Speciesism is a term used by so-called animal rights activists to belittle the belief a hierarchy exists within the animal kingdom, and that human beings are a superior form of life lording over the food chain. The extremists have decreed speciesism to be just as bad as racism or sexism. By their definition, I am a speciesist. To the average animal rights activist, a human being is just another animal -- nothing special. As People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) founder Ingrid Newkirk famously said, "When it comes to having a central nervous system and the ability to feel pain, hunger and thirst, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy." Therein lies my problem with PETA -- members of that organization obviously fail to recognize that the lives of some creatures are clearly more valuable than others. And on that critical point, I strongly beg to differ. Of course, Newkirk is right about one thing -- animals can feel pain. So what? Animals can get hungry, and thirsty, just like a human being. Yet when a human suffers a mortal or life-threatening wound, they often go into shock, which ultimately causes them to experience less pain. By the same token, why can't we assume the same thing happens with other animals, that they might also go into shock when death becomes imminent? The animal liberation movement began with noble intentions -- opposing the barbaric practice of using of kittens and puppies for laboratory testing or medical experiments. But a rat is vermin. A pig might be served for dinner. And a dog is man's best friend, as this story … [Read more...]
Speciesism and Animal Liberation
The problem with PETA
PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk rather famously once said, “A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy”, but she was absolutely wrong. The truth is that a rat is vermin, and a pig could be dinner. A dog might be a boy’s best friend, but they are obviously different species, rather easy to tell apart. Don't get me wrong...I love my dogs, very much. They are my furry babies. Truthfully, I wouldn’t even think twice about risking my own life by running into traffic to save one of them from an oncoming car. In fact, there’s precedent for my saying so. Not long ago I foolishly ran onto a major highway near my house and nearly got myself killed, trying to save someone else’s dog that had escaped from under their fence. The story had a happy ending that day. They don’t always end that way. We both were lucky, the dog and me. I was acting purely on altruistic instinct, a natural reaction that a guy like Jerry Coyne might mistake for goodness. Nevertheless, if the choice is between saving either a dog or a child, the human life comes first in my mind. That’s also an instinctive decision, a no-brainer. In my world, God gave mankind dominion over all other animals. That means we have a tremendous responsibility to act as good stewards. In the world I prefer, it’s okay to kill a cow or chicken--as long as you eat it. It’s even okay to make clothing from the animal’s hide, so nothing is wasted. While doing so, we should most certainly give thanks to its Creator for the sacrifice of the animal for food and clothing, for the life we used to help sustain ours. However, in … [Read more...]
