I came across this BBC article called "Cruelty in the Kitchen" on how some animals are ok to eat (Whales in Japan, and Dog in Vietnam) and others are not ok (In the US/Europe, eating whale and dog meat would be unthinkable).
The author discusses how people argue that whales are endangered species (but not all of them are, and Japan didn't make them that way, Europe and America did). He also discusses how many people think killing whales with harpoons is cruel.
But what's not cruel about slicing the beaks off chickens minutes after they are born, or keeping sows in 2" by 7" gestation crates for their entire lives? Why is it ok to eat chicken and pork but not whale and pig? I would eat any animal given the right circumstance.
Let me be clear. I love eating meat. A tasty steak makes my mouth water and I'm sure I've eaten hundreds of pounds of meat in my lifetime. But I won't eat it anymore. It's wrong.
If you think kicking a stray dog in ribs or breaking the neck of a stray cat is wrong; you must realize you do the same thing every time you eat meat that is not locally produced. You are supporting an industry that does horrendous things to living, feeling creatures.
So if I'm vegetarian, how can I say I'd eat any animal given the right circumstance?
If an non-farmed animal died of natural causes and then someone cooked that animal up into a form that is edible and not unhealthy to humans, I would eat it. I'd try any kind of meat- whale, dog, monkey, even human. Yes, I said it, I would eat human flesh given the right conditions.
Generally those circumstances do not exist and so I don't. If you eat meat - fine. I can't stop you. But at least recognize that it's no better than eating dog, or whale or any other living creature.
Comments (4)
Japan may not have originally made whales endangered, but they fish for them illegaly and so contribute to the problem now.
From all accounts, then if you're living in a developed nation and you eat locally produced meat, you're still supporting the industry. In Australia, our best meat gets exported anyway.
I guess the best thing to do is eat organic food, that isn't kept in horrible conditions. Only drawback is that it's expensive.
Where I work, we sell ham (it is local too :-)). And I have to cut it (not fun!). But when a pig dies and it is stressed, the meat gets all blood-speckled. So, the emotional well-being of the animals, not just how they were kept when they were alive, but how they were when they were killed, also makes a difference to the quality of the meat.
Posted by Rebecca | May 28, 2007 12:12 PM
Posted on May 28, 2007 12:12
Rebecca,
Thanks for the response. I just wanted to point out the arbitrary differences in how we think about eating different animals. Organically raised animals are probably the least ethically problematic.
Posted by Jason | May 28, 2007 12:34 PM
Posted on May 28, 2007 12:34
I agree wtith some things you stated...such as how we can put in Jail people who mistreat pet's or animals.
But then again we are mistreating them everyday by eating one that are slaughtered for us already.
But I don't think its necessary to eat mean, just because they died in a natural way...
That makes us like scavengers eating anything we find like tasmanaian devils or something...
We don't have to rely on meat, since there is many other ways to have a sustainable way to have a healthy lifestyle...
Posted by Joy | March 12, 2008 7:11 PM
Posted on March 12, 2008 19:11
Flawless logic. Well stated.
Why can't everyone see that?I
Posted by sean joshua | August 16, 2008 12:57 AM
Posted on August 16, 2008 00:57