Are you guilty of speciesism?

Question

If you eat meat, are you able to defend why you think cows and chickens are okay to eat but you would never consider eating a cat or a dog? For example, outrage over dog fur on coats has recently affected the fashion industry; but I wonder why a person would feel (at least in Western civilization) that a dog is unacceptable to wear but a mink or a bunny is perfectly fine. Albeit dog is man's best friend, but bunnies can be kept as pets too. Is there any rational justification for believing that a dog is superior to a bunny, or that a horse is superior to a cow when it comes to dining? Be mindful that asserting intelligence is a slippery slope, as some animals have an intelligence factor equivalent to young humans, and we wouldn't want to be guilty of cannibalism, now would we?

Answer 1

Talk about political correctness gone insane. When I have to worry that my preference for one animal over another for food or clothing is considered a species-oriented racism - stop the world, I'm getting off!

My choice that a rabbit is superior in taste to a dog is just that. I'm not trying to pass judgement on its intelligence, or its potential value to be my friend. It just tastes better with A-1 sauce. Same reason that I'm not insulting pickles when I take them out of my hamburger.

Not every preference, personal or cultural, needs to be an "ism", and this is one of those exceptions. By the way, I must also be "guilty" of sexism, because I always buy Tom turkeys for dinner instead of Hens. And I'm definitely guilty of "plantism", since I verifiably hate Egg Plant, but I invite a good guacamole dip over to my house every Superbowl Sunday!

Answer 2

It's kind of weird that we have a hard time accepting the idea that it's O.K. to eat horse meat. Yet nobody has any problem with eating cow meat.

Yet Hindus won't eat cow meat, and Pakistanis won't eat pork. Some Southeast Asians are disgusted to see that Americans eat turkey. Yet in parts of China they enjoy eating monkey brains scooped right out of the skull. Koreans eat dogs.

Me, I enjoyed eating oysters in Sydney when they were still alive. They taste way better than the dead ones in bottles sold in America.

However, in all cultures there seems to be a rejection of cannibalism. Yes, we are speciesists. We put our own kind first, while being ready to eat others.

Answer 3

Yes i eat meat. - Its part of the human diet - im not going to eat 20kgs of lentils just to get the same protein i would from a steak.

I don’t eat my dog, because he is my friend. I don’t go around eating friends, human or other wise.

Plus dogs, cats are not really bread for those traits.
We breed dogs and cats for there look, companionship. working dogs for there abilities. etc

I had a hobby farm.. (this might sicken you - who knows).
on that farm i had chickens i breed for laying eggs, Chickens i breed for eating there offspring.

I picked the best breeds that would be best for both situations.
I might get closer to my breeding stock than the offspring but that is natural you want to make sure they are healty and strong.

So you learn to kept your personal affections towards animals (as i am an animal lover) to the right situation.
Same goes with Sheep, Ducks, etc.

Cows are breed to yield more muscle Some are breed to yield healthy or more milk. Its called Farming.

As far as the fur trade goes, most people in the western world don’t feel its right to wear furs now, because the trade were killing animals for the sake of fashion. Not using the whole animal wisely or breeding for the purpose, hence extinction, this is why Fur and other animal trades have become extremely unpopular.
(difference is food - over fashion.. BIG difference).

Horse meat is very stringy, do you think us as people wouldn’t eat it? we breed what we eat.

When you rip up a carrot from the soft warm soil do you think its not worth as much thought as any other being on this planet. Eat to survive, eat wisely, dont kill for the sake of killing. It all comes into play be it animal vegetable or mineral.

Answer 4

I think speciesism has a lot to do with culture. Most cultures have bred the domestic horse for transportation, dogs for aiding people in various ways; conversely, most cultures have bred pigs (for example) for food. Thus, eating a horse or dog seems "strange" culturally. Eating a horse would be considered a waste of a good form of transportation.

And then, some cultures might find eating dogs perfectly acceptable (not to mention eating your enemies).

Speciesism is probably more a question of culture than it is of rationality.

Answer 5

I suppose I am guilty of this.
But, I think most people would not accept eating dogs because they are probably the most common pets that we grow close "relationships" with. They are a man's best friend. We could not say the same for a cow, unless I suppose you grew up on a farm and got attached to a cow, but with a dog it is more likely and if we think of dogs as friends, then eating dogs would be like eating friends. Of course, this is all just opinion.

Answer 6

Because I don't care for the taste and I have other options available that I prefer. So I guess I don't really have much to defend...

I enjoy meat. My body is designed to catch, kill, and eat other animals in addition to eating fruits and grains. I like to give my body the fuel that it is designed for, so I enjoy a varied diet of proteins, carbs, and fats.

The entire natural world eats each other, usually in the cruelest fashion. Men usually kill our food in a somewhat less cruel fashion than chasing it down, ripping holes in it's body, then pinning it down while we smother it or it bleeds to death as we eat it.

Plants capture insects and slowly smother them to death while they are being digested alive.

Other plants starve their competitors of sunlight.

And what's wrong with cannibalism? I personally have no real interest in eating long pig outside of an extreme survival situation. The biggest complaint against cannibalism appears to be related to getting the meat - this involves homocide, which is a crime in pretty much every society.

So what's the problem? I'm guessing from your post that you do not feel that it is moral to kill other living creatures - Where do you draw that line? You kill things every moment you're alive. Parasites, virii, bacteria, mites, and so on. Do you use insecticieds, herbicides, or step on spiders? Do you only eat fruits that do not result in the death of the plant? Or are you a 'I won't eat anything with a face' sort? And if so, why draw the line there? And why is that placement of the line morally superior to a different place?

Dogs are treated as superior to bunnies because their species has long been allied with ours and has aided us immeasurably over the millenia whereas bunnies are usually in competition with us for resources. We usually treat our freinds better than our competitors.

Like it or not, life is a competition between species and between members of those species. It's nice that our society allows you to be so choosy about your food, but I can pretty well guarantee that if you got hungry and had no other options, you'd eat that cute and fuzzy bunny and if you were cold, you'd be wearing his cute and fuzzy skin. Or your dog if it came to it. You are built with a survival drive and you WILL follow it.

Orion

Answer 7

defend???? nope
why????? because of one word CHOICE
(though i am a veg, if i wanted a burger, then i would eat one.......i do not wear fur, but if i wanted one, then i would buy one and as far as cannibalism? well, never say never, because one never knows what they may do if starving on top of a snowy mtn. top with the option of death or eating.......you would probably be a bit delirious by this time and human instincts would kick in and you'd probably go for the meat

Answer 8

I wouldn't wear any animal skins (including leather), but I'm not a vegetarian either so I guess I'm kind of a hypocrite.

Answer 9

I would not eat my guinea pig but i would probably eat an unknown guinea pig. Just like you would return a child's money if you saw them drop it but would not search out the unknown owner of a five dollar bill.

Answer 10

i wouldnt eat a cat or dog for the same reason i wouldnt eat sushi.... it just doesnt seem like it would taste good