[NotSoRighteousRob]

Now I know this isn't going to apply to everywhere, i don't know the dietary functions of other parts of the world, but in the U.S. I am somewhat familiar with it.

Why is it okay to eat pigs, cows, ducks, chickens, etc, but not dogs? Many animals are just as smart as dogs. Pigs can recognize their owners and develop the same emotional level of bonding as dogs. How do we as a society decide what's okay and what's not?

Not that I would ever want to eat a dog.. or many other animals for that matter.

[Who]

Obviously it would be unwise to eat all animals since some are poisonous or could have other adverse effects if you eat them.

While I'm not going to claim to know a lot on the subject, I'm willing to say a lot of it has to do with the whole social aspect of it. After all, most people think of dogs as friendly animals and wouldn't really want to eat one. Especially considering many people grow up either having a dog or knowing someone that owns a dog growing up, so they tend to not think of them as food since you tend to get a certain emotional bond with pets. Most people, on the other hand, don't really encounter pigs on a very regular basis aside from at the grocery store when they're already dead. Basically, they know domestic dogs have names, but they think of pigs, cows, and other animals that get eaten as just random animals. After all, it's much more depressing to eat something if you know it had a name, owner, and so on.

That's just my guess, though.

[EmotionallyTonedGeometry]

Dennis Leary: My fluffy little dog.. He's so cute- There's the problem. We only want to save the cute animals, don't we? Yeah. Why don't we just have animal auditions. Line 'em up one by one and interview them individually.

Dennis: What are you?

Otter: I'm an otter.

Dennis: And what do you do?

Otter: I swim around on my back and do cute little human things with my hands.

Dennis: You're free to go. And what are you?

Cow: I'm a cow.

Denis: Get in the fucking truck, ok pal!

Cow: But I'm an animal.

Dennis: You're a baseball glove! Get on that truck!

Cow: I'm an animal, I have rights!

Dennis: (pointing at leather jacket) Yeah, here's yer fucking cousin, get on the fucking truck, pal!

[snail]

The obvious answer is that it is not okay to eat any animals for purposes other than survival. If there are other options available, or if a person's life does not depend on eating a animal, it is a violation of that creature's innate rights, regardless of its intelligence or cuteness. Animals should only be eaten as an alternative to cannibalism, in extreme situations.

Of course, I don't expect anyone else to agree.

The thought of cooking and eating something's corpse for momentary sensory pleasure makes me both physically and emotionally sick.

[Aerorobyn]

The obvious answer is that it is not okay to eat any animals for purposes other than survival. If there are other options available, or if a person's life does not depend on eating a animal, it is a violation of that creature's innate rights, regardless of its intelligence or cuteness. Animals should only be eaten as an alternative to cannibalism, in extreme situations.

Of course, I don't expect anyone else to agree.

The thought of cooking and eating something's corpse for momentary sensory pleasure makes me both physically and emotionally sick.

You may not expect anyone else to agree with you - but I do agree with you.

It's sickening. Many people who eat animals aren't thinking in terms of, I need to eat this meat to survive; but rather, I want this meat because it's good. I don't judge who I will or will not associate with based on the fact that they are meat eaters - but I do have profound respect for those who do not indulge in this sort of greediness.

On a side note: While I don't judge based on who does or does not eat meat - I do judge based on who helps to create the meat. Those that find hunting as a humorous and terrific 'sport' for example - I do judge them, solely based on the fact that because they can and do kill animals for monetary or personal gain, they obviously have no heart. - but rather thinking in terms of

Also, I would like to point out that anybody who tries to start an argument with me over something I've said (I know somebody will, no doubt about that) - I will not be responding. I've stated my opinion, best left at that.

[seraphiel]

Unfortunately I think we've dug ourselves in a hole with eating animals, in 'developed' nations anyway.

Killing and packing and selling various kinds of animals for food is pretty much ingrained into many economies now.

But anyway... I don't really understand either why some animals are more 'special' (aside from maybe endangered species)

And in some places they do eat dogs among other things. I'm not a huge meat eater myself but I've eaten many different kinds of animal - bear, bison, dog, mussels, squid/octopus, snails (sorry snail!) different fish, shark, crabs/crustaceans, and various insects, and of course the more 'typical' pork, chicken and beef.

[snail]

Unfortunately I think we've dug ourselves in a hole with eating animals, in 'developed' nations anyway.

Killing and packing and selling various kinds of animals for food is pretty much ingrained into many economies now.

But anyway... I don't really understand either why some animals are more 'special' (aside from maybe endangered species)

And in some places they do eat dogs among other things. I'm not a huge meat eater myself but I've eaten many different kinds of animal - bear, bison, dog, mussels, squid/octopus, snails (sorry snail!) different fish, shark, crabs/crustaceans, and various insects, and of course the more 'typical' pork, chicken and beef.

....you ate me? I must have been asleep.

[seraphiel]

....you ate me? I must have been asleep.

Nah... just in case, you know, you had relatives or something lol

But yeah.. on topic again, another thing I don't understand is how some people expect to 'tame' nature without consequences - like people getting flipped out about bears looking for food (because people have taught them to do that...) or wolves/wildcats being too close, or like cougars running around in urban areas.

I also don't understand sometimes how humans get this superiority complex we seem to have, when we are the most dangerous and probably least responsible creatures on this planet at times...

We are probably the only creature who has the power to save the world or destroy it just based on our ability to think about things... or neglect to think about them.

[Mikbert]

The obvious answer is that it is not okay to eat any animals for purposes other than survival. If there are other options available, or if a person's life does not depend on eating a animal, it is a violation of that creature's innate rights, regardless of its intelligence or cuteness. Animals should only be eaten as an alternative to cannibalism, in extreme situations.

Of course, I don't expect anyone else to agree.

The thought of cooking and eating something's corpse for momentary sensory pleasure makes me both physically and emotionally sick.

Animals have rights? Like voting and free health-care and stuff?

[Liminality]

Because the human race is weird.

This is the only answer.

There are other countries and cultures where people do eat dog, and those who would find it deeply terrible to sacrafice a sacred cow, even if that meant a disease would spread, or would assault any son or daughter who would marry someone of a different religeon, or think getting so drunk you're throwing up is cool, or find it shameful that a 13 year old wouldn't want to loose their virginity and so on.

Animals have rights? Like voting and free health-care and stuff?

Buisness organisations are considered persons in law, or so I'm told. If something that doesn't live and breathe can have rights, I think it's fair that animals should, not that they necessarily do. Surely a protected species is one with rights?