|
Welcome to the YorkieTalk.com Forums Community - the community for Yorkshire Terriers. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. You will be able to chat with over 35,000 YorkieTalk members, read over 2,000,000 posted discussions, and view more than 15,000 Yorkie photos in the YorkieTalk Photo Gallery after you register. We would love to have you as a member! Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today! If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please click here to contact us. |
|
| LinkBack | Thread Tools |
04-14-2015, 03:27 AM | #1 |
aka ♥SquishyFace♥ Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: n/a
Posts: 1,875
| Louis Theroux: African Hunting Holiday (warning: moody rant) I don't even know where to start with this post and I'm conflicted about the true reasons I even considered posting my thoughts here at YT. I probably need a private blog so I do not subject others to my rambling but until then, sorry I have, for a long time, tried to minimize meat consumption for myself as well as within my very small household. The older I get, the more I feel compelled to reduce what I feel is personal culpability towards animal cruelty via the consumption of meat. However, I have extensively studied evolution and the various theories regarding why we eat meat and why we should stop or continue depending on the focal perspective. So, I am conflicted about my conflicted attitude. On the one hand, animals and their welfare is something that I am very passionate about and strive to ensure that animal welfare is something which remains in the forefront of our minds as the guardians of Earth. On the other hand, I recognize that social attitudes can impact our sense of right and wrong and wonder just how 'wrong' I'd feel about meat consumption had I been born in another time. Of course, from here, I acknowledge that I was not born in another time and consider that we may be more enlightened than our predecessors, but then I think that I could just be arrogant when diminishing the intelligence of our ancestors on the basis of my judgment today. Yet, whichever side I am on regarding meat consumption by humans, I cannot fathom the 'sport' of hunting. The title of this post refers to a program I am watching about exotic game hunting in Africa. In short, Africans breed and raise wild boars, zebra and even lions in confined 'brush land' in order that these beautiful animals can be hunted down by Westerners, specifically, Americans. I think of the progress of our beautiful country who acknowledges the embarrassment of slavery and the injustice shown to Native Americans and I realize that there is a lot of ways America can continue to develop in the collective views regarding other races and societies which are internal and external to the United States. But, animals do not have agendas or plots to overcome specific people, politics, beliefs or humanity at large. Therefore, why do humans insist on eradicating true innocence for "fun"? I was so ashamed to learn that orange groves and other facets of economic growth in Africa have been extinguished by American hunters and their quest for "fun" which results in death. I couldn't believe that someone from Ohio wanted to kill a lion for a "thrill" which was equated to gambling. The validation these people used to justify their actions, when challenged, was unbelievable to me. For example, one lady stated that she was fine with killing zebras because the meat will be given to the "needy". Her tone implied the "meat" of the living creature she destroyed was beneath her but would serve a purpose for others which, in turn, made her a good person. I was angry and pitied them and their belief in their responses at the same time. As a scientist, I strive to reduce human suffering by finding the cure for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, effects of stroke, vascular dementia etc. but then I wonder if humanity deserves the compassion they do not show to these poor animals. Maybe I'm feeling overly philosophic because I am genuinely offended and appalled at the waste of life or maybe I'm just suffering from lack of sleep. Either way, thanks for reading this or sorry you wasted your time - whatever your perspective, I respect your view. Thanks for letting me share mine. |
Welcome Guest! | |
04-14-2015, 04:10 AM | #2 |
♥Love My Puppies!♥ Donating Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: US
Posts: 5,786
| killing animals for fun has always been very disturbing to me. For the life of me I can't figure out how destroying a beautiful creature can be enjoyable. I used to watch TV's Jane Velez Mitchell program on HLN and she used to show clips at the end of her show of human cruelty to cows, pigs, chickens, you name it, animals raised for slaughter. It was just sickening. I would stop eating pork, beef, chicken or whatever for a time after that but then always went back to eating it. I don't understand why I feel the need to consume meat but I do feel guilty about it and wish I could stop. I eat mostly chicken in my diet but still.
__________________ RIP My Sweet Darling Angel Daisy 08/09/03 - 10/02/15, RIP My Sweet Baby Boy Teddy Bear 02/01/04 - 02/11/16 Photos HERE |
04-14-2015, 06:48 AM | #3 |
Donating YT 6000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: New York
Posts: 17,753
| Misty, I totally agree with all you wrote.
__________________ Dyan, Mom to Bentley |
04-14-2015, 10:50 PM | #4 | |
aka ♥SquishyFace♥ Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: n/a
Posts: 1,875
| Quote:
Hi both, Thank you for responding to my tantrum..ha x For the record, I would never judge someone for eating meat. As I said previously, there are various theories which support our drive to consume meat and it takes a lot of knowledge, willpower, etc to overcome meat consumption and who knows if that is what we should be doing, anyway? I just thought that the 'trophy kills', as they were called, was appalling. The Ohio woman's hubby said he'd kill anything to extinction, including rhinos and elephants, to have their heads on his wall. The only thing stopping him was the money. Sadly, he could have killed rhinos but he didn't have the required $50,000/animal. I think if they were hunting and eating, I wouldn't have gotten so aggravated. It was the 'thrill of the kill' which disturbed me most, I guess. I have always viewed all life as sacred and can't seem to understand a contrary mindset from people in a supposedly civilized part of the world. I'm over it today, though, I think? I can't change the world but I don't have to contribute to things I disagree with, right? Thanks, again, both xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx | |
04-15-2015, 10:32 AM | #5 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Northern VA
Posts: 3,192
| I'm on board with the rest of you guys. I'd feel so horrible accidentally running over a squirrel or any other living creature, I just can't understand why anyone would hunt for sport. And how is it a sport and not murdering? I just saw an article the other day where the West African Black Rhino has been officially declared extinct. It's just so sad. And I feel like some day... humans will find a way to get themselves extinct. |
Bookmarks |
|
|
| |
|
|
SHOP NOW: Amazon :: eBay :: Buy.com :: Newegg :: PetStore :: Petco :: PetSmart