PETA: yet more insanity

[Dreamstalker]

Oooh, I love Turducken. For some reason, I can't seem to convince my mom to try it though.

Wonder how PETA would react if you sent them a ripe turd and told them it was a "toilet kitten"? O_o

*cleans coffee off desk* That's the funniest thing I've read all day...isn't sending stuff like that through the mail illegal?

Venison really depends on what the deer eat. I've had some unbelievably good meat, and some that had been foraging on juniper--not totally inedible, but not great.

I've become a fan of elk and kangaroo jerky.

[IDrinkaRum]

I've tried a piece of emu steak. It was delicious.

I love Buffalo burgers! There used to be a buffalo farm near my in-laws' house, but it burned down.

Fudruckers sells an ostrich burger. I might give it a try someday.

[tropicsgoddess]

I am against wearing fur and yes I eat meat but I refuse to support PETA because of how they try and shove their beliefs down the public's throat.

[AFPheonix]

I won't support PETA. I will support good rescues and groups that actually put their money where their mouths are in regards to animal welfare. There are many small rescues and organizations out there that can and do far better with less money that PETA ever will.
Besides, PETA kills dogs and cats and puts them in a freezer in their headquarters. I fail to see how that could possibly meet with their mission statement.

[Flyndaran]

I am against wearing fur and yes I eat meat but I refuse to support PETA because of how they try and shove their beliefs down the public's throat.

I refuse to eat mammals, but have little problem with fur. The animal didn't care if it was killed for meat or fur. It's dead either way.

Everyone with strongly held beliefs tries to force it down everyone's throat. If they didn't, then they obviously don't feel that strongly.

Or they're like me and know that fighting impossible fights no matter how just is simply too tiring and leads to perpetual frustration.
I dealt with the fact that most of humanity doesn't care about animal welfare. I dealt with the fact that most of humanity is superstitious.
People of peta simply refuse to deal with the difference between progress and winning the impossible.

[anriana]

I am against wearing fur and yes I eat meat but I refuse to support PETA because of how they try and shove their beliefs down the public's throat.

So it's wrong to kill animals because their skin and hair looks pretty but it's okay to kill them because they taste good?

[DesignFox]

I'm assuming you only eat happy meat?

Nah, now that I think about it...my statement is a bit hypocritical. I've been known to eat veal. And that is certainly NOT happy meat.

I've read about factory farm procedures. If things are done right, I think it's far more humane than the way animals in a "Kosher" factory are killed- just for instance.

I just accept that pain and suffering are unavoidable. And since Orca whales torture their food and eat it...or hell just kill for plain fun, I'm not gonna feel too guilty about the bolt to the head the cow took so I could have a steak.

Ever watch a cat hunt? Yeeeeeaaaa....not nice. Nature isn't nice.

It's a fact of life that we all have to eat. I need meat in my diet. I'm gonna eat it.

I'm hoping that farming and harvesting techniques are becoming more humane as we go along. But I accept there's only so much you can do. I personally couldn't eat a cow I raised and named- but my SO can and HAS. *shrug* I don't think it makes him a bad person. The realities of working on a farm and harvesting animals are harsh. But the people I know who have done it are not unnecessarily cruel to their charges.

And I don't think most high end beef cows are treated cruelly either. They can't be or else the meat wouldn't taste good. (Veal being a debatable exception)

The reality of most factory farms in regards to cows is that they go down a chute, around a corner, and BAM. done. They don't know what hit them. They didn't see the cow next to them bite it. They just went for a ride.

Same thing in pig farms. Actually, from what I've been told by someone who worked in a slaughter facility, the last thing you want is for the pig to realize whats happening- the whole horde will freak out and someone will get hurt. So, yea. They put them down peacefully. (If I'm not mistaken, they knock them out before they slit their throat and hang them to bleed...so the pig literally doesn't feel anything).

Wikipedia has some interesting articles on farm factory practices, too. (Don't read if squeamish)

and- In my book medical testing is alright, so long as the scientists are acting ethically.

[Dreamstalker]

Temple Grandin developed humane slaughtering practices I believe. http://www.grandin.com/ Fascinating stuff.

[Sylvia727]

Ever watch a cat hunt? Yeeeeeaaaa....not nice. Nature isn't nice.

It's a bit of a side note, but most feral cats don't play with their food and prolong the hunt. That's primarily the behavior of domesticated cats, who are well-fed and don't need to hunt, but still have the instincts of thousands of generations telling them to chase down that rodent.

Unless, of course, you were going for a "nature red in tooth and claw" comment. In which case, carry on.

[Lace Neil Singer]

"Don't kid yourself, Jimmy. If a cow got the chance it would eat you and everyone you care about."

XD

Speaking seriously, a lot of predators don't wait til their prey is dead before they start eating so the prey animal suffers terribly before it finally kicks the bucket. If you're a tiger and hungry, you're not going to hang around til the deer is dead before chomping on it.

[Flyndaran]

...
Speaking seriously, a lot of predators don't wait til their prey is dead before they start eating so the prey animal suffers terribly before it finally kicks the bucket. If you're a tiger and hungry, you're not going to hang around til the deer is dead before chomping on it.

What on earth do non-human actions have to do with what we humans choose to do? As a human being, I supposedly have the intelligence to understand and make informed choices that no other creature on earth could.

I have the capacity to sympathise with relative species that I understand have the same emotions and physical feelings that I do.

[DesignFox]

I was just making the point that animals eat other animals. It's nature. And as far as being human goes, we know that animals suffer when we kill them, so we try to reduce the trauma involved (generally speaking- veal and foie gras being notable exceptions).

In nature, predators aren't so kind. So, I don't feel guilty about most farming practices. I know that cow had a better death coming from a bolt gun than it would if it had been eaten in the wild.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with people disagreeing and choosing not to eat meat. It's the extremists (like PETA) that I can't tolerate.

A constructive thing for that organization to do would be to fund shelters, fund spay/neuter programs, help fund businesses so it would be affordable to run more free range/cruelty free practices in farming, etc.

Banning all meat, throwing paint on fur coats, calling pet breeders murderers and slave traders, and generally throwing a temper tantrum isn't serving any kind of contructive purpose.

[Lace Neil Singer]

What DesignFox said.

I have an uncle and aunt who are vegetarian. I get on very well with both, cuz they don't try and force their beliefs down my throat and vice versa. My cousins have both chosen to eat meat; they were given the choice as soon as they were old enough to be able to choose what they want to eat.

[Flyndaran]

What DesignFox said.

I have an uncle and aunt who are vegetarian. I get on very well with both, cuz they don't try and force their beliefs down my throat and vice versa. My cousins have both chosen to eat meat; they were given the choice as soon as they were old enough to be able to choose what they want to eat.

If I were a parent, I would not allow my child to eat mammals, just like I would be severely saddened by a non-atheist. Teaching one's offspring what we believe to be correct moral viewpoints is the lion's share of what it means to be a parent.
There's a huge difference between not fighting adults on their "incorrect" beliefs, and what I choose to allow my hypothetical child to do.

[Lace Neil Singer]

If I had children, I'd leave it up to them what they chose to believe in as soon as they were old enough to understand the difference. I wouldn't be upset if a child of mine chose to become vegetarian and Christian, for example. If you love your children, you accept their different opinions.