Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Phi 2010 MWF 10am
31 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I personally believe that they can have rights to a certain extent for example animal cruelty. As we all know in this world we do follow a food chain that keeps our animal kingdom and humanity all rotating. But animals like chickens pigs and cows should have the right to cease for our nutritional benefits in an orderly fashion .They don’t have to get tortured or be kept in concealed areas to the point were they can’t move. Just because animals can’t talk or explain there pain doesn’t mean they can’t have rights as humans we have enough cognitive to know when an animal is in pain. Animals still eat, sleep, and breathe just as we do so in a sympathetic sense they do have rights.
I personally believe that they can have rights to a certain extent for example animal cruelty. As we all know in this world we do follow a food chain that keeps our animal kingdom and humanity all rotating. But animals like chickens pigs and cows should have the right to cease for our nutritional benefits in an orderly fashion .They don’t have to get tortured or be kept in concealed areas to the point were they can’t move. Just because animals can’t talk or explain there pain doesn’t mean they can’t have rights as humans we have enough cognitive to know when an animal is in pain. Animals still eat, sleep, and breathe just as we do so in a sympathetic sense they do have rights.
Animals are subjected to the worst most of cruelty around the planet. Most people seemed to think that talking about animals legal rights was a huge joke. It is now a reality that the toughening of anticruelty laws is further evidence that animal law is no longer a laughing matter. Animals are innocent living beings that should be treated like any other beings on earth. However, they are the world's forgotten victims. According to an animal rights activist, Gary Yourosfky, an average of 98% of animals is abused by meat, dairy products and eggs. Moreover, it is inhuman to eat meat, cheese, milk and eggs. As a result, our body did not design to eat them. we are not carnivore. It is understandable that habits, tradition, taste and convenience can be the reasons for people to eat meat. However, animals used to be our friends in our early ages. It is now quite clear that we change our attitude toward them. we need to give them another chance to love. At the present time, aggravated cruelty to animals has been elevated from a misdemeanor to a felony in 27 States. If someone intentionally kills or causes serious physical injury to a pet or other animal, you can end up paying a large fine and spending time in prison. Animals' cruelty should be stopped. They have the right and can think like us; therefore, we need to protect them like our kids. God will be punished people who continue to kill.
Animals are not humans, but that does not mean they should not have rights as we do.Some may argue that animals cannot feel pain, or since animals have no language, it is impossible to know when an animal is suffering. However, I do not believe this. You can observe an animal's pain by their behavior and the look in their eyes. Just because animals are incapable of communicating their feelings, does not mean they should be subject to inhumane cruelty. Additionally, when the topic of animal cruelty arises, so does being a carnivore. When I eat meat, I do not think about the issue of animal cruelty. When I do think of animal cruelty, I think of animals that are being scientifically tested or tortured.
This argument of animal rights and animal cruelty can go in all directions. Lately it has jumped on the environmental bandwagon, and for once it has the science or in this case the data to support the claims made by animal rights activists. It makes me question their intent, first claim that animals deserve better rights then claim that animals are bad for the environments. The way I see it it’s all about the ritual of killing the animal, a few videos here and there go viral and activists crying foul. What about the people that are killed in the same or worse manner, who is crying foul for them. I am making the assumption that animal rights activists do categorize humans superior to animals if not my argument is flawed. To an extent I do think that animal testing is necessary, would you or your loved one like to try out a new medicine without knowing any of its side effects. For some readers I just crossed the line because their pet is considered their loved one but what I mean in blood relation. I have witnessed a live chicken slaughtered in front of me which was later prepared for a meal. At first I did feel bad but one bite and I forgot about everything. We should also keep in mind the so called meat we eat is not really meat but mostly filler as it just came to light in the lawsuit filed against Taco Bell. I love the picture with the two monkeys eating out the brains of a human. If animal rights activists have it their way that will probably be reality one day.
Of course animals have rights. Whether humans choose to recognize and honor those rights, or not. Animals deserve basic rights, such as the right to life, live in freedom, not to be tortured and not be considered private property. When we talk about animal rights, we refer to limits on the treatment of animals by humans. They are vulnerable and helpless living creatures just like us human beings. This means that we have full capacity to feel pleasure and pain.This capability is based on the similarity between the human nervous system and animals.Humans routinely ignore this evidence and treat animals as objects or resources for their disposal to satisfy desires, interests, tastes and customs, without taking into account their interests or needs. Also, we use animals as pets, food, laboratory equipment, clothing or entertainment, depriving them of their liberty and subjecting them to painful and humiliating treatment, both physical and psychological. All animals should be treated with respect, taking into account they need. When making decisions that involve other living thing, we must assess whether they will be affected. Characteristics such as gender, race, species, intelligence or cognitive abilities are not a reason to discriminate morally, whether human or nonhuman. We must defent the rights of every individual and not the privileges of a species over another. When debating the question of whether or not an animal deserve rights it is important that a common understanding that everyone is entitled have right, whether people or animals. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
Animal cruelty has been a topic of discussion for many years and yet no solution is anywhere to be seen in the horizon. It is true that animals have been killed in the name of the progress of science; it is true that by using animals for tests has helped save the lives of millions of people with different medical treatments. However, are we doing the right thing? Are we in our never ending selfish world putting aside the essential rights of all living things, the right to life? We must not forget that we are also animals, a more evolved species capable of thinking and analyzing in ways that no other animals is capable of. We also have the capability of feeling empathy, so why are we treating animals with no sense of care? In our never ending thirst for more we have gotten to the point where we are playing genetically with animals so we get exactly what we want. Instead of having animals in farms taken well care of, we have them in warehouses confined to spaces that barely fit them and just awaiting their death. Furthermore, the lack of enforcement of animal protection laws has raised the amount of cases of people mistreating animals just for their personal amusement. Consequently, animal shelters are packed and limited in space, so they too have to put animals to sleep when they are not adopted, yet again, taking the life of an innocent animal. Maybe I am thinking as an activist and an advocate for equal rights, but why are we forgetting to treat others as we would like to be treated. I personally do not eat at places where I get to pick the animal that I will be eating as they do in Red Lobster and other restaurants. As a Hispanic I was raised eating meats but even then I do not eat them as much, and the times that I do stop and think about the animal that I am eating, I feel guilty and stop eating. Overall, animal rights it’s not just a law we must obey, but a way of life we must embrace. In this case India is an example to follow in preserving the lives of animals.
Meat has been the greatest source of energy in our system since ancient times. However, this conflict could go in many directions. First one, it is the use of animals in science; then, how these creatures are killed in an indiscriminate way and brought to our tables. I have never though in the cruel way these animals are brought to my table every time. I always thought it was on the same ways it was in my country. I remembered my grandmother going to the backyard pick a chicken and just in one smooth touch the bird was killed. These innocent thoughts disappear once I saw “meet your meat,” and “if the slaughter house had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian.” I could not close my eyes without feeling the suffering of these animals. I believe animals should have rights because they feel and think (in their own way, but they do it after all). Animals have been able to create societies and little communes. The only different between animals and humans is our ability of reasoning, and not thinking. Surprising or not, sometimes animals think way better that some humans who cannot differentiate between right or wrong. The main issue is not that we are eating meat. The issue is the way these animals are being assassinated. Some people would agree that the main purpose of animals is to serve as food to humans, but this does not give us the right to treat them as insensitive species just because we are at the top of the food chain. However, what if we were not the top? We could understand a little better if we put ourselves in their position (animals). I once read a though experiment for the meaning of life from Robert Nozick. He supposed that our creator tell us that our main purpose in life is to serve as food for an extraterrestrial intelligence, and that we have to get ready for it. How would we feel if this E.I. starts treating us as the pigs, cows, and other animals we slaughter in order to eat? I am not a vegan, or whatsoever. I love meat, but animals deserved rights and a better treatment while being taken to this slaughter house because we never know when the winds are going to start heading in the opposite direction.
When I sit down and eat a meal containing meat the last thing I think about is how it ended up on my plate. I do recall from a childhood vacation when my grandmother grabbed a chicken killed and made a soup with it, I couldn’t eat it. Giving the chicken soup a face just brought on to me disgust and loss of appetite. I always say I would rather not know where it came from just that I’m eating it. I am against animal cruelty and think we should all adapt an organic way of living when it comes to food but it is easier said than done. Organic food is expensive to produce as well as to purchase compared to importing goods. We also live in a nation of many different cultures deciding to stop eating meat indefinitely is a bit out of reach. Even though we may eat meat it does not mean they should be subject to cruelty.
It never crosses my mind that animals have right while I’m eating food. Even though I have prior knowledge that they actually feel pain and suffer while they are being killed for our human consumption. I’m pretty sure they feel the same way while they are in the wild and they must fight to protect their habitat from other animals. Animals get hurt and suffer as well in those scenarios. I’m not saying that they have no rights but at the time of consumption I’m thinking of survival just like they are when they kill one of their preys. Blatantly killing animals for no apparent reason and torturing animals should not be tolerated. Animals are viewed as a lesser to us humans so they don’t get recognition or acknowledgement of their existence as mammals. By no means am I saying just kill these creatures because at the end of the day they help the world as much as us humans do. But what I can say is that I’m so far separated from when they are actually getting slaughtered and killed in result I feel no pain or no remorse because when I receive the product its already in food form. -Jonas Metayer
Animal cruelty is something not often taken too seriously. People think because an animal can not speak or stand up for itself that it does not rights or feelings just like humans do. scientists argue that because animals can not speak or communicate the way do that they cannot possibly communicate they are suffering and that is just ridiculous, by the behavior animals exhibit one can clearly tell an animal feels or the mental state it's in. I personally believe that we should treat animals the way we would want people to treat us because animals do have feelings just like us and to torture and mistreat them the way that some people do should be an indicator of a problem someone may have.
How can one say that animals are of a lesser being than us? We are in no way superior to animals because we ourselves are animals. Just because we're able to make little sense out of reality through our consciousness doesn't mean we should so gallantly exert speciesim. When people think of animal rights they tend to think about someone pressuring them into vegetarianism and that is certainly not the case. Using animals responsibly and in a humane manner, for consumption, is not the same as blindly putting animals through atrocities during the process. By supporting animal rights we eliminate the cruel practices humans use to make animal husbandry “economically efficient”. (By the way-- plants have rights. They're called deforestation laws.) If you're nonsupporting of animal rights merely because “a primate is still a primate at the end of the day” then consider this: our genetic make up is about 99% identical to that of a chimpanzee. This means that there's only about a 1% difference in our DNA when compared to a primate. Now imagine a new species that is 1% different from us in the same direction we are different from the chimp. We would be incompetent dim-wits in the presence of the new species, but is that to say that they should strip us of our rights?
Animals deserve rights but they are not recognized by the government or society as a whole. Why animals should be tested on when there are so many less cruel alternatives readily available. To confine mice and other animals to small cages and to inject horrible diseases and drugs into them is just plain cruel. People say it is in the name of "science" but who said science is the judgment of right or wrong? If the only way to cure AIDS was to kill of half the mice population, I would still be dead against it. This is cruelty in its most discreet form. Some of the more obvious examples of animal rights are the right not to be killed in fights. Dogfighting is something mostly everyone is against. Dogs, as well as all animals, should have the right to not have to fight for entertainment mercilessly. It is horribly sickening and not to mention cruel. Animals have the right to live. Not only that, they have the right to live a life free of suffering, pain, being exploited or tormented and any other cruel practice.
Because animals are living beings on this earth, of course they deserve rights! Even though animals obviously do not understand their rights or even know they have any, it does not mean that US humans, the most developed species on Earth, cannot do the right thing and stand up for these animals when we know they are being abused. Of course, animals cannot use spoken language to tell us when they feel pain but we do know when an animal is in pain by its body language; by their sounds and movements we can tell what they may be feeling. I am definitely not the person that will say that eating meat is “abusive” because it is not. We are humans and need to eat because that’s the way nature intended it; hence, there is a food chain for every ecosystem. --CHAVELY GARCIA
When I eat meat, never does the issue of where it came from or how it was produce appear in my mind. But I do believe animals should have rights to a certain extent, like animal cruelty laws are something I strongly agree with, abuse for one. Because animals were here on this planet long before us and deserve that right to be respected. On the other hand whatever why animals are treated when they are produce are not something that concerns me because organic foods give people the option to eat better produce meat, yet it is more expensive to produce so not everyone can afford it so demand won’t be very high. In the end, animals are the gift of life, and help us survive so we should take action on how they are treated when they are running free in nature because are future depends on it.
EmmanuelB Animal cruelty Every leaving creature have the right to leave and we should do our best to protect them for prosperity It should the principle people should live by .Nature have it away to do thing .When we look on TV the discovery channel we see the lions, tigers ,crocodiles ,snake ,eagles , bear s ,birds and countless of animal in the Jungles feed on each other do we think they are cruel, or is it the law of nature survival. Scientist said that the early human was herbivore and when they discover how to make fire they start hunting and begun to eat meat .They also said when human start eating meat their brain start to developed .We must deplore any animal cruelty because they fell pain like we do .Domesticated animal should not be abuse .Livestock animal should be giving a swift death .They is many part of the world animal are kill by human for consumption fortunately we do not use this practice here we modern technology .Can anyone imagine for all the meat consume in this country if this was to be done by human still most of the detailing are done by immigrants. The refrigeration industry is a huge source of employment .The refrigeration mechanic work around the clock to keep freezer and cooler at the right temperature to conserve meat in restaurant and subzero storage .We walk to the super market and not connect by how the meat get there .As a human that can feel suffering we must not and should commit cruelty to animal we must do like the native Indian respect what we eat and not forget the animal die for sustaining our live
EmmanuelB Animal cruelty Every leaving creature have the right to leave and we should do our best to protect them for prosperity It should the principle people should live by .Nature have it away to do thing .When we look on TV the discovery channel we see the lions, tigers ,crocodiles ,snake ,eagles , bear s ,birds and countless of animal in the Jungles feed on each other do we think they are cruel, or is it the law of nature survival. Scientist said that the early human was herbivore and when they discover how to make fire they start hunting and begun to eat meat .They also said when human start eating meat their brain start to developed .We must deplore any animal cruelty because they fell pain like we do .Domesticated animal should not be abuse .Livestock animal should be giving a swift death .They is many part of the world animal are kill by human for consumption fortunately we do not use this practice here we modern technology .Can anyone imagine for all the meat consume in this country if this was to be done by human still most of the detailing are done by immigrants. The refrigeration industry is a huge source of employment .The refrigeration mechanic work around the clock to keep freezer and cooler at the right temperature to conserve meat in restaurant and subzero storage .We walk to the super market and not connect by how the meat get there .As a human that can feel suffering we must not and should not commit cruelty to animal we must do like the native Indian respect what we eat and not forget the animal die for sustaining our live( A correction was made {should not] )
“… such animals must have the same moral rights as humans.” As humans we have authority over animals, but if we give animals the same rights as humans, then we would put animals and humans on the same moral level. This shouldn’t be. If we want to eat a meat enriched meal then we would have to, of course, kill an animal in order to cook it and put on our dinner plates. Killing in itself IS a form of cruelty, but do we have to make life difficult by considering the feelings of an ANIMAL before our hunger satiety? Imagine if you were subject to life on an island in which food was scarce, according to Tome Regan you should definitely surpass the opportunity to hunt for food because animals are “subjects-of-a-life” and should bear rights. In other words, animals are worth just the same as any human being. Here, we are freely GIVING our authority away! To animals! Oh my.
Do animals deserve rights? Of course, just because they are not human doesn’t mean they don’t feel pain…they are defenseless (some of them) so it’s up to us to protect them, and we abuse that trust. Animals are emotionally beings, they can feel they starve, they go through abuse… they are living breathing creatures just like tree’s which are protected by the law. Animals are subjected to the worst kind of treatment possible and it’s not fair at all… Maybe they will start a revolution like they did in Egypt to demand equal treatment. I watched a documentary called “Food Inc.” and after that I swore that I wouldn’t eat meat ever again…but of course that promise didn’t last very long…I like to eat meat, I grew up eating meat, but I’m still sympathetic to the animals that are dying to feed us. This is a very controversial topic and I think that it will always be, because different people have different opinions.
I feel that all animals should have rights, but to a certain extent. Some people talk about how wrong it is to treat animals like there nothing more than just mere things, but yet they still eat meat, wear fur coats (the real things), and etc. So can we really yell animal rights? I for one am a meat eater, but I do feel that some animals are highly mistreated. For example: mice. Mice are subjectified to being tested for certain drugs, to feel pain, certain undesirable stimulation. To basically say that animals shouldn’t have rights because it is impossible for us to know that their in pain, or when they’re suffering is absurd. In my opinion animals faces and demeanor say it all. The reason why I say that animals should have rights to a certain extent because some of us feed off these animals in order to live. As far as the killing to make unnecessary fur coats, and the animal fighting, and subjectifing to testing medicine it’s unnecessary.
Well, it depends. First off, you should have a fairly good reason for it, like for food. And even then, I think we should stick to what is natural for us as a species. For example, cow meat, chicken meat, and pig meat are all natural food sources for us. It also depends on the animals level of self-awarness. Like, insects and such are OK to eat even though it's not natural, since they don't have any individual personality. Also, it should be quick and painless, and, other animals of the same species should not have to witness it, if that makes any sense. As for testing, it's, again, OK if you have a good reason to, like if you think you have found a cure for cancer, it's fine, but if you're trying a new perfume, it's a big NO for me.
As a final word, I want to say I think human rights go before animal rights, beacuse we have higher self-awareness than any other species on the planet.
As a person who is not a vegetarian and eats meat regularly, I have not asked myself, how I feel about the animals. We as humans have been using animal flesh and animal products as our food source for thousand of years. The big issue now is animal cruelty. Our ancestors did not abuse the animal as we do now. They hunt and killed only to provide food for their families. Today we go to restaurant and order appetizer fried chicken breast, 12oz steak dinner and shrimp we don't even finish. What happens next, the food will be thrown away and tomorrow we are going to order the same meal or supersize it like in the southern states where everything is big and tasty. The more demand for food we put on the market, more animals will suffer, plain and simple. Further more I disagree when animal are used for science studies, new cosmetics products and medications. That is just cruel. For the animals "users" the final product is more important than life itself. "They are just animals! They don't have a soul, feelings, can't complain either" That should not be the way we treat other living creatures. Life is given to all of us equally, let’s not take it away.
dinah said: In my opinion, I am not biased on if animals should be entitled to rights. I am for animals rights because animals should be treated equally because they are innocent and are just trying to live there daily lives as they have been before humans came and destroyed their habitats. Humans come and torture animals while they are defenseless and vulnerable for their meat or fur, but you've never see an animal attack a human for its car. Humans take animal cruelty to another level because they do it only to please themselves and are not fair to nature. On the contrary,animals shouldn't be entitled to rights because they are lower than humans. Not only are animals still wild and aren't advanced enough to become part of modern society but they haven't yet to develop skills to communicate to humans. In the article it was stated that humans with morals disagree with animals being abused. This is true but animals themselves don't have morals, so a hungry lion wouldn't feel sorry for the gazelle that it's about to hunt. Since animals don't have morals I don't think it should be an important topic that humans should treat animals better.
We are certain that animals feel pain because we feel pain, but do organisms need rights when rights are logically manifested by humans to achieve a functionalism in society. Rights are given by ourselves to other organisms due to our place as an organisms capable of thinking and producing logic through language. Rights for animals aren't required only by the eyes we see empathy they are necessary. In other words, animals don't need rights, we need laws, laws that influence on how we treat animals we use to consume. On a law of nature stand point, animals rights are not necessary because whatever way we decide to kill our animals are entirely up to us, just as if monkey's were the dominant species and they were torturing humans before they consumed us for nutrition, it is the same, rights are only seen "deserved" through appealing to the masses' empathetic level. Therefore, if we had no empathy on how we treated animals, then raising the question is seemingly pointless.
I remember in high school my biology teacher would bring up the issue of animal cruelty in class, for the sake of educating us about genetic engineering and how it affects our food supply. I've seen countless videos of chickens having their heads cut off and farm living conditions and documentaries but at the end of the day it doesn't bother me on what my protein enriched meal had to go through to get on my plate. I am aware of it. However, I do believe that animals have rights and should not be subjected to inhumane abuse. I don’t think they should be used for some forms of testing, blood sports and live in inhumane conditions (like e.coli infested farms). They’re living creatures that feel and think and I believe that if they’re going to be used in this food chain to keep a part of the world’s economy going – it should be done ethically and should be regulated. In spirit animals revolt because that bad day you’re having after throwing a rock at a dog because it wouldn’t stop barking or that product recall, I believe that is their voice (and a sign that someone at the USDA is not doing their job).
Regardless of our empathetic feelings towards this subject and the end of the day most of us will still be carnivores and it will not give me a reason to roll my dog in a baby carriage because making it walk a good few miles in the hot sun is "cruel".
I think animals deserve rights with no doubts. Yes, maybe they are unable to talk, but they definitely feel pain. Language is not the only way to communicate your feelings. Most of the times is sufficient to look in someone’s eyes or face expression to realize the true meaning of feelings. Have you ever looked in a dog’s eyes, when you know that he is in pain? It is unbelievable. Without using any word, you can see the tears and pain the dog is going through. I think that those who doubt that animals deserve rights are actually worst than animals, because they have no heart, soul or feelings.
I never really knew the true horrors of animal cruelty until I saw the documentary called “Meet Your Meat.” That is when I first began realizing how cruel people can be towards animals. I am grateful that there is enough food to feed my family and friends, but I am not happy on how the food gets to my table. Before realizing what true animal cruelty was, I thought that hunting animals was the worst animal abuse. Obviously, I was wrong, I now see that the worst true abuse of animal rights is at farms and slaughterhouses. The worst part about the abuse of animal rights is that many of us still consume those food products from companies that abuse the animals. When I learned how the mad cow disease came about, I realize that the rights of animals are truly non-existent. I just don’t understand why farmers would feed cows the remains of other unwanted cows. By doing so, the farmers increase the risk of cows obtaining genetic diseases that could harm human beings. Sometimes, I feel that not even by being grateful for the sacrifice these animals make for us, can remedy their pain and suffering. I love meat, but I just really heat the way meat is processed. That’s is why I make sure that I know where the food I buy and eat comes from. Now, I can’t even trust FDA approved products since they approve the processes of animals with certain untreated injuries and diseases. I just hope that one day people realize what animals like chickens, pigs, cows, etc. go through and how we take their pain and suffering for granted.
In my opinion, animals, preferably mammals, should bear the same moral rights as human. Mammals, in contrast of insects, fish and other species care for themselves and their heir. That simple fact should grant them our recognition of them as equals in morality. The argument that Carl Cohen from the University of Michigan brings, arguing that rights imply comprehension is logical, however, us humans regard ourselves as superior. And it is as animals' superiors that we should grant them moral rights without their comprehension, something that cannot be expected from an animal. Personally, this issue does not come to concern when i eat meat because of my decision to chose follow my religion and to eat Kosher, which assures that absolutely no harm is done to your meat. After all, animals as well as humans are creatures of G.d and we all deserve the same rights.
31 comments:
I personally believe that they can have rights to a certain extent for example animal cruelty. As we all know in this world we do follow a food chain that keeps our animal kingdom and humanity all rotating. But animals like chickens pigs and cows should have the right to cease for our nutritional benefits in an orderly fashion .They don’t have to get tortured or be kept in concealed areas to the point were they can’t move. Just because animals can’t talk or explain there pain doesn’t mean they can’t have rights as humans we have enough cognitive to know when an animal is in pain. Animals still eat, sleep, and breathe just as we do so in a sympathetic sense they do have rights.
I personally believe that they can have rights to a certain extent for example animal cruelty. As we all know in this world we do follow a food chain that keeps our animal kingdom and humanity all rotating. But animals like chickens pigs and cows should have the right to cease for our nutritional benefits in an orderly fashion .They don’t have to get tortured or be kept in concealed areas to the point were they can’t move. Just because animals can’t talk or explain there pain doesn’t mean they can’t have rights as humans we have enough cognitive to know when an animal is in pain. Animals still eat, sleep, and breathe just as we do so in a sympathetic sense they do have rights.
Animals are subjected to the worst most of cruelty around the planet. Most people seemed to think that talking about animals legal rights was a huge joke. It is now a reality that the toughening of anticruelty laws is further evidence that animal law is no longer a laughing matter. Animals are innocent living beings that should be treated like any other beings on earth. However, they are the world's forgotten victims. According to an animal rights activist, Gary Yourosfky, an average of 98% of animals is abused by meat, dairy products and eggs. Moreover, it is inhuman to eat meat, cheese, milk and eggs. As a result, our body did not design to eat them. we are not carnivore. It is understandable that habits, tradition, taste and convenience can be the reasons for people to eat meat. However, animals used to be our friends in our early ages. It is now quite clear that we change our attitude toward them. we need to give them another chance to love. At the present time, aggravated cruelty to animals has been elevated from a misdemeanor to a felony in 27 States. If someone intentionally kills or causes serious physical injury to a pet or other animal, you can end up paying a large fine and spending time in prison. Animals' cruelty should be stopped. They have the right and can think like us; therefore, we need to protect them like our kids. God will be punished people who continue to kill.
Animals are not humans, but that does not mean they should not have rights as we do.Some may argue that animals cannot feel pain, or since animals have no language, it is impossible to know when an animal is suffering. However, I do not believe this. You can observe an animal's pain by their behavior and the look in their eyes. Just because animals are incapable of communicating their feelings, does not mean they should be subject to inhumane cruelty. Additionally, when the topic of animal cruelty arises, so does being a carnivore. When I eat meat, I do not think about the issue of animal cruelty. When I do think of animal cruelty, I think of animals that are being scientifically tested or tortured.
This argument of animal rights and animal cruelty can go in all directions. Lately it has jumped on the environmental bandwagon, and for once it has the science or in this case the data to support the claims made by animal rights activists. It makes me question their intent, first claim that animals deserve better rights then claim that animals are bad for the environments. The way I see it it’s all about the ritual of killing the animal, a few videos here and there go viral and activists crying foul. What about the people that are killed in the same or worse manner, who is crying foul for them. I am making the assumption that animal rights activists do categorize humans superior to animals if not my argument is flawed.
To an extent I do think that animal testing is necessary, would you or your loved one like to try out a new medicine without knowing any of its side effects. For some readers I just crossed the line because their pet is considered their loved one but what I mean in blood relation.
I have witnessed a live chicken slaughtered in front of me which was later prepared for a meal. At first I did feel bad but one bite and I forgot about everything.
We should also keep in mind the so called meat we eat is not really meat but mostly filler as it just came to light in the lawsuit filed against Taco Bell.
I love the picture with the two monkeys eating out the brains of a human. If animal rights activists have it their way that will probably be reality one day.
Of course animals have rights. Whether humans choose to recognize and honor those rights, or not. Animals deserve basic rights, such as the right to life, live in freedom, not to be tortured and not be considered private property. When we talk about animal rights, we refer to limits on the treatment of animals by humans. They are vulnerable and helpless living creatures just like us human beings. This means that we have full capacity to feel pleasure and pain.This capability is based on the similarity between the human nervous system and animals.Humans routinely ignore this evidence and treat animals as objects or resources for their disposal to satisfy desires, interests, tastes and customs, without taking into account their interests or needs. Also, we use animals as pets, food, laboratory equipment, clothing or entertainment, depriving them of their liberty and subjecting them to painful and humiliating treatment, both physical and psychological. All animals should be treated with respect, taking into account they need. When making decisions that involve other living thing, we must assess whether they will be affected. Characteristics such as gender, race, species, intelligence or cognitive abilities are not a reason to discriminate morally, whether human or nonhuman. We must defent the rights of every individual and not the privileges of a species over another. When debating the question of whether or not an animal deserve rights it is important that a common understanding that everyone is entitled have right, whether people or animals. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
Animal cruelty has been a topic of discussion for many years and yet no solution is anywhere to be seen in the horizon. It is true that animals have been killed in the name of the progress of science; it is true that by using animals for tests has helped save the lives of millions of people with different medical treatments. However, are we doing the right thing? Are we in our never ending selfish world putting aside the essential rights of all living things, the right to life? We must not forget that we are also animals, a more evolved species capable of thinking and analyzing in ways that no other animals is capable of. We also have the capability of feeling empathy, so why are we treating animals with no sense of care? In our never ending thirst for more we have gotten to the point where we are playing genetically with animals so we get exactly what we want. Instead of having animals in farms taken well care of, we have them in warehouses confined to spaces that barely fit them and just awaiting their death. Furthermore, the lack of enforcement of animal protection laws has raised the amount of cases of people mistreating animals just for their personal amusement. Consequently, animal shelters are packed and limited in space, so they too have to put animals to sleep when they are not adopted, yet again, taking the life of an innocent animal. Maybe I am thinking as an activist and an advocate for equal rights, but why are we forgetting to treat others as we would like to be treated. I personally do not eat at places where I get to pick the animal that I will be eating as they do in Red Lobster and other restaurants. As a Hispanic I was raised eating meats but even then I do not eat them as much, and the times that I do stop and think about the animal that I am eating, I feel guilty and stop eating.
Overall, animal rights it’s not just a law we must obey, but a way of life we must embrace. In this case India is an example to follow in preserving the lives of animals.
Meat has been the greatest source of energy in our system since ancient times. However, this conflict could go in many directions. First one, it is the use of animals in science; then, how these creatures are killed in an indiscriminate way and brought to our tables. I have never though in the cruel way these animals are brought to my table every time. I always thought it was on the same ways it was in my country. I remembered my grandmother going to the backyard pick a chicken and just in one smooth touch the bird was killed. These innocent thoughts disappear once I saw “meet your meat,” and “if the slaughter house had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian.” I could not close my eyes without feeling the suffering of these animals. I believe animals should have rights because they feel and think (in their own way, but they do it after all). Animals have been able to create societies and little communes. The only different between animals and humans is our ability of reasoning, and not thinking. Surprising or not, sometimes animals think way better that some humans who cannot differentiate between right or wrong. The main issue is not that we are eating meat. The issue is the way these animals are being assassinated.
Some people would agree that the main purpose of animals is to serve as food to humans, but this does not give us the right to treat them as insensitive species just because we are at the top of the food chain. However, what if we were not the top? We could understand a little better if we put ourselves in their position (animals). I once read a though experiment for the meaning of life from Robert Nozick. He supposed that our creator tell us that our main purpose in life is to serve as food for an extraterrestrial intelligence, and that we have to get ready for it. How would we feel if this E.I. starts treating us as the pigs, cows, and other animals we slaughter in order to eat?
I am not a vegan, or whatsoever. I love meat, but animals deserved rights and a better treatment while being taken to this slaughter house because we never know when the winds are going to start heading in the opposite direction.
When I sit down and eat a meal containing meat the last thing I think about is how it ended up on my plate. I do recall from a childhood vacation when my grandmother grabbed a chicken killed and made a soup with it, I couldn’t eat it. Giving the chicken soup a face just brought on to me disgust and loss of appetite. I always say I would rather not know where it came from just that I’m eating it. I am against animal cruelty and think we should all adapt an organic way of living when it comes to food but it is easier said than done. Organic food is expensive to produce as well as to purchase compared to importing goods. We also live in a nation of many different cultures deciding to stop eating meat indefinitely is a bit out of reach. Even though we may eat meat it does not mean they should be subject to cruelty.
It never crosses my mind that animals have right while I’m eating food. Even though I have prior knowledge that they actually feel pain and suffer while they are being killed for our human consumption. I’m pretty sure they feel the same way while they are in the wild and they must fight to protect their habitat from other animals. Animals get hurt and suffer as well in those scenarios. I’m not saying that they have no rights but at the time of consumption I’m thinking of survival just like they are when they kill one of their preys. Blatantly killing animals for no apparent reason and torturing animals should not be tolerated. Animals are viewed as a lesser to us humans so they don’t get recognition or acknowledgement of their existence as mammals. By no means am I saying just kill these creatures because at the end of the day they help the world as much as us humans do. But what I can say is that I’m so far separated from when they are actually getting slaughtered and killed in result I feel no pain or no remorse because when I receive the product its already in food form.
-Jonas Metayer
Animal cruelty is something not often taken too seriously. People think because an animal can not speak or stand up for itself that it does not rights or feelings just like humans do. scientists argue that because animals can not speak or communicate the way do that they cannot possibly communicate they are suffering and that is just ridiculous, by the behavior animals exhibit one can clearly tell an animal feels or the mental state it's in. I personally believe that we should treat animals the way we would want people to treat us because animals do have feelings just like us and to torture and mistreat them the way that some people do should be an indicator of a problem someone may have.
How can one say that animals are of a lesser being than us? We are in no way superior to animals because we ourselves are animals. Just because we're able to make little sense out of reality through our consciousness doesn't mean we should so gallantly exert speciesim. When people think of animal rights they tend to think about someone pressuring them into vegetarianism and that is certainly not the case. Using animals responsibly and in a humane manner, for consumption, is not the same as blindly putting animals through atrocities during the process. By supporting animal rights we eliminate the cruel practices humans use to make animal husbandry “economically efficient”. (By the way-- plants have rights. They're called deforestation laws.) If you're nonsupporting of animal rights merely because “a primate is still a primate at the end of the day” then consider this: our genetic make up is about 99% identical to that of a chimpanzee. This means that there's only about a 1% difference in our DNA when compared to a primate. Now imagine a new species that is 1% different from us in the same direction we are different from the chimp. We would be incompetent dim-wits in the presence of the new species, but is that to say that they should strip us of our rights?
-Margarita Meshini
Animals deserve rights but they are not recognized by the government or society as a whole. Why animals should be tested on when there are so many less cruel alternatives readily available. To confine mice and other animals to small cages and to inject horrible diseases and drugs into them is just plain cruel. People say it is in the name of "science" but who said science is the judgment of right or wrong? If the only way to cure AIDS was to kill of half the mice population, I would still be dead against it. This is cruelty in its most discreet form. Some of the more obvious examples of animal rights are the right not to be killed in fights. Dogfighting is something mostly everyone is against. Dogs, as well as all animals, should have the right to not have to fight for entertainment mercilessly. It is horribly sickening and not to mention cruel. Animals have the right to live. Not only that, they have the right to live a life free of suffering, pain, being exploited or tormented and any other cruel practice.
Because animals are living beings on this earth, of course they deserve rights! Even though animals obviously do not understand their rights or even know they have any, it does not mean that US humans, the most developed species on Earth, cannot do the right thing and stand up for these animals when we know they are being abused. Of course, animals cannot use spoken language to tell us when they feel pain but we do know when an animal is in pain by its body language; by their sounds and movements we can tell what they may be feeling.
I am definitely not the person that will say that eating meat is “abusive” because it is not. We are humans and need to eat because that’s the way nature intended it; hence, there is a food chain for every ecosystem.
--CHAVELY GARCIA
When I eat meat, never does the issue of where it came from or how it was produce appear in my mind. But I do believe animals should have rights to a certain extent, like animal cruelty laws are something I strongly agree with, abuse for one. Because animals were here on this planet long before us and deserve that right to be respected. On the other hand whatever why animals are treated when they are produce are not something that concerns me because organic foods give people the option to eat better produce meat, yet it is more expensive to produce so not everyone can afford it so demand won’t be very high. In the end, animals are the gift of life, and help us survive so we should take action on how they are treated when they are running free in nature because are future depends on it.
-Kenny Philistin
EmmanuelB
Animal cruelty
Every leaving creature have the right to leave and we should do our best to protect them for prosperity It should the principle people should live by .Nature have it away to do thing .When we look on TV the discovery channel we see the lions, tigers ,crocodiles ,snake ,eagles , bear s ,birds and countless of animal in the Jungles feed on each other do we think they are cruel, or is it the law of nature survival. Scientist said that the early human was herbivore and when they discover how to make fire they start hunting and begun to eat meat .They also said when human start eating meat their brain start to developed .We must deplore any animal cruelty because they fell pain like we do .Domesticated animal should not be abuse .Livestock animal should be giving a swift death .They is many part of the world animal are kill by human for consumption fortunately we do not use this practice here we modern technology .Can anyone imagine for all the meat consume in this country if this was to be done by human still most of the detailing are done by immigrants. The refrigeration industry is a huge source of employment .The refrigeration mechanic work around the clock to keep freezer and cooler at the right temperature to conserve meat in restaurant and subzero storage .We walk to the super market and not connect by how the meat get there .As a human that can feel suffering we must not and should commit cruelty to animal we must do like the native Indian respect what we eat and not forget the animal die for sustaining our live
EmmanuelB
Animal cruelty
Every leaving creature have the right to leave and we should do our best to protect them for prosperity It should the principle people should live by .Nature have it away to do thing .When we look on TV the discovery channel we see the lions, tigers ,crocodiles ,snake ,eagles , bear s ,birds and countless of animal in the Jungles feed on each other do we think they are cruel, or is it the law of nature survival. Scientist said that the early human was herbivore and when they discover how to make fire they start hunting and begun to eat meat .They also said when human start eating meat their brain start to developed .We must deplore any animal cruelty because they fell pain like we do .Domesticated animal should not be abuse .Livestock animal should be giving a swift death .They is many part of the world animal are kill by human for consumption fortunately we do not use this practice here we modern technology .Can anyone imagine for all the meat consume in this country if this was to be done by human still most of the detailing are done by immigrants. The refrigeration industry is a huge source of employment .The refrigeration mechanic work around the clock to keep freezer and cooler at the right temperature to conserve meat in restaurant and subzero storage .We walk to the super market and not connect by how the meat get there .As a human that can feel suffering we must not and should not commit cruelty to animal we must do like the native Indian respect what we eat and not forget the animal die for sustaining our live( A correction was made {should not] )
“… such animals must have the same moral rights as humans.” As humans we have authority over animals, but if we give animals the same rights as humans, then we would put animals and humans on the same moral level. This shouldn’t be. If we want to eat a meat enriched meal then we would have to, of course, kill an animal in order to cook it and put on our dinner plates. Killing in itself IS a form of cruelty, but do we have to make life difficult by considering the feelings of an ANIMAL before our hunger satiety? Imagine if you were subject to life on an island in which food was scarce, according to Tome Regan you should definitely surpass the opportunity to hunt for food because animals are “subjects-of-a-life” and should bear rights. In other words, animals are worth just the same as any human being. Here, we are freely GIVING our authority away! To animals! Oh my.
Do animals deserve rights? Of course, just because they are not human doesn’t mean they don’t feel pain…they are defenseless (some of them) so it’s up to us to protect them, and we abuse that trust. Animals are emotionally beings, they can feel they starve, they go through abuse… they are living breathing creatures just like tree’s which are protected by the law. Animals are subjected to the worst kind of treatment possible and it’s not fair at all… Maybe they will start a revolution like they did in Egypt to demand equal treatment. I watched a documentary called “Food Inc.” and after that I swore that I wouldn’t eat meat ever again…but of course that promise didn’t last very long…I like to eat meat, I grew up eating meat, but I’m still sympathetic to the animals that are dying to feed us. This is a very controversial topic and I think that it will always be, because different people have different opinions.
I feel that all animals should have rights, but to a certain extent. Some people talk about how wrong it is to treat animals like there nothing more than just mere things, but yet they still eat meat, wear fur coats (the real things), and etc. So can we really yell animal rights? I for one am a meat eater, but I do feel that some animals are highly mistreated. For example: mice. Mice are subjectified to being tested for certain drugs, to feel pain, certain undesirable stimulation. To basically say that animals shouldn’t have rights because it is impossible for us to know that their in pain, or when they’re suffering is absurd. In my opinion animals faces and demeanor say it all. The reason why I say that animals should have rights to a certain extent because some of us feed off these animals in order to live. As far as the killing to make unnecessary fur coats, and the animal fighting, and subjectifing to testing medicine it’s unnecessary.
Well, it depends. First off, you should have a fairly good reason for it, like for food. And even then, I think we should stick to what is natural for us as a species. For example, cow meat, chicken meat, and pig meat are all natural food sources for us. It also depends on the animals level of self-awarness. Like, insects and such are OK to eat even though it's not natural, since they don't have any individual personality. Also, it should be quick and painless, and, other animals of the same species should not have to witness it, if that makes any sense.
As for testing, it's, again, OK if you have a good reason to, like if you think you have found a cure for cancer, it's fine, but if you're trying a new perfume, it's a big NO for me.
As a final word, I want to say I think human rights go before animal rights, beacuse we have higher self-awareness than any other species on the planet.
As a person who is not a vegetarian and eats meat regularly, I have not asked myself, how I feel about the animals. We as humans have been using animal flesh and animal products as our food source for thousand of years.
The big issue now is animal cruelty. Our ancestors did not abuse the animal as we do now. They hunt and killed only to provide food for their families. Today we go to restaurant and order appetizer fried chicken breast, 12oz steak dinner and shrimp we don't even finish. What happens next, the food will be thrown away and tomorrow we are going to order the same meal or supersize it like in the southern states where everything is big and tasty. The more demand for food we put on the market, more animals will suffer, plain and simple.
Further more I disagree when animal are used for science studies, new cosmetics products and medications. That is just cruel. For the animals "users" the final product is more important than life itself. "They are just animals! They don't have a soul, feelings, can't complain either"
That should not be the way we treat other living creatures. Life is given to all of us equally, let’s not take it away.
dinah said:
In my opinion, I am not biased on if animals should be entitled to rights. I am for animals rights because animals should be treated equally because they are innocent and are just trying to live there daily lives as they have been before humans came and destroyed their habitats. Humans come and torture animals while they are defenseless and vulnerable for their meat or fur, but you've never see an animal attack a human for its car. Humans take animal cruelty to another level because they do it only to please themselves and are not fair to nature. On the contrary,animals shouldn't be entitled to rights because they are lower than humans. Not only are animals still wild and aren't advanced enough to become part of modern society but they haven't yet to develop skills to communicate to humans. In the article it was stated that humans with morals disagree with animals being abused. This is true but animals themselves don't have morals, so a hungry lion wouldn't feel sorry for the gazelle that it's about to hunt. Since animals don't have morals I don't think it should be an important topic that humans should treat animals better.
We are certain that animals feel pain because we feel pain, but do organisms need rights when rights are logically manifested by humans to achieve a functionalism in society. Rights are given by ourselves to other organisms due to our place as an organisms capable of thinking and producing logic through language. Rights for animals aren't required only by the eyes we see empathy they are necessary. In other words, animals don't need rights, we need laws, laws that influence on how we treat animals we use to consume. On a law of nature stand point, animals rights are not necessary because whatever way we decide to kill our animals are entirely up to us, just as if monkey's were the dominant species and they were torturing humans before they consumed us for nutrition, it is the same, rights are only seen "deserved" through appealing to the masses' empathetic level. Therefore, if we had no empathy on how we treated animals, then raising the question is seemingly pointless.
I remember in high school my biology teacher would bring up the issue of animal cruelty in class, for the sake of educating us about genetic engineering and how it affects our food supply. I've seen countless videos of chickens having their heads cut off and farm living conditions and documentaries but at the end of the day it doesn't bother me on what my protein enriched meal had to go through to get on my plate. I am aware of it. However, I do believe that animals have rights and should not be subjected to inhumane abuse. I don’t think they should be used for some forms of testing, blood sports and live in inhumane conditions (like e.coli infested farms). They’re living creatures that feel and think and I believe that if they’re going to be used in this food chain to keep a part of the world’s economy going – it should be done ethically and should be regulated. In spirit animals revolt because that bad day you’re having after throwing a rock at a dog because it wouldn’t stop barking or that product recall, I believe that is their voice (and a sign that someone at the USDA is not doing their job).
Regardless of our empathetic feelings towards this subject and the end of the day most of us will still be carnivores and it will not give me a reason to roll my dog in a baby carriage because making it walk a good few miles in the hot sun is "cruel".
I think animals deserve rights with no doubts. Yes, maybe they are unable to talk, but they definitely feel pain. Language is not the only way to communicate your feelings. Most of the times is sufficient to look in someone’s eyes or face expression to realize the true meaning of feelings. Have you ever looked in a dog’s eyes, when you know that he is in pain? It is unbelievable. Without using any word, you can see the tears and pain the dog is going through. I think that those who doubt that animals deserve rights are actually worst than animals, because they have no heart, soul or feelings.
Eugeniu Timofti
I never really knew the true horrors of animal cruelty until I saw the documentary called “Meet Your Meat.” That is when I first began realizing how cruel people can be towards animals. I am grateful that there is enough food to feed my family and friends, but I am not happy on how the food gets to my table. Before realizing what true animal cruelty was, I thought that hunting animals was the worst animal abuse. Obviously, I was wrong, I now see that the worst true abuse of animal rights is at farms and slaughterhouses. The worst part about the abuse of animal rights is that many of us still consume those food products from companies that abuse the animals. When I learned how the mad cow disease came about, I realize that the rights of animals are truly non-existent. I just don’t understand why farmers would feed cows the remains of other unwanted cows. By doing so, the farmers increase the risk of cows obtaining genetic diseases that could harm human beings. Sometimes, I feel that not even by being grateful for the sacrifice these animals make for us, can remedy their pain and suffering. I love meat, but I just really heat the way meat is processed. That’s is why I make sure that I know where the food I buy and eat comes from. Now, I can’t even trust FDA approved products since they approve the processes of animals with certain untreated injuries and diseases. I just hope that one day people realize what animals like chickens, pigs, cows, etc. go through and how we take their pain and suffering for granted.
In my opinion, animals, preferably mammals, should bear the same moral rights as human. Mammals, in contrast of insects, fish and other species care for themselves and their heir. That simple fact should grant them our recognition of them as equals in morality. The argument that Carl Cohen from the University of Michigan brings, arguing that rights imply comprehension is logical, however, us humans regard ourselves as superior. And it is as animals' superiors that we should grant them moral rights without their comprehension, something that cannot be expected from an animal. Personally, this issue does not come to concern when i eat meat because of my decision to chose follow my religion and to eat Kosher, which assures that absolutely no harm is done to your meat. After all, animals as well as humans are creatures of G.d and we all deserve the same rights.
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