Forgive me if I'm a little blunt here; I'm a little exhausted of this.
"Why would anyone want to call themselves human?"
Because some of us can see past the fact that a very small percentage of the human population have been causing a lot of damage for a very small amount of time, proportionally, and see that that's simply not the case for the vast majority of the population.
Because humanity is found in taking care of each other far more than it is in "destroying the planet" and "controlling each other", because we are inherently a social species that has been keeping our old and disabled alive for as long as we have been humans, who make art, who packbond with anything that moves and many things that don't, who mourn members of other species up to and including plants and even inanimate objects.
Because calling us "weak and helpless" while simultaneously complaining about the effects of us becoming one of the most widespread and successful mammalian species on the planet, and the species by far the most capable of changing our environment, is hypocritical. And if you experience species dysphoria, I'm genuinely sorry, that sucks, but that doesn't actually mean the human body is inherently bad to live in, just that it's not right for you.
Because I recognize that you contribute to the things you think make humanity "a horrible species" just as much as every average human around you - which is to say, very little. You may not be human, but you are a part of human society whether you like it or not - you are just as much of a contributor as everyone else around you. Blaming them more than yourself is short-sighted.
And because I am human, goddammit, and that is not a bad thing! I enjoy this life, I enjoy my human body even as I mourn its failings, I love my human family and friends! If my being a dragon, an arrogant, prideful, violent creature that would probably kill and eat smaller sapients without a second thought, isn't a bad thing, then my being a human isn't either.
Bluntly, "Of course there are plenty of great humans out there, but as a whole they kinda suck" is not the compromise you think it is. "Of course there are plenty of great gays out there, but as a whole they kinda suck" is still homophobic, y'feel? Allowing for "the good ones" does not actually make your statement any less cruel or hateful toward people who have done nothing to deserve it, for a trait they did not choose. You are still labeling me as "a horrible species" and "weak and helpless" first, and then as an afterthought going "but you might be okay, I guess."
