TheCatSite.com › Forums › General Forums › IMO: In My Opinion › The way humans treat the animal kingdom**(mini rant)
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

The way humans treat the animal kingdom**(mini rant)

post #1 of 19
1/24/06 at 9:50am
Thread Starter 
I am always amazed at the gratuitous cruelty that humans exercise with the animal kingdom. I am not a vegetarian (though I see nothing wrong with that choice), and I am not a member of PETA (they are well intentioned, but go just a little too far for me on certain issues), but I do support the need for humans to treat all animals humanely. To me that means if there is a time that humans actually need to use an animal such as for food, that the treatment of such animals be humane, not to inflict unnnecessary pain and psychological harm to such animals. I am also not for gratuitous killing of animals; that being for animal furs, leathers etc. I am dead set against other non-food purpose killing of animals such as for skins, tusks, aphrodiseacs (eg: tiger penises), so-called delicacies (eg: shark fin soup in which the fins of sharks are cut off ship side, and the shark is discarded into the sea to slowly die). These "uses" of animals are disgusting, hideously cruel, and arrogant. We, as human beings, are demeaned when we treat animals in this cruel and needless fashion.
Reply
post #2 of 19
1/24/06 at 11:00am
I don't buy any make up tested on animals because IMO it is needlessly cruel, however I am extremly disillused by Peta since I have been on this forum.

Have you guys seen the Penn and Teller episode on Peta? Its brought chills down my spine. If you haven't just google it. I don't know if I can post the link.

WARNING: if you offend easily you might want to skip it as it has a lot of swearing. I assume no one is under 18 here since we are in the IMO forum.
Reply
post #3 of 19
1/24/06 at 11:19am
It took me a year, but I finally live a lifestyle that is as close to 100% cruelty free as we can get in this country. I'm vegan about 98% of the time (strict vegetarian the other 1.9999%- I DO go out to sushi-fest once a year and partake) and I have given up buying all leather, feathers, fur (not that I had any to begin with)- though I thought it would be wasteful to throw out that which I already own- and I don[t buy anything that doesn't specifically say that it has never been tested on animals.

You know what gets me? It shouldn't have taken a year, nor should it take the amount of effort and research that it did. It should be a lot easier to divorce oneself from the industries which abuse animals.
Reply
post #4 of 19
1/24/06 at 2:04pm
Where I agree i do not like the killig of animals for certain luxury items. I also think things should not go to waste IE if they slaughter a cow for meat why just toss the hide? why not tan it and use it.
Reply
post #5 of 19
1/24/06 at 2:31pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScamperFarms
Where I agree i do not like the killig of animals for certain luxury items. I also think things should not go to waste IE if they slaughter a cow for meat why just toss the hide? why not tan it and use it.
I agree with that, good point, as long as the initial reason for the slaughter is for food
Reply
post #6 of 19
1/24/06 at 3:23pm
sbw999 - I can't disagree with you at all. My thoughts exactly.
Reply
post #7 of 19
1/24/06 at 3:34pm
Agreed. If you are going to kill an animal, then at least use ALL of it so that nothing is wasted.

This is a lesson we can learn from most indigenous peoples - Aboriginies, Native American Indians etc. They never kill more than they can eat and use, and always make sure they never hunt an area too much as they know that animals need to breed and grow in order for populations to be sustainable.

Sustainable industries that make suffering as small as possible is what we need.
Reply
post #8 of 19
1/24/06 at 5:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sbw999
I agree with that, good point, as long as the initial reason for the slaughter is for food
I wont go out and buy myself a fur coat or anything...but i do have a leather jacket, and my riding boots are leather. but its been verified the hides were purchased from cows that had been slaughtered for food. If an animal must die..than it should not have any bit of itself be invain. IMO
Reply
post #9 of 19
1/24/06 at 6:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jane_vernon
Agreed. If you are going to kill an animal, then at least use ALL of it so that nothing is wasted.

This is a lesson we can learn from most indigenous peoples - Aboriginies, Native American Indians etc. They never kill more than they can eat and use, and always make sure they never hunt an area too much as they know that animals need to breed and grow in order for populations to be sustainable.

Sustainable industries that make suffering as small as possible is what we need.
Reply
post #10 of 19
1/24/06 at 7:19pm
I personally do not buy furs, not even little doiley things (Mark used to have these furs under his plants and stuff, they were fox and all that and I hated them. He had one right on the didning room table, while we were eating I had to look at it). I do have a leather jacket that I got as a gift years ago, but otherwise have no animal made things. I agree with non-torturous death, and only necessary deaths. I saw this show called Shark Hunter (or something?) Mark used to be fascinated by it. Now, I am deathly afraid of sharks (probably ignorance) and not interested in them that much (sorry Sharky!) BUT, I watched that show with him ONCE. I was HORRIFIED!!!! They catch these sharks and start sawing them open and sawing parts off them and spearing and hooking them while they're still alive...You could see the shark writhing in extreme pain, misery and terror, until finally, they died. It made me SICK!!!! I don't love sharks, but they are living things after all and I tell you I've never felt sorry for a shark until I saw that show...
Reply
post #11 of 19
1/24/06 at 11:36pm


I have recently become vegetarian for exactly those reasons. I bottle-fed a one-week old lamb at a friend's daughter's birthday and when I felt it my first thought was `Wow that feels like a car-seat cover'. I was horrified. I realised that I was so far removed from animals we eat as food, and the way they are `processed', that the first thing I associated the feel of a tiny baby lamb with was a consumer product. My decision was made on the spot, I haven't touched meat of any kind since. It was the easiest decision I have made in a long time.

I have never been able to go fishing, I can't kill anything, even mosquitos and cockroaches and the more I see of the way we treat animals the more disgusted I am. And it's not just about animals, it is our environment and earth in general. We just take, take, take, and pretty soon there'll be nothing left.

There's an awesome commercial on Animal Planet, talking about looking after our earth, and it ends with the line, `After all, it's not as if we can go shopping somewhere else'. And it's SO true.

These are things that most people just don't consider, IMO, and even if we do, often it hasn't enough of an impact to make a significant difference in how we lead our lives.
Reply
post #12 of 19
1/25/06 at 6:29am
Quote:
I have never been able to go fishing, I can't kill anything, even mosquitos and cockroaches and the more I see of the way we treat animals the more disgusted I am. And it's not just about animals, it is our environment and earth in general. We just take, take, take, and pretty soon there'll be nothing left.

There's an awesome commercial on Animal Planet, talking about looking after our earth, and it ends with the line, `After all, it's not as if we can go shopping somewhere else'. And it's SO true.

These are things that most people just don't consider, IMO, and even if we do, often it hasn't enough of an impact to make a significant difference in how we lead our lives.
People just won't change though. Our whole society is built on this consumer culture. You know how hard it is not living that way, especially in North America? It's really pathetic the way people have to "keep up with the Joneses" and buy buy buy. It just never seems to end. And yet the environmentalists are always the ones to be ridiculed for their unrealistic views.
Reply
post #13 of 19
1/25/06 at 2:28pm
I was vegan for a long time. I'm not even vegetarian at this point. I can understand your arguments though. I try, as best I can in this region, to buy meat from farmers who treat their animals humanely. There are several farmers in this region who raise chickens and cows in a humane fashion. It's a little more expensive, but it's worth it to me- supporting sustainable agriculture, local families who own farms, and more humane treatment of farm animals. I used to think eating meat was wrong (as was using dairy, eggs, honey, wool, leather, fish, etc), now I think it's natural. I had serious health problems develop as a result of being vegan and one of my friends developed serious neurological problems because of his veganism. I was a vegan for about 5 years, he was a vegan for around 10. We both did everything right. I had a meal plan, consulted a nutritionist and everything and it still wasn't health enough for me. My friend is now vegetarian rather than vegan and doing better, but the damage to his brain was severe enough that it can never return to it's previous functioning. Ethically I have changed as well, but I think people should go with their conscience. If your ethics say to live as close to a fully vegan lifestyle as possible good for you. I try as hard as I can to use products not tested on animals, but I'm not going to die from an asthma attack because of it. I would never use cosmetics tested on animals.
Reply
post #14 of 19
1/25/06 at 2:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by esrgirl
I was vegan for a long time. I'm not even vegetarian at this point. I can understand your arguments though. I try, as best I can in this region, to buy meat from farmers who treat their animals humanely. There are several farmers in this region who raise chickens and cows in a humane fashion. It's a little more expensive, but it's worth it to me- supporting sustainable agriculture, local families who own farms, and more humane treatment of farm animals. I used to think eating meat was wrong (as was using dairy, eggs, honey, wool, leather, fish, etc), now I think it's natural. I had serious health problems develop as a result of being vegan and one of my friends developed serious neurological problems because of his veganism. I was a vegan for about 5 years, he was a vegan for around 10. We both did everything right. I had a meal plan, consulted a nutritionist and everything and it still wasn't health enough for me. My friend is now vegetarian rather than vegan and doing better, but the damage to his brain was severe enough that it can never return to it's previous functioning. Ethically I have changed as well, but I think people should go with their conscience. If your ethics say to live as close to a fully vegan lifestyle as possible good for you. I try as hard as I can to use products not tested on animals, but I'm not going to die from an asthma attack because of it. I would never use cosmetics tested on animals.
It's more of being educated an aware than anything.

I have a number of health issues that I've always had. I'm iron-deficient anemic, sometimes have to deal with high billirubins in my blood, I have low blood sugar, and I have IBS. All of these affect what I eat and make a 100% vegan lifestyle damn near impossible. But I make it work to the best of my ability and at this time, I'm not using any prescription medications that would go against my lifestyle choices but I wouldn't refuse to take the drugs if I had to. I see a nutritionist every few weeks and very carefully select items. My diet is VERY high in whole grains, for instance. And foods like broccoli and spinach that have high protein. I also take supplements and I have an ex boyfriend who lives on a farm in Wisconsin who brings me eggs that he hand raisedfor me to eat because I trust the way the chickens are treated. I'll eat cheese if it comes from my uncle's co-op.

I really see no huge issue with the act of humans eating meat or using various parts of animals. My problems is the world today's systematic torture of them and how wasteful we are.
Reply
post #15 of 19
1/25/06 at 9:15pm
--Computer acting funny...lost part of the message---
Reply
post #16 of 19
1/26/06 at 3:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pushylady
People just won't change though. Our whole society is built on this consumer culture. You know how hard it is not living that way, especially in North America? It's really pathetic the way people have to "keep up with the Joneses" and buy buy buy. It just never seems to end. And yet the environmentalists are always the ones to be ridiculed for their unrealistic views.
So very true
Reply
post #17 of 19
1/26/06 at 6:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by esrgirl
I was vegan for a long time. I'm not even vegetarian at this point. I can understand your arguments though. I try, as best I can in this region, to buy meat from farmers who treat their animals humanely. There are several farmers in this region who raise chickens and cows in a humane fashion. It's a little more expensive, but it's worth it to me- supporting sustainable agriculture, local families who own farms, and more humane treatment of farm animals. I used to think eating meat was wrong (as was using dairy, eggs, honey, wool, leather, fish, etc), now I think it's natural. I had serious health problems develop as a result of being vegan and one of my friends developed serious neurological problems because of his veganism. I was a vegan for about 5 years, he was a vegan for around 10. We both did everything right. I had a meal plan, consulted a nutritionist and everything and it still wasn't health enough for me. My friend is now vegetarian rather than vegan and doing better, but the damage to his brain was severe enough that it can never return to it's previous functioning. Ethically I have changed as well, but I think people should go with their conscience. If your ethics say to live as close to a fully vegan lifestyle as possible good for you. I try as hard as I can to use products not tested on animals, but I'm not going to die from an asthma attack because of it. I would never use cosmetics tested on animals.
I agree with you. I don't think that eating meat is wrong, I think that the way it comes to us is wrong. If I had the opportunity here, as you do, to support local farming and purchase my meats from a humane farmer who humanely raised and slaughtered his cattle and chickens, I would probably still be eating meat. I still eat eggs, but only free-range, for example, because they are available to me. Free-range chicken is available to me, too, but I haven't eaten any meat since deciding to become vegetarian. I still don't think I would be able to eat lamb anymore, though, and I've never eaten veal, even when I wasn't vegetarian. That appals me.
Reply
post #18 of 19
1/29/06 at 2:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KitEKats4Eva!
I realised that I was so far removed from animals we eat as food, and the way they are `processed', that the first thing I associated the feel of a tiny baby lamb with was a consumer product.
Even though people did it for millenium, I think that if most people in our modern society had to kill and dress what they had to eat, there would be a lot more vegetarians out there. Meat is easy to "hunt" these days: drive to the grocery store and pick out a package or ask the butcher to wrap something up for you. You don't even think about what goes on behind the scenes.

I do buy cage free eggs and have bought whole hogs from local farmers who raise them humanely. But I am guilty of being a grocery store shopper more often than not.

I pretty much agree with SWB99 on this topic.
Reply
post #19 of 19
2/5/06 at 12:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Momofmany
Even though people did it for millenium, I think that if most people in our modern society had to kill and dress what they had to eat, there would be a lot more vegetarians out there. Meat is easy to "hunt" these days: drive to the grocery store and pick out a package or ask the butcher to wrap something up for you. You don't even think about what goes on behind the scenes.

I do buy cage free eggs and have bought whole hogs from local farmers who raise them humanely. But I am guilty of being a grocery store shopper more often than not.

I pretty much agree with SWB99 on this topic.
I used to think that if I had to hunt my own meat I would be a vegetarian. I think now that I probably would still eat meat. However, after having had to euthanize several fish from my tanks (when they get too far gone from disease, etc., it seems cruel to let them live), I know I would do my best to make sure that any animal I killed would not suffer needlessly and ideally would not suffer at all.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: IMO: In My Opinion
TheCatSite.com › Forums › General Forums › IMO: In My Opinion › The way humans treat the animal kingdom**(mini rant)