Be nice to your animals.

Assuming that "animals" are the only the ones that are eaten or pets, are any abusable, like say, a goldfish? Are these laws really needed (hoping to spark some action)? Regardless of their necessity, they do exist...to me, it's along the same lines as this;

My main interest in this thread is the ethics surrounding which animals can be abused, and which cannot. Fair enough, but I pretty sure that there are laws prohibiting the abuse of every type of animal in the US, even those that end up as food. Huh. I'd say the conditions of animals in factory farms in the US are pretty horrible, with many animals being chained or locked up in small, unsanitary spaces, being fed a diet totally contrary to what they would natural eat, and being shot full of hormones and antibiotics to keep them alive and plump despite their horrible living conditions. I mean, it's one thing to raise animals for food, but it's quite another to treat them with utter disregard for the fact that they are living creatures, and that we ought to at least let them lead a relatively natural life. This treatment shows a complete disrespect for life, and even people who aren't animal lovers would be ashamed of how their food is being raised. I'm not saying food animals should be treated with the same respect as humans or even pets, but how they're being treated now is revolting and discredits our own humanity, and IMO this is a dark spot on our collective conscience.

Huh. I'd say the conditions of animals in factory farms in the US are pretty horrible, with many animals being chained or locked up in small, unsanitary spaces, being fed a diet totally contrary to what they would natural eat, and being shot full of hormones and antibiotics to keep them alive and plump despite their horrible living conditions. That why I don't eat meat from the store very much. I'm not against the concept of eating meat, say the way our ancestors did, when they would hunt for it in the wild and use the animal for food, clothing, and making tools of course. But factory farming is a much different thing.

...how they're being treated now is revolting and discredits our own humanity... I think you may have an overly idealistic view of "our humanity". We have had at least one war every generation, disease, famine and general mayhem in more than one spot on the globe. How does cruel treatment of animals meant to be food fit into that? In that sense, it's perfectly human. However, it would still be wrong, as is the other human activities you pointed out. Doing evil things is a part of being human, but trying to make things better and deal with the consequences of our evil deeds is also a part of being human. @ qanuk: I agree with you. I think that factory farming is just a symptom of the ills of the modern age, as is children working in factories and cities being bombed. I don't think humanity will or should ever go vegetarian, but I don't think our current ways of "raising" livestock are good for us or for them. Of course there's a better way to do things; we just have to find it.

In that sense, it's perfectly human. However, it would still be wrong, as is the other human activities you pointed out. Doing evil things is a part of being human, but trying to make things better and deal with the consequences of our evil deeds is also a part of being human. Right, I completely agree, but how much importance is to be placed on the overall treatment of animals meant for food when all of the other woes that face humanity still permeate our daily lives? Mustn't we eat while we save the whales?

My 2c. You can tell a lot about people's character about how they treat animals. While I have no problem with slaughtering animals for food - which I've done myself on occasion - I could never needlessly cause harm for no good reason. Pests are pests and I understand when they need to be squashed, sprayed, or otherwise done in - but I'll often go to a little bit more trouble to safely catch a spider and throw it outside or roll down the windows to let a bee fly out. But not flies. I hate flies. And cockroaches, silverfish, and mosquitoes. Kill 'em all on sight. I used to hunt when I was a kid, and I'd probably enjoy it now if I could find the time, but it isn't a high priority to me. It bothers me to see animals that aren't killed quickly, though, and it makes me mad that some hunters will take poor shots that only wound an animal.

You can tell a lot about people's character about how they treat animals. Well, yeah...but you can't really establish a policy for dealing with animals meant for food that will please everyone. Nor can you reasonably expect everyone to agree on what "rights" domesticated animals deserve.

Well, yeah...but you can't really establish a policy for dealing with animals meant for food that will please everyone. But don't most people feel that it is cruel and inhumane to lock animals up in small cages their whole lives, deprived of fresh air, unable to move around, made to be morbidly obese, castrated, de-beaked, or other things I would rather not think of right now? If people knew the truth behind their meat, would they want some kind of reasonable change to amend these abuses?

But don't most people feel that it is cruel and inhumane to lock animals up in small cages their whole lives, deprived of fresh air, unable to move around, made to be morbidly obese, castrated, de-beaked... I would think that the human appetite would tend to outweigh any arbitrary moral standards when it comes to animals meant for food. We've been omnivores a lot longer than we've thought of animals as cute and cuddly... If people knew the truth behind their meat, would they want some kind of reasonable change to amend these abuses? I think that most people probably do know about the treatment of animals meant for food...it's not as if the general public thinks they get a steak from the steak fairy...they know that a living thing had to be butchered. That being said, my guess is that most people don't really want to know how the fried chicken gets to their tables...they just want it hot, tasty and as cheaply as possible.

View Full Version: Be nice to your animals.