I agree with the animal rights movement up to a point, but I draw the line when their rational becomes nonsensical. I do agree that no animal should be made to suffer needlessly, but let’s face it. There are some real Hare brained, or should that be Hair Brained people in the animal rights movement, and the scary thing is that some are in a position of real power.
I have also seen these same self righteous people wearing lovely expensive leather shoes, with matching handbag for the ladies of course, (Hmmmm maybe some of the men?) and leather belts. Do these people think that they managed to skin the animal without harming it?
Hmmmmmmm Maybe we could be a bit selective in what animals we should not harm. Maybe that could work? How about we do not harm Whales, seals, sharks, kangaroos, koalas etc, but ignore being kind to the things that we like to eat? Maybe that would work. For instance. Here in Australia we could kill all the flies and cane toads we like, but pass a law that we are not allowed to kill any kangaroos? Except for when we want to kill kangaroos for dog food of course. After all. All those dogs owned by those nice kind animal rights people have to eat. Don’t they?
I think this all boils down to there being too many people around that cannot mind their own business, and want to be seen helping a worthwhile cause. The only advice I would like to give these people is to really think it through before opening your mouth or putting pen to paper and use all of the facts instead of just the ones that suit you. You never can tell, you may come up with something that is workable and really worth while.
If a fox were to enter a hen-house and rip all of the chickens to pieces before carry one off to eat, that is alright because that is what foxes do. Well killing animals and eating them is what people do, and have been doing so for thousands of years. If you want to have a soy burger that just tastes like meat, that is fine by me. Just do not try telling me what I should be eating. Besides! Eating a soy burger with a patty that tastes like meat should be telling you what you would rather be eating. Otherwise why not have a burger that tastes like peanut butter?
Trevor E. Cowan
If you want to find fault with vegans, it’s not hard. I’ve been an ethical vegan for about the last seven years (I’m 58). My husband is still an omnivore, and he has challenged me on the very issue you mention: why do vegans eat “faux” meat products? The simple answer is that being vegan doesn’t mean I don’t like the taste of meat. When I was an omnivore, I ate a lot of it. Ingrid Newkirk of PETA feels the same way I do about meat. So eating meat “analogs” is not hypocritical, since vegans have cut out animal products for ethical reasons, not because we don’t like the taste. However, I take umbrage with your remarks about how humans have been killing animals for thousands of years, and that it’s just natural. I would say that factory farming, which is the principal way humans get their meat these days, is highly unnatural. If you want to eat meat, you ought to be willing to go out and bring down the animal you intend to eat with your bare hands, rather than buying it from a supermarket. Now that’s natural. And BTW, I think it likely that veganism is unnatural and humans can handle a little bit of meat (emphasis on little bit), but so what? It’s easy to get the proper supplementation and be a perfectly healthy vegan these days while making a political statement against cruelty to animals.
As for feeding your pets animal products, I plead guilty to that also. My position is that I don’t want to impose my personal ethics on others, including my dogs and cats. It’s possible to have vegan dogs (and trickier but still possible to have vegan cats), but I’ve chosen not to do that. I don’t think that creating domesticated pets (or domesticated livestock) for ourselves is natural, but since they’re here, it’s our obligation to care for them the best we can.
Are some animal rights advocates “hare brained”? First of all, I’m not crazy about your choice of words because you’re insinuating that rabbits are dumb. Rabbits are as smart as rabbits need to be. But I get your point, and all I can say to that issue is that every important social movement has had a few less-than-brilliant people involved in it, and animal rights is no different.
We vegan/animal rights advocates are not perfect, but we all try the best we can to make the world a better place, as dumb as that may sound to you.
Comment by ardethb — June 9, 2007 @ 9:31 am |
You say. Quote: ‘If you want to eat meat, you ought to be willing to go out and bring down the animal you intend to eat with your bare hands, rather than buying it from a supermarket.’ Unquote. I was reared in the Moutains of New Zealand where we had to do exactley this or go hungry. But to suggest that people living in a city should do this is as perposterous as the rest the rest of your illogical argument. I tend to agree with you. It would appear that a rabbit could be smarter than you if this is the logic you go by.
As I said, I have hunted most of my life, so a little bit of information for you. A Hare although may look similar, is definitely not a Rabbit. This is what I meant about open your mouth or putting pen to paper before getting your facts right.
You also say. Quote: ‘I take umbrage with your remarks about how humans have been killing animals for thousands of years, and that it’s just natural.Unquote. Feel free to take all the ‘umbrage’ you feel that you need, but this is a fact, or do you live in a fantasy word?
Trevor E. Cowan
Comment by Clarion — June 9, 2007 @ 1:33 pm |