In this post I want to talk about one or two annoying people you see post on facebook (which means they will likely be the same in person). The first of these are people who post things like, "I hate these because an animal died" in response to a rather sad article about an accidental bunny death.
Don't get me wrong, I love animals and think they are beautiful. But, damnit, they die ALL THE TIME! You surely do not weep for EVERY animal that dies. Yes, the story was sad and losing life isn't a good thing. But, it was an accident and there are people who would cry about a story where a human accidentally kills an animal and not bat an eye about a story where someone does it to a human in cold blood.
I don't know if it is cause they are desensitized or what. But, it is quite maddening. These people tend to be vegetarians or PETA-type people. I am making judgements about this one person, but I am writing this here because I do not feel like arguing on facebook.
Now, we all know these PETA-types. You know, the people who take a moral high ground because you eat meat or don't have as many qualms about killing an animal. Before several of you rev your engines, I would like to note that some of their ideas are sound. Ideas like treating the animals we own as pets, or have to use for things like milk, well are sound. Just because it isn't human does not mean that we can go around mistreating them. I can get that.
It is just the crazy jump in logic that it is morally wrong to eat animals. Humans are omnivorous...like bears. Is it wrong for a bear to eat a delicious bunny? Why would it suddenly become wrong because we have larger minds and a larger sense of self? It doesn't make sense. It isn't like humans are naturally vegetarians and it is an abomination for them to be eating meat. It has become, through evolution and whatnot, a natural part of human existence. We have stomachs adapted to our diet, like every animal (and our body IS animal).
The only difference between us and our animal cousins is the fact that we can actively choose what we will and will not eat. Animals normally do not have such options. Bears are omnivorous because it opens up the possibilities of what is edible. Scavengers do the same. A lot of animals save food if they already ate because you do not know when your next meal is going to come. They also are more tied to their instincts than not, they are a bit simpler. Higher animals like dolphins are still tied to what their stomachs say they have to eat. They can't suddenly say, "It is morally wrong for me to eat these poor fish, I'll eat coral now." If the fish go, so do they. Also, as a random note, dolphins are terribly immoral by human standards...
As humans there are good reasons for not eating meat (though I find that it makes us more healthy a bit dubious). You can choose to eat meat because your religion states that animals are more sacred than plants or that meat is part of the evil material world (I'm just spitballing here). There are many religious reasons for not eating meat and that is fine, it is simply not my belief. It may seem my argument is falling a part here because most vegetarians are following their moral beliefs. That's true, but our society tries to take a stance with self-defeating moral relativism (i.e. do what you feel is right). If that is the case, you cannot proselytize or say someone else is wrong. Clearly, they think differently than you. That's where you run into trouble, but I digress.
There is also the most obvious reason for not eating meat: you don't like it. So, you have that choice. Oh, and protesting against the mistreatment of the animals. That makes sense as well.
Now, choosing to eat meat, whatever your reasons, is not the same as choosing to murder someone or steal for someone. If you are a person who doesn't do such things, you have some moral high ground. You avoided doing immoral things, but your culinary tastes are hardly that high up in morality. The treatment of the animals prior to eating them is a good one, as I said, as is just not liking it. But, it hardly makes you a better person because you see inherent wrongness with eating something with a face. Why is that the cut off point? Why not keep from eating anything with life in it (plants included). The cut off makes no sense. You aren't going to convince people just because an animal is dying. What is the difference between a tiger and myself? Hmmm?
The second annoying person is the who says things like "If life begins at conception does that mean the Child Tax credit should too?" The clear answer is no, because the child may still yet not enter the world. It can be lost naturally or someone may do something horrible like abort it. Since the development going well is still a question mark of sorts it doesn't make sense to do the Child tax credit until they are completely in the world. That doesn't negate the fact that they are life. When the egg and sperm meet the product is something genetically different from the mother. It IS NOT the mother, therefore the mother doesn't have the kind control our society likes to say. Killing is wrong because it deprives one of life. Life is good. So, just because that life is not into the world yet, we cannot claim that we are not ending a life. You're just doing it sooner rather than later. Why be horrified when a mother throws an infant into the trash and not with one who kills it before we call it an infant? It isn't a complete way of thinking.
In any case, those kinds of questions are kind of dumb. Especially when comments that say things like "At least for 12 children a year--Hey, eggs are people too. The period makes women serial killers." I am sure this person is joking, but it is an idiotic thing to say. An egg left alone clearly doesn't become life. You need the sperm. This is why the perpetuation of our species depends on both man and woman. Eggs clearly are not life, but instead are part of the equation that leads to life. Thus, the natural process of the period is not making women into serial killers. Also, no one with any sense would believe that. Before anyone goes down that road, that does not equate to the issue of male masturbation. Masturbation is an act of will, whilst the period clearly is not.
Alright, rant over.
