Animal rights, veganism and PETA

[Autumnlicious]

So I came across this writeup today amid the comments section of the Friendly Atheist:

So when we left off, PETA was so ferociously anti-cruelty that they had stopped paying any attention to what that actually means. Here's a few basic points that I started to touch on last time.

1. If you want to keep animals from suffering, you first have to define "suffering," and that has not been done. You have to distinguish whether we're talking about mental anguish, sadness, stress, fear, and the like, or whether it's physical pain that's more the issue. Or maybe it's environmental or incidental impact; we can all agree that a tree doesn't feel pain (I hope), but cutting it down affects other creatures and maybe that's the problem. These are important definitions that need to be laid out, and no one's doing it.

(more in article)

REF: http://unreasonablydangerousonionrings.b...holic.html


One thing I want to know is, what are your stances on eating animals and why?

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

I eat meat and find no need to explain or defend my position morally or pragmatically. I guess that's because I really don't care what a bunch of anonymous others think of anything I do within the law. It's a non issue for me.

RIGHTS: I enjoy and deeply appreciate living in a free society,where I enjoy a plethora of rights. Those rights have been established by custom and law.They are maintained by custom and rule of law.They are not innate. There are no such things as innate rights of any kind,for humans or other animals.

[Zen Badger]

They seem to forget that in nature all animals will get eaten by something else, usually dying painfully in the process.

[Minimalist]

[Zen Badger]

Maybe PETA should start throwing blood onto Hells Angels for waering leather jackets

Oh yes, as riders we both wear leather, it's the best in an accident.

[KichigaiNeko]

I enjoy meat...here in OZ while we may not have the BEST of facilities for our domestic animals we do try our best. The recent outrage (by PINK) against mulesing; just demonstrates to me that PETA have no fucking idea what constitutes "cruelty to animals" ..................a bunch of mofo religious nutjobs IMHO!

Yes it is distressing to see a bunch of baby seals being slaughtered.... BUT... has anyone asked the Inuit WHY it is done? And is mankind to throw away 1 million years + of omnivorism at the whim of a bunch of ignorant fools??? For what purpose???

On this rock it is predator and prey each kept in check, each kept in balance. We are still mopping up the biological vandalism that gave us the Cane Toad.

Humans have still so much to understand.

And Yes Zen...I see PETA don't pester the Hell's Angels for their preference of wearing leather

[downbeatplumb]

Its the animals own fault I eat them, if they didnt want to be eaten they shouldnt be so tasty.

Saying that I would like the animals to have had a 'reasonable' quality of life before being culled for my table.

[KichigaiNeko]

Its the animals own fault I eat them, if they didnt want to be eaten they shouldnt be so tasty.

Saying that I would like the animals to have had a 'reasonable' quality of life before being culled for my table.

Yup!! Right next to the mashed potatoes and veggies!! YUM!!!



I am thinking that, the majority of farmers of domestic livestock care MORE about the well being of their animals than PETA ever could

[The Omnissiunt One]

PETA seems pretty confused to me, and it doesn't really help its cause with its militancy and self-contradiction. That said, I don't eat red meat a) because I want to reduce the amount of suffering which my diet entails, and the farming industry seems quite often cruel to me (hence I rarely eat any animals apart from fish) and b) because I draw a fuzzy line around which animals are too intelligent and self-aware enough to be killed. Pigs certainly fall into that category for me, as there are masses of evidence to suggest that they're as intelligent as young children. As I wouldn't want to kill young children for a sandwich, the only consistent thing to do seems to be not to eat pork products.

[Justtristo]

Something eats inside of me whenever I eat meat, although I don't eat very much of it. Hence, lately I have been seriously considering going vegetarian. Along with easing my conscience, it will save a bit of cash and improve my health (so long as I can enough protein and iron from vegetables and pulses).

Also while I have reservations about PETA and their fellow travellers. I do support some of aims, especially towards better treatment of animals. The way we treat animals (including highly intelligent ones like pigs) is a disgrace.