest for a while before going into battle again. Battling can only be negative to a Pokémon if they are forced/forces itself to fight after it has been already weakened

However, most Pokémon aren't that smart, and there is where humans come into play. Humans understand the core mechanics of the Pokémon world, and make teams with the Pokémon so they can fight optimally (hence, Pokémon TRAINER)

And that's only battling, pretty much everything else is similar enough to our world to draw parallels, with the fact that every Pokémon is sentient AND much powerful than any human. If they didn't want to work with or for us, they would have already revolted, but they haven't, because they have a lot to gain from it.

Of course there are bad trainers that do treat Pokémon as slaves, but that is just like our world's bad pet owners: They are the exception and it is also illegal

 

[NATT44]

The anime tries to show that the Pokémon world is sort of similar to our world - some people are good and some people are not so nice. I have no doubt that if Pokémon were an actual thing, a lot of people would exploit them in the same way we exploit animals today. Some groups even object to the Pokémon universe on this stance.
That being said, if we boil Pokémon down to its formula and set aside all nitpicking about the ethics of Pokémon breeding, consumption, stealing, etc. (much of which hasn't yet been addressed in Pokémon media) there are some notable points that say that training Pokémon is not inherently bad.
For example, a lot of people liken Pokémon battles to dogfighting or cockfighting, two vicious blood sports actually fought to the death in which participants clearly have little empathy for the animals involved. These things are bad, no question.
However, a quick dive into Pokémon lore indicates a completely different dynamic from this outright abuse of animals. For one thing, Pokémon choose to fight. They battle in the wild (apparently separately from simple predation) and Pokémon that don't want to fight (in the anime, at least) have no problem disobeying their trainers.
Pokémon and their human trainers work together to grow stronger. Both trainer and Pokémon aspire to be the very best that no one ever was. I would rather liken Pokémon to boxing and other combat sports. Nothing wrong with a consensual brawl between friends, eh?

 

[Alegria]

The anime tries to show that the Pokémon world is sort of similar to our world - some people are good and some people are not so nice. I have no doubt that if Pokémon were an actual thing, a lot of people would exploit them in the same way we exploit animals today. Some groups even object to the Pokémon universe on this stance.
That being said, if we boil Pokémon down to its formula and set aside all nitpicking about the ethics of Pokémon breeding, consumption, stealing, etc. (much of which hasn't yet been addressed in Pokémon media) there are some notable points that say that training Pokémon is not inherently bad.
For example, a lot of people liken Pokémon battles to dogfighting or cockfighting, two vicious blood sports actually fought to the death in which participants clearly have little empathy for the animals involved. These things are bad, no question.
However, a quick dive into Pokémon lore indicates a completely different dynamic from this outright abuse of animals. For one thing, Pokémon choose to fight. They battle in the wild (apparently separately from simple predation) and Pokémon that don't want to fight (in the anime, at least) have no problem disobeying their trainers.
Pokémon and their human trainers work together to grow stronger. Both trainer and Pokémon aspire to be the very best that no one ever was. I would rather liken Pokémon to boxing and other combat sports. Nothing wrong with a consensual brawl between friends, eh?

In another hand, some wild Pokémon might be fighting to protect something, or run away and be stalked by a trainer. Don't tell me that encountering Suicune or Latinas several times (2nd and 3rd Gen, not so much the remakes or other appearances) and catching them even if they ran away is a good thing. And when a Pokémon dodges a Pokéball or breaks free

 

[Dowhat?]

No it’s more of a mutualism, some people don’t train, others do. It’s may seem strange to make certain Pokémon breed to get certain results, but that’s what people do in real life with dogs and cats. The games might make Pokémon seem like slaves, but the game is simplified of Pokémon culture compared to the anime. Some Pokémon are abused and mistreated (tepig, charmander) but most are generally loved and cared for. Pokémon games only show us the journey of a Pokémon trainer and a small dip into others like breeders, or contestants( i forgot what they were called). Pokémon are slaves to some people, but they choose to fight, and very few are abused for reasons they cannot control. It’s actually normal for people in the Pokémon world to do all of that stuff. Collectors exist in this world, so do people breeding animals, and selling them. That’s also the same with people eating Pokémon yeah you can have a pet trout, but moot people eat them.

 

[Alegria]

Don't tell me that encountering Suicune or Latinas several times

Sorry for that, my keyboard doesn't know Pokémon, but I meant Latias, of course

 

[Shiny]

Sometimes it seems we are using them as slaves but most of the time its just love between the trainer and the Pokemon. Sometimes it seems we are just catching them for slave work. Of course some trainer physically abuse their Pokemon, and using them as slaves. But most trainers are good and try not to abuse their beloved Pokemon or use them as slaves.

 

[Samster]

That’s actually a really good question. The way I see it, it all depends on the Trainer, and what kind of person they are. Pokémon are a lot like wild animals, they aren’t trained and rely on pure instinct until taken in by someone. If the Trainer is a jerk, then maybe that poor Pokémon won’t get much love and will abused for enjoyment or other purposes. However, if the Trainer cares about his/her Pokémon, then they would treat it with respect, knowing that it’s a living being, just like them.

Overall, I wouldn’t say that we’re enslaving Pokémon, who owns that Pokémon and what kind of person they are determines whether they’re being treated right or not.

P.S. If you truly care about your Pokémon, and they wanna be free, let them. It’s not like you’re enslaving them if they choose to serve you cause you’re a good person.