Beating the meat
Sorry sorry sorry. I couldn’t resist. I know that the two people who actually RSS my blog would see that headline at some point in their nifty readers and have to click.
I win!
But seriously, check this story: Pigs Abused at Iowa Farm
I have never been much of an advocate for the fair treatment of animals. It’s not that I don’t care, because frankly, stories like the one above make me sick. While pigs are ultimately delicious creatures, I do think they should be treated….fairly. Does that make any sense? It shouldn’t, especially considering how “ethics” vary so widely from culture to culture.
Beijing was told to stop butchering and processing dogs during the Olympics, because it would offend just about all of Western culture. But if dog meat is the cheapest protein in Beijing, and it keeps humans alive, why should I get super pissed about it? I have always been comfortably overfed and have never come close to starvation – how can I judge the diets of people who have?
Then there’s Hinduism. You all know that they cherish cows; while there are a number of theories for why the practice started, Gandhi even said : “If someone were to ask me what the most important outward manifestation of Hinduism was, I would suggest that it was the idea of cow protection.” I cherish the possibility of a perfectly cooked rib-eye or filet mignon wrapped in all sorts of creamy shit, but a practicing Hindu would accuse me of the highest sacrilege, and they would be right!
I didn’t really intend to write about this; I have only proceeded for 300 words because I wanted to use that headline. So final thoughts – next time you wonder, “What sort of poor dumb bastard on a pig farm in Iowa take pleasure from hurting animals?” Remember that you and I are both those sort of poor dumb bastards.
Wow, I’ve gotten really preachy on this blog, haven’t I?