From: ben (ben@machinegod.org)
Date: Mon Feb 25 2002 - 14:40:46 MST
[ben 1]Because you're not comfortable with your place in the food chain? Do
you feel that guilty about it?
[Mermaid 1]No. I dont feel guilt, but I am most definitely uncomfortable
because its nasty. To me...at least...
[Mermaid 1]...but pray do tell...where does guilt enter the picture?
[ben 2] from my interpretation of your desire to "mask the stench of death".
The questions marks were there because I was not sure I had interpreted
correctly.
[Mermaid 1]Cooking 'rare' is not the same as ripping a leg off a
live/freshly
killed sheep.
[ben 2] Certainly you see the difference between ripping a limb off of a
living vs dead animal?
[Mermaid 1]Please...lets not get carried away. I'd rather listen to the
explanation of the lunch hierarchy theory from someone who hunts and eats
bear meat<and some actually do...
[ben 2] In a perfect world, I would eat only meat that I had hunted myself.
In a perfect world, I'd be a better hunter with more time on my hands, too.
[ben 1] Too many people try to play nice with the fact that living beings
are
murdered so that they might enjoy the taste of their flesh, but that's what
it boils down to isn't it?
[Mermaid 1]Yes, you are right. Too many people try to play nice with the
fact
that living beings are murdered so that they might enjoy the taste of their
flesh. They should probably be stopped and be forced to become 'veggies'.
But hey..guess what? I can live with them.
[ben 2] I was in no way suggesting that they stop eating meat - I was
suggesting that they should stop trying to 'cosmetify' it and deal with the
reality of human nature as well as nature itself.
[Mermaid 1]And NO. It actually boils down to how animals are treated because
not everyone will embrace vegetarianism/veganism. Although, *I* do not like
food that looks like its going to spring back to life and cluck at me. That,
ben, is a personal perference.
[ben 2] Thanks, now I know the meaning of the phrase 'personal perference'
:P
I realize very well that it is personal preference. Are you going to tell me
that personal preferences are completely unfounded in other personality
traits?
[ben 1]If one can't accept that, perhaps they _should_ go veggie.
[Mermaid 1]That was the plan and I had dabbled long enough with meat to know
that I *really* dont enjoy eating meat. I dont believe in 'militant'
anything. Either its about being a strict-vegetarian or a
die-hard-meat-lover?
[ben 2] Of course not. Either extreme is unhealthy and unnatural.
[Mermaid 1]Nobody suggested that you
should slaughter your own cow food, did they?...:)
[ben 2]No, but now that you mention it I will. OK not cows perhaps exactly,
but I do think that every person should go hunting at least once, and kill
at least once, to gain a better understanding of what 'being a meat-eater'
entails. Which, in the long run, would probably lead to less meat in the
human diet, not more.
[Mermaid 1]Let me make it clear with an example:
[ben 2] Interesting example, but unneccessary. I never claimed that animals
don't feel pain. Although I imagine pain to be an externally measurable
phenomenon and as such withhold judgement either way for certain kinds of
pain. Obviously the general concept of animal pain is valid, as anyone who
has had an injured pet can attest.
[Mermaid 1]Would you rather all vegetarians declare that vegetarians are
superior to non vegetarians in their eating habits and non vegetarians
making similar claims to support their view?
[ben 2] Regardless of my preferences on the matter, that does appear to be
the status quo.
-ben
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Wed Sep 25 2002 - 13:28:43 MDT