Quote:
Originally Posted by MaxPower
I don't eat fruits or vegetables because I don't get the same sense of pride as I get from eating something that "suffered unduly."
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hmmm... yes, a fair point MaxPower. lol
I accept animal right activists' opinions as unique and interesting, though I do not usually agree with them on some of their certain core beliefs.
I'd suggest that most people have some degree of empathy for animals. Different people will naturally tolerate different levels of animal suffering - depending on the circumstances - before becoming uncomfortable->disturbed->angered by it.
If these assumptions are true, then the question really boils down into two parts: "What qualifies as undue animal suffering
to you?", and then, "What
should qualify as undue animal suffering for
all people?".
For me, undue animal suffering can be characterized as: "any intentional and preventable maltreatment of an animal falling outside the scope of standardized killings (ie. cow slaughtering for the purpose of human consumption)."
Since all living organisms - incuding cows - will one day die anyways, I do not believe that it is unethical to kill an animal below us on the food chain. Since VERY FEW people in the history of the world have believed like you do, Sowa, I wonder what your opinion of these people are. How about the enlightened, intelligent, compassionate crowd of the 1800-1950 ... I wonder why they weren't likely to worry about the feelings of animals? What about the first pilgrims to North America -- should they not have killed animals for their nutritious meat and warm pelts? Were these individuals unevolved? Were they ignorant? Were they plain mean? Some of the Native Americans of Southern Alberta are well-known to this day for their unscrupulous buffalo hunting tactics - I'd be interested in your opinion of the Blackfoot tribes responsible for "Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump" near Lethbridge.
With all that said, I do believe the "standardized killings", as I called them, should be highly regulated. There are unnecessary procedures that should not be allowed and animal treatment should meet reasonable levels at all times in North America. I do not like to see animals get hurt or die (this is one reason I find it difficult to watch the rodeo, and TV shows like "Animal Rescue" really get to me - it sometimes makes me physically sick to see the horrifying scenes of animal cruelty present all around us). I think we should be proactive as a society in preventing the maltreatment of animals on many levels, but I do not think that the "killing" of animals - in and of itself - is the place to start. I believe there are acceptable means by which to end an animal's life; if these are followed and it's death is for the purpose of human consumption, then that is good enough for me.
I couldn't imagine a world without pepperoni pizza and chicken fajitas!
