Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Charlie Quaid on January 22, 2010 at 9:29am

Can you say Anthropomorphism?

Permalink Reply by Dennis Paul Renner on January 22, 2010 at 5:03pm

It seems nearly impossible to reason with humans that choose to eat other animals, just as it is nearly impossible to reason with creationists. Most human who eat animal products still continues even after they are shown that eating meat is causing them all kinds of diseases and health problems that negatively affects the whole of society. The human that eats meat appears completely undisturbed by the fact that their collective diets are causing environmental disasters like global warming, fresh water depletion, and massive pollution. Like the religious rationalizes myths meat eaters rationalize animal food products.
The fact is that a vegan uses 16 to 20 times less resources than a meat eater. The vegan reduces his risk of cancer and heart disease by 86%. Even with these facts now widely know meat eaters still decide to drop dead from heart attacks and cancer at an alarming rate. What to do about the monster? We will know the answer when we know how to convince all the creationists that god is a delusion.

Permalink Reply by Debra Susan Cotton on January 22, 2010 at 6:58pm

It is true that most human animals have a lot more choices in where and how they live than non-human animals who are born into their habitat with little choice about how they will survive. Many animals must take the lives of other animals to survive. They rarely kill when it is not necessary for survival. That makes us more responsible for doing the right thing. We do have choices. Do you have any idea how many millions of pounds of animal flesh that are slaughtered for human consumption, end up in dumpsters because of past safe dating, restaurant buying policies, etc. I agree with you about cruelty and the mass production of animal flesh for human consumption is almost always a cruel process. Factory farms, transporters, and slaughter house workers to not see the animals as anything but a commodity for profit and the animals are treated as if they feel no pain and have no autonomous desire to live. Herbivores are generally more passive than carnivores. I think that is the point, not that you can find rare incidences where herbivores show aggression for mating, territory/access to food etc. Human beings are the number one reason why other non-human species are losing habitat and food sources. Non-human animals share most of the emotions humans have and their personalities are as diverse as humans. That isn't anthropomorphism! If you think it is, you should take some graduate level classes on animal emotions. I have taken 4 such classes and have enjoyed watching this science evolve. There are many good videos on the subject that scientifically show that the old school science that resisted the reality that other animal species share our emotions has been proven to be wrong. (ie.Discovery Channel, Why Dogs Smile and Chimpanzees Cry) It never fails to amaze me that people who live with domesticated pets often accept without any doubt that their pets have personalities and share common emotions with their human owners, but don't want to accept that the same is true for the pig, cow, sheep, or chicken they just ate for their last meal. That is denial. As far as African tribes having cattle. That's a tough one especially with all the killing in Africa over resources and racial issues, but cattle have to eat so you have to consider that it takes 16 pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat from the cow. That is a lot of grain to feed people being wasted by running it through a cow. Plant based foods are healthier and could be grown on the land used for the cattle. Just something to think about.

Permalink Reply by despair on January 23, 2010 at 3:30am

Adrianna, I wanted to point out that some herbivores fight over mates however they're not hellbent on killing their opponent in duals. They simply want to run off their competition and I believe a competitor being killed is a rare accident. There is video proof that gorrillas eat termites and ants the same way chimpanzees do. They are omnivores like other primates. I am well aware that carnivores are dependant on meat for survival however I still consider them a problem. One that should be fixed.

Permalink Reply by Timothy Blevins on January 23, 2010 at 5:26pm

An ominously genocidal sentiment.