Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
MWF 10am
16 comments:
Michelle Quintana
said...
I believe that the damage has already been done. Evidently, individuals are conditioned to formulate a specific appreciation for the types of food that their culture encourages to eat. Consider the vast amount of different cultures and environmental influences that exist. Many societies are responsible for promoting fast food productions as being “healthy” and tasty in order to deceive people into believing that the meat that they are eating is worth the cost. Despite the empathy and compassion one feels for the animals that are being abused and mutilated for their taste, it may be near impossible to attempt to stop such animal cruelty for “the damage has already been done”. Many individuals are addicted and ignorant to their tasty goods, not caring how the meat was produced, not caring about what type of poison was injected into the animal, not caring about the physical pain that these animals have endured. The problem is that people do not step outside their intellectual understanding; rather their mentality is centralized in their egotistic pleasure and desire of eating what tastes good no matter what the costs are. Meat and animal cruelty is not necessary for survival; the majority of the individuals are too ignorant and dramatic to take another living organism’s life into account. What would happen if suddenly Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” comes to play in a person’s life…. turning into a pig, a rat, a monkey, a helpless body that cannot speak for one’s self. Wouldn’t we think that human beings consist solely of moral depravity and arrogance? I think that people should change their perspectives for once… place themselves in another person’s shoes. At least consider the existence of moral judgment and to consider that the word KILLING applies to every organism that lives and breathes… The annihilation of animals harms the environment and thereby ourselves…
I feel kind of hypocritical to be writing about this because I personally love eating meat and I suppose what Michelle says is true in this sense because the damage really has been done. I know for a fact that animals are put through suffering and even killed to make all those cheeseburgers and chickens we eat and as much as the though makes me want to cry for them it still doesn't stop me from eating meat. I'm already conditioned that way and in my culture not eating meat would be a huge shocker. I mean yes we say that meat is needed for survival because we need protein and other vitamins that meat has but there are other ways of getting protein, we just choose to stick with what we know and like. I for one have never watched one of those animal cruelty videos were they show you the process of cooking animals and I never want to. I personally couldn't sit through that without getting sick but I wont deny the fact that as much as it pains me and I know whats true I still go to pollo tropical and just say "poor chicken, sorry" in my head before chowing down.
When I eat, the first thing that comes to mind is not what the chicken went through. All i know is that my body needs these proteins to survive and that it is also tasty. One thing I do not want to do is look at animal cruelty videos. Can these videos change the way I eat? I think yes, but they won't change the minds of meat lovers. Our society is still going to make meat for everyone else in the world. All I can think of is being thankful of what we food we do have and not waste it. Be thankful for the animal that has given his life to give us nourishment because even if we don't think so, animals have feelings too.
If animal should have rights? They should, especially one have against abuse. All living creatures are said to have emotions (yes. I do believe plants have emotions) even though they don’t use a language as we do, they do show their emotions. Animals, other than humans (we are animals after all), do not know how to fake their feelings, they can’t put a mask on and pretend that everything is ok; but we humans can. In order to satisfy our egoistic self, we take advantage of them. We excuse ourselves by reciting the food chain process; we are known to be carnivorous so of course we consume meat. Obviously there are more people everyday becoming vegetarians since they want to contribute with the reduction of this atrocity, and because of religious doctrines. Ironically, I’m not part of the group of vegetarians but I’m against the abuse committed to animals; like in dog fights or bullfighting, or animals which are tortured and then killed for their skin. I was kind of raised to believe that some animals were meant for us to be consumed (farm animals, not horses) therefore I don’t feel remorse while eating them, of course if someone comes and offers me a meat from another animal I will refuse since I would feel bad about it (in the end everything revolves around our egoistic self). Personally, I think that the biggest damage is caused by, not the consumption but, the medical testing and the “unique” way some unwise people treat animals as their plaything.
Animals should have rights to an extent. Should they be treated as any other person/human? They can't do what we can and so they can't be given the same rights. So what rights can they have? I've seen that they show suffering when they're sick and some show feelings like the monkeys, etc. But they can't be put in the same category as we human beings.
It's easy to be ignorant when ignorance is cool. Walk into a McDonald's in NYC (where chain restaurants are mandated to post calories and fat content on menus) and see how differently you may look at your beloved Big Mac (7.5 oz, 540 calories/260 from fat) AND that's without the golden fries and bubbly Coke-Sprite-Sunkist. And at the end of your 10 or 5 minute lunch you realize "WOW! I am still hungry!" and go and order another sandwich off the dollar menu. A dollar gets you further in a multi-billion dollar industry than at your local grocery store. Forget the butcher, the farmer and the fisher. You can have all of their goods conveniently packaged in plastic cellophane body bags which will keep you ignorant of what food truly is. But ignorance is cool, and wouldn't we all want to be cool and have fries with that?
To say that I think about these issues when I eat meat would be lying. I have absolutely no thought of animal cruelty when I'm eating meat. Humans have hunted animals as a source of food for centuries. We have been conditioned to accept meat as a necessary part of our nutrition. We are taught that it contains essential proteins that our body needs, that's why vegetarians need supplements to enhance their diet. It's only in the 20th century that we started to question whether we should eat animals. In my opinion, the issue of animal rights just doesn't have a definitive answer. Do I think that animals should have rights? Yes,probably. I am against animal cruelty but would we prefer products to be tested on us rather than animals? I think this is a debate only in developped countries because we have a choice and hunger is not really an issue. People in third world countries do not question whether they should eat meat because they can only be grateful to find sufficient food to sustain themselves.
Should animals have rights? In abuse cases and poaching, definitely. However, I don't feel that animals should be treated on the same level or above humans (especially how some us treat our pets with much more dignity and respect than we would another human being, for example). When it comes to consuming animals for meat, sometimes I consider how they were slaughtered. The majority of the time, I don't. I wouldn't mind seeing the films regarding how they are slaughtered and housed. I think it will help me from eating so much meat, especially certain kinds of meat. Besides humans (at least Americans) consume too much animal fat which has led to life threatening illnesses. A film may help me make a conscious decision to change my meat eating ways, but will it work for everyone, probably not. As long as we are allowed the benefits of being free moral agents, then we will all feel differently about this decision.
Lord created the universe; He created Earth, and was happy after what He did. He created man and an environment made of everything he could need to live a decent life or eventually to survive. Among these elements, there are animals and plants. Man has the moral responsibility to protect the environment. However, since he is the preferred creature of God, his well-being depends on the usage of other creatures. As a matter of fact, we use plants in nutrition and also for our comfort (construction, furniture, etc). In other words, we kill plants. Is this a must? Certainly! In ancient times, some groups of people lived only from hunting. Was there an immoral or amoral attitude? The answer cannot be positive insofar they had to eat, insofar they had to survive. Our first moral responsibility is to preserve the most important thing: life, the gift of God. The neighbor is free to consume plants as I am free to eat meat. A tiger or a crocodile is about to eat a human being. What will be our reaction if we are present with a weapon? No doubt that we will kill the animal if there is no other way to stop it. Among the animals, human beings have priority. What would be the developed countries without the ones in development? What would be human beings without plants and animals? Plants have rights because they have a life: they eat, respire, reproduce, etc. Animals do have rights too: we need to protect them, to feed them for our own enjoyment, our nutrition, why not?
Animals are used and abused by all meat eaters. Whether or not the animals can communicate in words to describe the torturous pain that is forced upon them is completely irrelevant.
Thousands and thousands of animals are raised, drugged, mistreated, and slaughtered for the sole purpose of it's barely justified consumption.
Carl Cohen argues, "only in a community of beings capable of self-restricting moral judgements can the concept of a right be correctly invoked." Babies are granted human rights based on the supposition that they will in fact develope a sense of morality. But this is not necessarily the case. Nearly three percent of male Americans and one pecent of female Americans are currently living with Antisocial Personaliy Disorder. Sociopaths lack any feelings of guilt and do not think or act according to self-restricting moral judgements. Should their human rights be revoked?
Like Gary Francione, I do not believe that the solution for this problem is to fight for animal rights. I believe that the most eficient thing to do is to teach humans about equality. Having certain cognitive abilities does not in any shape or form make us superior to any other living thing.
P.S. I have been a vegetarian for nearly four years.
I am well aware that animals are suffering undeserved fates at the greedy hands of humans. But with the other more important issues that are going on in the world I’m not so sure I would go so far as to extend rights to animals that would involve all manners of legislation. True, humans weave their own webs of destruction and never seem to clean up their own messes but if the government spends the time satisfying every vegan with a picket sign then the people who direly deserve attention (like those waiting in line for the dream act) will be overshadowed by talk about the correct way to raise a chicken. Animals deserve the same amount of respect that you would give your fellow man. I completely disagree with processing factories and animal abuse but at the same time I feel we have larger problems on our hands than food processing.
I agree with what Michelle said that the damage is all ready done. This topic is very complicated because it has been happening for a long time now. I believe that things should be different, but us humans are all ready used to this process and we would suffer with a different process of meat. Plus, meat would become an expensive product on the market if they wouldn't have the process of sacraficing those animals. Unfortunalety, I'm a meat lover, but sometimes I think about becoming a vegeterian I've tryed before, but it was really hard for me. The only way I could see is if we teach the next generation or our children to how to be more of vegetarians than meat lovers, but that would take a long time to happen. However, that would be really difficult to happen because of the heritage culture within families around the world.
Not a day goes by that I don't swirl these ideas in my mind when consuming any animal-based product. The theory of abolitionism is seen as radical to those in society who care not about progressing or changing their ways, and thus I doubt would ever be implemented. The most fascinating thing to think about is the various theories behind animal rights, and what constitutes the ability to hold them. The hypocrisy presented in the counterargument (babies lacking the necessary conditions of having rights) to Professor Cohen's argument, solidly cements the fact that as human beings when it comes down to it hold other humans inherently more valuable than animals. -Tony Castineyra
Many philosophers have argued about animals’ right. They have implied that harming any animals isn’t right. I agree with the fact of not killing or hurting them at all. Animals cannot talk and can’t defend themselves from human power. It is our responsibility as human being, moral person, to protect animals’ right. Even though animals are completely different from humans, we can sense when they are suffering and we can sense this not right. Many animals have being domesticated, as dogs and cats, and we have taught them to let us know their needs. We have taught them to distinguish right from wrong. We have to preserve the life of an animal. However, they don’t need to have the same rights as humans because they don’t have any social lives, they don’t pay bills, and they act instinctively. Animals don’t have any obligations. So, I think we should do what is right and treat them with care and love. I don’t eat meat at all because I think any animals shouldn’t be hurt. Long life to all animals!
When you eat meat, do you think about any of these issues. Why or why not? To be honest when I eat meat I do not notice the cruelty that was put into the meat that I am enjoying. I think human nature is what causes me not notice the pain and harm that the animal was put through. When I look at videos and read articles, about the cruelty and how these animals are being treated, I feel bad but at the end of the day, I am still eating meat. It sounds cold hearted but we do need some nutrients from certain animals. I do not agree with how they treat these animals but at the same time, this is not enough to make me feel like turning into a vegetarian. There is maybe a less crucial way to slaughter these animals but some people are heartless and do not care as long as they have their "meat".
16 comments:
I believe that the damage has already been done. Evidently, individuals are conditioned to formulate a specific appreciation for the types of food that their culture encourages to eat. Consider the vast amount of different cultures and environmental influences that exist. Many societies are responsible for promoting fast food productions as being “healthy” and tasty in order to deceive people into believing that the meat that they are eating is worth the cost. Despite the empathy and compassion one feels for the animals that are being abused and mutilated for their taste, it may be near impossible to attempt to stop such animal cruelty for “the damage has already been done”. Many individuals are addicted and ignorant to their tasty goods, not caring how the meat was produced, not caring about what type of poison was injected into the animal, not caring about the physical pain that these animals have endured. The problem is that people do not step outside their intellectual understanding; rather their mentality is centralized in their egotistic pleasure and desire of eating what tastes good no matter what the costs are. Meat and animal cruelty is not necessary for survival; the majority of the individuals are too ignorant and dramatic to take another living organism’s life into account. What would happen if suddenly Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” comes to play in a person’s life…. turning into a pig, a rat, a monkey, a helpless body that cannot speak for one’s self. Wouldn’t we think that human beings consist solely of moral depravity and arrogance? I think that people should change their perspectives for once… place themselves in another person’s shoes. At least consider the existence of moral judgment and to consider that the word KILLING applies to every organism that lives and breathes… The annihilation of animals harms the environment and thereby ourselves…
I feel kind of hypocritical to be writing about this because I personally love eating meat and I suppose what Michelle says is true in this sense because the damage really has been done. I know for a fact that animals are put through suffering and even killed to make all those cheeseburgers and chickens we eat and as much as the though makes me want to cry for them it still doesn't stop me from eating meat. I'm already conditioned that way and in my culture not eating meat would be a huge shocker. I mean yes we say that meat is needed for survival because we need protein and other vitamins that meat has but there are other ways of getting protein, we just choose to stick with what we know and like. I for one have never watched one of those animal cruelty videos were they show you the process of cooking animals and I never want to. I personally couldn't sit through that without getting sick but I wont deny the fact that as much as it pains me and I know whats true I still go to pollo tropical and just say "poor chicken, sorry" in my head before chowing down.
When I eat, the first thing that comes to mind is not what the chicken went through. All i know is that my body needs these proteins to survive and that it is also tasty. One thing I do not want to do is look at animal cruelty videos. Can these videos change the way I eat? I think yes, but they won't change the minds of meat lovers. Our society is still going to make meat for everyone else in the world. All I can think of is being thankful of what we food we do have and not waste it. Be thankful for the animal that has given his life to give us nourishment because even if we don't think so, animals have feelings too.
If animal should have rights? They should, especially one have against abuse. All living creatures are said to have emotions (yes. I do believe plants have emotions) even though they don’t use a language as we do, they do show their emotions. Animals, other than humans (we are animals after all), do not know how to fake their feelings, they can’t put a mask on and pretend that everything is ok; but we humans can. In order to satisfy our egoistic self, we take advantage of them. We excuse ourselves by reciting the food chain process; we are known to be carnivorous so of course we consume meat. Obviously there are more people everyday becoming vegetarians since they want to contribute with the reduction of this atrocity, and because of religious doctrines. Ironically, I’m not part of the group of vegetarians but I’m against the abuse committed to animals; like in dog fights or bullfighting, or animals which are tortured and then killed for their skin. I was kind of raised to believe that some animals were meant for us to be consumed (farm animals, not horses) therefore I don’t feel remorse while eating them, of course if someone comes and offers me a meat from another animal I will refuse since I would feel bad about it (in the end everything revolves around our egoistic self). Personally, I think that the biggest damage is caused by, not the consumption but, the medical testing and the “unique” way some unwise people treat animals as their plaything.
Animals should have rights to an extent. Should they be treated as any other person/human? They can't do what we can and so they can't be given the same rights. So what rights can they have? I've seen that they show suffering when they're sick and some show feelings like the monkeys, etc. But they can't be put in the same category as we human beings.
Andreita E.
It's easy to be ignorant when ignorance is cool. Walk into a McDonald's in NYC (where chain restaurants are mandated to post calories and fat content on menus) and see how differently you may look at your beloved Big Mac (7.5 oz, 540 calories/260 from fat) AND that's without the golden fries and bubbly Coke-Sprite-Sunkist.
And at the end of your 10 or 5 minute lunch you realize "WOW! I am still hungry!" and go and order another sandwich off the dollar menu.
A dollar gets you further in a multi-billion dollar industry than at your local grocery store. Forget the butcher, the farmer and the fisher. You can have all of their goods conveniently packaged in plastic cellophane body bags which will keep you ignorant of what food truly is.
But ignorance is cool, and wouldn't we all want to be cool and have fries with that?
To say that I think about these issues when I eat meat would be lying. I have absolutely no thought of animal cruelty when I'm eating meat. Humans have hunted animals as a source of food for centuries. We have been conditioned to accept meat as a necessary part of our nutrition. We are taught that it contains essential proteins that our body needs, that's why vegetarians need supplements to enhance their diet. It's only in the 20th century that we started to question whether we should eat animals. In my opinion, the issue of animal rights just doesn't have a definitive answer. Do I think that animals should have rights? Yes,probably. I am against animal cruelty but would we prefer products to be tested on us rather than animals? I think this is a debate only in developped countries because we have a choice and hunger is not really an issue. People in third world countries do not question whether they should eat meat because they can only be grateful to find sufficient food to sustain themselves.
Should animals have rights? In abuse cases and poaching, definitely. However, I don't feel that animals should be treated on the same level or above humans (especially how some us treat our pets with much more dignity and respect than we would another human being, for example). When it comes to consuming animals for meat, sometimes I consider how they were slaughtered. The majority of the time, I don't. I wouldn't mind seeing the films regarding how they are slaughtered and housed. I think it will help me from eating so much meat, especially certain kinds of meat. Besides humans (at least Americans) consume too much animal fat which has led to life threatening illnesses. A film may help me make a conscious decision to change my meat eating ways, but will it work for everyone, probably not. As long as we are allowed the benefits of being free moral agents, then we will all feel differently about this decision.
Lord created the universe; He created Earth, and was happy after what He did. He created man and an environment made of everything he could need to live a decent life or eventually to survive. Among these elements, there are animals and plants. Man has the moral responsibility to protect the environment. However, since he is the preferred creature of God, his well-being depends on the usage of other creatures. As a matter of fact, we use plants in nutrition and also for our comfort (construction, furniture, etc). In other words, we kill plants. Is this a must? Certainly!
In ancient times, some groups of people lived only from hunting. Was there an immoral or amoral attitude? The answer cannot be positive insofar they had to eat, insofar they had to survive. Our first moral responsibility is to preserve the most important thing: life, the gift of God. The neighbor is free to consume plants as I am free to eat meat. A tiger or a crocodile is about to eat a human being. What will be our reaction if we are present with a weapon? No doubt that we will kill the animal if there is no other way to stop it. Among the animals, human beings have priority. What would be the developed countries without the ones in development? What would be human beings without plants and animals? Plants have rights because they have a life: they eat, respire, reproduce, etc. Animals do have rights too: we need to protect them, to feed them for our own enjoyment, our nutrition, why not?
Animals are used and abused by all meat eaters. Whether or not the animals can communicate in words to describe the torturous pain that is forced upon them is completely irrelevant.
Thousands and thousands of animals are raised, drugged, mistreated, and slaughtered for the sole purpose of it's barely justified consumption.
Carl Cohen argues, "only in a community of beings capable of self-restricting moral judgements can the concept of a right be correctly invoked." Babies are granted human rights based on the supposition that they will in fact develope a sense of morality. But this is not necessarily the case. Nearly three percent of male Americans and one pecent of female Americans are currently living with Antisocial Personaliy Disorder. Sociopaths lack any feelings of guilt and do not think or act according to self-restricting moral judgements. Should their human rights be revoked?
Like Gary Francione, I do not believe that the solution for this problem is to fight for animal rights. I believe that the most eficient thing to do is to teach humans about equality. Having certain cognitive abilities does not in any shape or form make us superior to any other living thing.
P.S. I have been a vegetarian for nearly four years.
I am well aware that animals are suffering undeserved fates at the greedy hands of humans. But with the other more important issues that are going on in the world I’m not so sure I would go so far as to extend rights to animals that would involve all manners of legislation. True, humans weave their own webs of destruction and never seem to clean up their own messes but if the government spends the time satisfying every vegan with a picket sign then the people who direly deserve attention (like those waiting in line for the dream act) will be overshadowed by talk about the correct way to raise a chicken. Animals deserve the same amount of respect that you would give your fellow man. I completely disagree with processing factories and animal abuse but at the same time I feel we have larger problems on our hands than food processing.
I agree with what Michelle said that the damage is all ready done. This topic is very complicated because it has been happening for a long time now. I believe that things should be different, but us humans are all ready used to this process and we would suffer with a different process of meat. Plus, meat would become an expensive product on the market if they wouldn't have the process of sacraficing those animals. Unfortunalety, I'm a meat lover, but sometimes I think about becoming a vegeterian I've tryed before, but it was really hard for me. The only way I could see is if we teach the next generation or our children to how to be more of vegetarians than meat lovers, but that would take a long time to happen. However, that would be really difficult to happen because of the heritage culture within families around the world.
Not a day goes by that I don't swirl these ideas in my mind when consuming any animal-based product. The theory of abolitionism is seen as radical to those in society who care not about progressing or changing their ways, and thus I doubt would ever be implemented. The most fascinating thing to think about is the various theories behind animal rights, and what constitutes the ability to hold them. The hypocrisy presented in the counterargument (babies lacking the necessary conditions of having rights) to Professor Cohen's argument, solidly cements the fact that as human beings when it comes down to it hold other humans inherently more valuable than animals.
-Tony Castineyra
Many philosophers have argued about animals’ right. They have implied that harming any animals isn’t right. I agree with the fact of not killing or hurting them at all. Animals cannot talk and can’t defend themselves from human power. It is our responsibility as human being, moral person, to protect animals’ right. Even though animals are completely different from humans, we can sense when they are suffering and we can sense this not right. Many animals have being domesticated, as dogs and cats, and we have taught them to let us know their needs. We have taught them to distinguish right from wrong. We have to preserve the life of an animal. However, they don’t need to have the same rights as humans because they don’t have any social lives, they don’t pay bills, and they act instinctively. Animals don’t have any obligations. So, I think we should do what is right and treat them with care and love. I don’t eat meat at all because I think any animals shouldn’t be hurt. Long life to all animals!
When you eat meat, do you think about any of these issues. Why or why not?
To be honest when I eat meat I do not notice the cruelty that was put into the meat that I am enjoying. I think human nature is what causes me not notice the pain and harm that the animal was put through. When I look at videos and read articles, about the cruelty and how these animals are being treated, I feel bad but at the end of the day, I am still eating meat. It sounds cold hearted but we do need some nutrients from certain animals. I do not agree with how they treat these animals but at the same time, this is not enough to make me feel like turning into a vegetarian. There is maybe a less crucial way to slaughter these animals but some people are heartless and do not care as long as they have their "meat".
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