Melanie Joy's book Why We Love Dogs, Wear Cows and Eat Pigs explores this phenomenon and identifies it as "carnism". "Carnism is the name I’ve given to the belief system, or ideology, in which it’s considered ethical and appropriate to eat (certain) animals." So I suppose all people who eat meat are carnists and in a broader sense, all those who use animals in general are "speciesists".
So... If you use animals - If you eat animals - at least you now know what to tag these nasty habits as...
But if you've done the critical thinking... If you've broken free from archaic ignorance - Take joy to call yourself a:
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I'm going to have to write a post one day about how I eventually became vegan, but one of the turning points for me occurred when I accidentally (I had just switched TV channels) saw 30 seconds of a documentary in which [*warning – graphic details follow*] a cat was skinned alive and thrown into a pot of boiling water in preparation for dinner. As a cat lover I was horrified and disgusted and haunted for days by the images which I'll never forget, but it did make me begin to question how people decide what animals to eat, and what animals to love. I'm sad to say that I still didn't make all the connections at that point and just tried to suppress what I had seen and not think about it, but a few years later when I finally became aware of how farmed animals are actually treated in my own part of the world, things started to click and I went vegan overnight.
We human animals are pretty lousy citizens of the animal world. Mr. Singer was sadly right on when he said that all men are nazis in their behavior toward other beings. Thanks for the post Bea.
Personally I think it's very important for all vegans to tell their story. It's a way for new vegans or those questioning speciesism to see how we all emerged into a clearer way of thinking. As we all know the indoctrinations are so deep we don't even realize we're being bigots (or nazis) in our relationships to (some) animals.
Thanks for your comments... And for being witnesses.
You just don't get it do you? OK, I'll explain it very slowly and simply for you. Some animals are for eating, and some animals are not. Just like you wouldn't eat a vase of flowers on your table; some plants are for eating, and some are for decoration. We don't eat our pets because they're members of our own families. Is that so hard to understand?
"Some animals are for eating, and some animals are not." Based on what rationale?
"Just like you wouldn't eat a vase of flowers on your table; some plants are for eating, and some are for decoration."
Ummm - You'll find that nearly ALL flowers are edible from marigolds, carnations, bachelor’s button, violets, lilies, roses, tulips, etc. But then so is "broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower", edible too - as well as herbs and *weeds" like dandelions and purslane. Now there is no difference of "harm" done to any of these plants if I choose to consume them or place them on my table as an art object.
This is not the case regarding our treatment to dogs and pigs who are all members of our "animal family". Pig, dog and man are all "sentient" - All wish to live. Now is that so hard to understand?
But if any individual animal becomes a member of our family, we don eat it. Like in Charloette's Web, Fern didn't wan't Wilbur to get slaughtered because she had bonded with him and he was her pet. She didn't save all the pigs, she didn't become an animal activist, she didn't give up bacon, she just saved Wilbur because he became a part of her life.
Now, you don't secretly fear your dogs will kill and eat you do you? Why? It's the same thing!
No, only a few types of flowers are edible. Why? They don't want you eating them before the seeds develope! They sell edible flowers in the salad section, but how many people eat them? Nobody! This also shows that since they have to be specially picked, not all flowers are edible. And edible means they won't make you sick, not that they have any nutrients in them. So no, flowers are not normally food.
What she realized - What all thoughtful humans eventually come to know is that all animals have interests of their own. They are not here to "serve" man...
Edible flowers - http://whatscookingamerica.net/EdibleFlowers/EdibleFlowersMain.htm
There's a lot more to it than what you think you know.
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