Wednesday, September 11, 2013

MWF, 10am class

26 comments:

Rubin edwards said...

I totally agree with the blog,animals or anyone should e treated with the up-most respect and dignity under any and all situations

Ana Vidal-Martinez said...

I do eat meat and believe it is a somewhat necessary part of our diet as humans. Just as any other predator hunts and eats other beings, humans participate in the food chain. That being said, I am quite against the mistreatment or abuse of animals. I agree with Tom Regan, who stated that animals were "subjects-of-a-life," about non- human animals having rights that should be honored.I understand why the food industry has reduced its levels of humane practices for animals (reduce the cost of feed and space required for each animals and the company can keep more of its profit and the meat can become cheaper and more accessible to more people), but I think that the cost of degrading these animals, and ourselves even by allowing and encouraging it, is far more than the cost of treating these animals - who are as much of a part of this world as we are - with a whole lot more of respect.

Alfredo Triff said...

Rubin, your comment does not make for 150 words. Please, revise.

M.James said...

Ana you said you do not eat meat and I respect you for that. because that is your choice but as you speak of the food industries reducing its levels of humane practices for animals, what about the industries that sells furs, minks, alligator skin, etc. why do you think those industries don't respect the animals as well?

alisha graham said...

Its mind blowing how people that work in this industry can even think about hurting a creature that is defenseless and can feel pain just as much as we do. Animals do deserve rights who are we to say that just because we are the "superior" species it gives us the right to brutally beat and stuff with hormones the creatures that give us the food we desperately need in our everyday lives without them we would be nothing. Treatment like this is well earned to be classified as a criminal in my opinion. what is the difference between beating a child to the ground and beating a big? both are defenseless creatures and don't know right from wrong. Its disgusting what the human race has become even our commonsense morals have gone out the window. For almost 3 years now i have not touched or even looked at any sort of fast food and or any processed meats and I'm doing just fine... I'm alive, healthy, and happy. Any one can do it theres no excuse for you not to try to make responsible changes in your diet.

Veronica P. said...

Yes, they should. Animals are living creatures, just like us. We evolved how we did, and they evolved how they did, all for survival of the species. They think and feel and act now they can. Just because we are bigger and have machinery and stuff does not mean we should destroy them and exploit them. Seeing as how we wound up the dominant species of the planet and just happened to evolve to think we need to specifically have "rights" ourselves, we need to include other species into that. They may not follow rules and regulations without being trained, but they deserve to have the right to live and be happy and healthy, and to be treated with respect and care. More steps need to be taken to find alternatives to animal products, and even though it will be near impossible to convince everyone to go vegetarian/vegan, people should be encouraged to buy from local farms so that factory farms are not forced to use cruel methods large scale and animals can have better lives and be happier and healthier and respected.

Unknown said...
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Aracely R said...

In my opinion all animals should have rights. They are all living creatures just like you and I. I don’t think it is right for dozens and even hundreds of them to be locked up in one little cage or cell their entire lives and then get thrown into a machine that will take their life away. The things that people do to animals in factories are so disturbing. Only because we have more power and control doesn’t mean that people should go on and torture those innocent animals. I don’t eat meat for the reason that every animal should have rights. I just feel it’s wrong to eat animals; if you think about it, it’s like eating a person because humans are animals whether you believe or not. In addition, the way people are so cruel to these animals is horrifying. Also, the meat that you buy at your grocery store is most likely filled hormones and chemicals which is something that I don’t wish to consume. No I wasn’t always a vegetarian. I honestly didn’t think of what was in the meat or how the animal was killed until I started questioning it then I did my researched and came across many disturbing things and that’s when I started thinking how wrong it is. If people keep consuming animals sooner or later there will no longer be any animals on earth and it’s kind of heartbreaking because they are beautiful creatures.

Christopher Estrada said...

Any form of life should be looked upon just by the simplest fact that it is a living creature. The difference between an animal about to be processed for food consumption and the same species living in its own natural habitat is that the cruel fate that sheer bad luck has brought upon it; a fate that is managed by us humans. They don’t choose to become food; we make that decision for them. We have to acknowledge the fact that what we are doing is not right; the world sees things only as resources, costs, and what benefits them. There is more to it than that. We are not the only ones living in this world. We are ruining the simple life an average pig could be having. Instead, it is raised in a confined factory where its fate is to be defiled by chemicals and abuse. I understand that is how we mostly receive our meat product, and believe me, I love meat just as much as the next person, but how they are treating them is wrong and inexcusable as a growing civilization of intelligent beings that understand morals.

Angel Colome said...

In my opinion i believe that animals do deserve some level of respect. I am completely on board with eating meat, but i do not see any reason why people would need to abuse and mistreat the animals. How can someone justify harming a defenseless animal or experimenting on them. some people believe that humans are superior to these animals and just see them as a source of food or a announce and that is why they treat them the way that they do. I believe even if an animal is being raised to be slaughtered and sold for food it should still deserve better than to be kept in a small cramped cage and fed hormones and artificial food to be fattened up and slaughtered. We, humans, are also animals, and I don't think it is right to treat these other species the wait that we do just because we feel more powerful or they don't seem to have the same cognitive functions as us.

Angel P. said...
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Laura Carvajal said...

I do feel terrible when there are photos or pictures of animals that are being mistreated in the huge factories where they are being fed and grown. I don't believe in animal rights because in order to give a right to a living being there must be some type of understanding from that being. And we all know that animals cant speak. This is not however a reason to believe that the pigs or cows or chickens do not feel pain. They very much feel pain like you or me.

The sad part about how the cows for example are treated, is that if there were a way to try to lower the demand on red meat, then that would mean that there maybe be hope for the cows to be treated more fairly. Some people may argue what is fair? Because fair has a different meaning for me and you. Well fair would be trying to make the cows suffer as less as they possibly can.

Cows for those of you who might of not known, don't always produce milk. A cow like any other mammal produces milk only when pregnant. So that means that these companies will probably impregnate a cow more than once to take all the milk the cow offers before deeming that cow useless and sending it to the slaughter house.

Honestly if the people that run these factories were to think a bit more on the moral side and have a bit more respect for these creatures that essentially give us life, then there may be steps taken that might one day treat the cows like humanity did once long ago.

Unknown said...

According to me, animals deserve rights in the sense that they should be treated cautiously. I agree with the fact that we need to eat meat to survive, we cannot only restrict our organisms to a vegetarian diet because our body also needs the nutrients that meat provide, but I disagree with the idea that animals cannot feel anything, therefore they can mistreated. We, as people, should remember that animals and us are part of a system, a chain formed by all living elements on earth. There is a belief that needs to be re-examined here, we are not better than animals, to Mother Nature, we are all equal. We need to understand that to maintain the balance of our natural environment, we need to have humans in one part and animals and plants on the other. Since we cannot stop eating animals, what can we do to prevent them for being mistreated? We should start treating them with respect and admit the main role they play in our survival. We should give animals time to reproduce and stop eating them at a higher rate because one of the issue the world is dealing with right now and that contributes to the degradation of the ecosystem is that, we use natural resources faster than they are regenerated by the environment. It is the same things with animals, we eat them faster than they reproduce. If we really care about our lives, if we really care about the natural environment, we should start treated animals and all living species with respect; and it is only by doing so that we will live in a world where species extinction is not an issue.

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

I believe that animals don’t need the same rights, but I also believe they deserve a better treatment. Why I believe that they don’t deserve the same rights, is because animal are not rational like us. I am not saying that they don’t feel pain. I am just saying that they don’t have the same capacity to being part of our society, having decisions or contributing to make it better. They are not capable of rationalize like us. Our specie is superior and we have advance brains, even though we don’t use them at a maximum potential. Lions are on top of the zebras in the food chain, we are on top of the cattle. I agree that we are animals but in a different level.
If animals have a better treatment on the way they grow and die it will also benefit us. The prices could be a little bit higher than now, but it will be beneficial for our health and bodies. Organic is going to be better to help small producers and all the money is not going to those companies that are willing to treat animals in that demeaning way. The increase of new illness, cancer, and condition that don’t have known causes (precocious puberty, hormonal problems) indicate that we are doing something wrong to our bodies.
I eat meat and I try to eat organic. Every time I don’t “invest” those extra dollars I start thinking on how this big producers continue functioning and treating the animals in such bad conditions and the future consequences for me and my family.

Arleng Aristizabal said...

Of course animals deserve rights as much as we do. It’s shocking to see how people treat animals as if they were just a thing to eat, as if they didn’t feel pain as we do. We think we have the right or that we are superior over them because we are Homo sapiens. But are we really thinking about this problem? Are we caring? Are we being conscious about the damage that we are causing to future generations while making the world we are living at worse? No. How can we think we are superior to them if we are acting the same way they act; killing brutally one another and just caring about our well-being. Indeed, we, the “Homo sapiens”, aren’t caring about our well-being at all by consuming everyday food from Mac Donald’s or other fast food restaurants—and I don’t know if I can call this food—making our child greasy balls and with a high probability of illness. How can we have the idea of a future generation if we are killing slowly the present one? We must try to restore sensible commodity programs that do not prioritize the production of artificially cheap livestock feed over fair prices to crop farmers. We have to raise our children so they are able to think critically about this issue which concerns us all, and most important, change our diets and start thinking how this problem is affecting ourselves, your family and how it will affect your children. I’ll like you to see this video and ask yourself for the second time. Do animals deserve rights or a better treatment?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLcgxIGTFRs&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DsLcgxIGTFRs&has_verified=1

Unknown said...

Although I am a meat consumer, I strongly believe that animals deserve better treatments due to the fact that they can feel pain. According to Ludwig Wittgenstein, if someone is screaming, clutching a part of their body, moaning quietly, or apparently unable to function, especially when followed by an event that we believe would cause pain in ourselves, that is in large measure what it means to be in pain. Even though animals cannot state that they are in pain, by observing them we can tell whether they are in pain or not. Us humans do not appreciate getting abused, and being mistreated therefore we should cease torturing animals and treat them a better way.

Mariana F-R said...

I have previously seen the video of the little child in Brazil for another class and found it incredibly moving and reflective. His inquisitive mind reminded me of my own decision of becoming a vegetarian at age 8. At that time I had seen a documentary about the conditions on which cattle was raised and killed and found it horrifying, and just as this little kid I could not understand the whys. My parents were incredibly supportive even if they did not understand my decision and arrange for me to meet with a doctor and a nutritionist in order for my health not to be negatively impacted. My years of vegetarianism lead into years of veganism, which I must admit requires a lot more discipline and dedication that I was willing to give. For a number of reasons I decided to become an omnivore once again but with a much more conscientious attitude: I buy meat that has been raised and killed in humane conditions, I try to consume products not tested on animals, I seldom buy leather products and I do not use fur. I am a firm believer that animals do deserve rights and I can argue that it is our responsibility as “reasoning” animals to protect and ensure the preservation of the planet and animals are part of it. Aldo Leopold wrote in “A Sound County Almanac” that ethics should include non-human members of the “biotic community” which he called the land. He proposed that we see that land as part of our biotic structure; if we feel it then we will love it. Leopold proposes a symbolic pyramid made up of layers in order to comprehend how important land is to our own existence, for example: if the bottom layer is the soil, then all flora and fauna is rested in the successive layer, and the top of the pyramid are the man-made changes to the environment. All layers are intrinsically interacting with each other and when change happens in one part of the pyramid, all other parts are also affected. So following this model we are supposed to take care of animals, as they are an important part of our planet. I believe that all life has value, regardless of their usefulness for human purposes; we have no claim over other organisms and should only make use of them to fulfill our basic needs while respecting their place in the natural world.

Jamie Craven said...

I try not to think about the animal when I am eating. I love to eat meat - marinating and grilling steak is probably my favorite meal to revisit. I eat meat frequently, probably 6/7 days a week. But, I also have a deep connection with animals. I have had pets my whole life, and cannot dream they would be mistreated. Both of my dogs lived on the street, and some of the tendencies they share seem to connect with a life of abuse before they were adopted into my home. This goes the same for any animal. If it has a nervous system, and can respond to fear, pain, etc, innately it has rights. Endowed to the creature before man's encroachment of the entire earth - it would live freely as an active part of the food chain. That being said, we earned our place at the top. With the reasoning skills humans have, we have slowly shaped a large part of the worlds ecology to live under our rule. Many animals if we're to be turned free to the wild would not be able to exist any longer without human intervention. Entirely domesticated, many of nature's instincts have been bread out of them. That is a function of our raising them simply to be used. But this relationship between man and animal is still sacred. From birth through growth to slaughter - the cycle should be kept up with by someone who truly cares and loves these animals. An endeavor such as this is almost impossible to hope for. The diet of humans would have to shift greatly to make up for much of the mass production of meat and other animal products. I do my part to try and buy organic or well treated animal food items - but it is not enough. For a truly pure man and animal harmony, a large shift in the way we get our food would have to occur. Production should be encouraged for the small farmer, the one who cares and treats the animals like they are - made for the table, but still living creatures.

Gaston Guichardot said...

If there is something I cannot tolerate it’s the abuse and mistreatment of animals. I cannot seem to understand why a human being could do such horrible things such as skinning alive, confine them to extremely small spaces where they can’t even turn around, using shock prods, horn cutting, forced impregnation, ear chipping, and many more things that are done to animals on a daily basis. It is very difficult for me not to resort to written insults against these kinds of people.

Let’s get something out of the way, animals do feel pain. I completely disagree with people such as William Lane Craig (PhD in philosophy), who argue that animals do not feel pain. I mean, come on… go ahead, step on your dog’s paw and see what happens? (I’m not actually telling you to do this) But, in my opinion, that should be evidence enough to tell you that they do feel pain.

Having said that, many of us love to eat meat; it tastes good, it satisfies us. But have we ever thought about what is the whole process that begins with the animal and ends in our bellies? I won’t lie, I seldom think about that when a cut of tasty beef is about to enter my mouth. Should we think about it? Absolutely. Given the facts given in articles such as the Scientific American one, we cannot just sit and do nothing about it. The least we can do is try to educate ourselves about the topic, do some research and form an opinion about it.

We should learn about these places where animals are born and raised to be killed. These places are called factory farms. Why do they do this? Because it’s cheaper! They just confine the animals in small spaces, fill them up with hormones and antibiotics and then kill them.

Do animals deserve our respect? As far as it concerns me, yes they do and they also have rights, although they clearly do not have the same rights as ours. If they did, they would all be free and everyone would just have to hunt for their own food. We cannot ignore that we are part of a food chain; it exists in our daily lives. Animals will continue to be killed in mass by us humans in order to consume them. The questions that we should be asking ourselves in terms of animal treatment should be:

1. Are there other ways to kill these animals?
2. Can we improve living conditions of these animals?
3. Can we feed them with better nutrients? (Remember, we later consume them)

What we can do is avoid factory farmed products, so there is less demand of them. We can buy our products from local farms, buy organic food. We can also start eating less meat (I know, it’s very hard to do so.)

The reality is that the amount of profit that companies make with factory farms is just too much that it is very difficult for a change to happen. For them, animals are just a means to an end. A great percentage of the population would have to change their habits for it to have an impact.

Melodie Noel said...

In my opinion, animals deserve better treatment. From the evolution of the world humans, descend from apes. We are animals ourselves, and by not caring about animals’ rights, we do not care about our own rights. I believe that with time, society’s mentalities constantly change. In the past, Caucasian considered blacks as inferior and treated them as slaves. Later in Germany, the Nazis killed thousands of Jews and Soviets, or who ever were against the “new world order.” It took time for the world to accept the idea of equality for all human beings, so I think it will take time to consider animals as equal as humans. Approximately 2 years ago I stumbled across an article about the abuse on marine life especially dolphins; this article impacted me leaving an impression. According to scientists, dolphins are intellectually better than humans due to their more developed brain. Animals like dolphins may be able to perceive, feel the bad treatments that we impose them. On the other hand, I do eat meat but in low quantity. I am not a meat lover; therefore, I could easily stop eating meat. When we look at the nutrition pyramid, to have a healthy living diet, we are supposed to eat meat only one to three times per day and eat vegetables, fruits, and grains in priority. If we only eat meat two times, why would we choose a bad quality food? I think that by favoring organic food, we prevent ourselves from health problems. Organic food is sure more expensive, but if we end up with less medical problems later, it will worth it in my opinion. The better the animals are treated
When it comes to environment, we need animals for a good balance. Extinctions of species affect the planet in a bad way. A good example is the bees that play an really important role. Thousands of plants, fruits and vegetables in particuler, do not grow if they are not pollinated by bees. Their extinction menace the human beings’ lives. For all of these reasons, we should treat animal with more respect.

Unknown said...

To eat meat means that you must kill an animal. I think that some vegans associate killing with cruelty.

I do not agree with many of the practices of the factory farms. We should research alternative way to process meat. I have seen videos of animals being abused in slaughter houses. I have also seen horrible conditions in factory chicken houses. I would like to think that these were isolated incidents.

I believe that animals should never be tortured or abused. people that do these things have a psychological disorder. I believe that animals should be protected from people like this, but I would not go so far as to say that animals deserve rights.

I do believe that animals deserve better treatment. My idea of better treatment of animals could be environmentally advantageous and also protect the animals. we can protect our fish and fishing industry by revising our rules and regulations that protect endangered species. The Crow Nation has been reintroducing buffalo in Montana. We could use this as an example to research and reintroduce other native species.

Scarlyn Portillo said...

Is it right for a cow to be beaten to death? Is it right to throw rocks at a dog from across the street until it can’t walk? Of course not! Whether it’s coming up with different methods to put a steak in our plate to trying to provide better care for a domesticated animal, they should have better treatment. Animals do feel pain. They probably can even figure out when pain is near. Dogs run away when you throw a shoe at them, obviously they aren't going to stay in the same place, why? Because it hurts! Cows try to resist their owner when they push them against a machine or put them around heat, why? Because they feel that pain. Imagine if that was you. Now I’m not implying that animals should be equally treated the same as humans but they should have an equally consideration. These animals feel pain, pleasure, fear, frustration, loneliness, and motherly love just like us.

MonicaN said...

Monica N said...

it is a common belief that a Human is superior to any other animal, mainly because of the extended intelligence that the former is gifted with. However, it is my strong conviction that all living things are worthy of the same respect and deserve to be treated with the same consideration.I am against the mistreatment against all animals,also, I strongly believe that they should be treated with the same sincerity that we humans receive. A living creature does not need to be similar to us in order to be just as significant. It is invalid to use our defining characteristic, our intelligence, to say we are superior to animals. Any animal, or any individual for that matter, could use their own defining characteristic to try to prove their superiority.Animals have feelings, they feel pain. And some the people are killing them for meat, fins, leaving them to bleed to death. From knowing what I know now I'm on my way towards being a vegetarian. Our intestines are designed as such that we are all vegetarians, these animals could be extinct anytime. And it wouldn’t kill us to eat vegetables. Why waste a life of an animal just to have a meal or two for the day? I hope someday everyone realizes that it is wrong and stop being such selfish creatures ourselves

Natalie Arana said...

I consume animal meat on a daily basis for I find it essential in a well balanced diet. Animals´ rights should not be categorized in the same basis as human rights, but they should still receive just treatment. Some animals do feel pain under the extreme circumstances that they endure to end up in some local supermarkets and restaurants, so there should be regulations to ensure sanitary and humane conditions. I agree with professor Carl Cohen that animals should not be given personhood since animals are not capable to distinguish their own rights and what is right. Although animals should not be given this said personhood, humans must not abuse of the animals´ vulnerability and recognize that nothing good results from torturing these creatures. Most animals that are commonly eaten are only raised to end up on a plate or to continue reproduction, so it is important that while these animals are still living that they receive considerably fair treatment since outcomes from their mistreatment may not only result in harm to the animals but also the humans consuming them.

Anonymous said...

- Anthony Rodriguez said...

I don’t generally take sides.
I know its encouraged by like... everyone, but I find satisfaction in recognizing the many sides of an argument. I find it so beautiful that many interpretations can exist, each with its own plethora of conceivable justifications- I’m rambling. I must choose a position; it is the assignment. I believe animals should not be mistreated. They are sentient beings like us, and it is in our nature to sympathize with them. To abuse animals is a contradiction of both our morals and our natural instincts because: We’re animals, too! This is evident in that showing someone a suffering animal is just wrong... but this isn’t coming from my heart. I’m not the bona fide philotherian that passes out animal rights flyers on NE 4th St and Biscayne. Actually, I’d probably be in support of the most radical activities against animals... for science. And with this, I can now express my honest sentiments: I am in supreme defense of the idea that there is no knowledge to be gained by treating animals this way (I speak of the food industry). In fact, I believe it is beyond doubt that to learn something here is not the intention. This is evident in that animal abuse is defended as being cost effective, and in making a profit.
I am a firm believer in the advancement of knowledge because it is directly proportional to our advancements in... everything. I love science. When there is nothing to be learned, one can argue that animal abuse cannot be justified. And when there is something to be learned... Have you heard of Harry Harlow? If you haven’t, you should look into him. By the way, are we obligating ourselves to at least justify better treatment for animals? Will anyone from our class say, “I do not believe in animal rights and they should not be treated better”? I don’t think so; the assignment doesn’t even give that option. What’s more, it’s in our nature to be sweet and compassionate and filled with sugar. Yay! Fowers!