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The Forum > Article Comments > Meat and other animals > Comments

Meat and other animals : Comments

By Monika Merkes, published 7/12/2011

What makes one animal a pet and the other prey?

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The fact is, many of the things modern society requires us to do can be dehumanising. Any activity which requires one to bottle or compartmentalise their emotions erodes one's humanity, and can be quite stressful to more sensitive types.
Of course, virtually all adults have been dehumanised to some extent, that's just “growing up”, as they say. It's interesting that the most dehumanised are the last to see it in themselves, we all tend to use ourselves as a template for what is 'normal'.
Don't we, Yabby.
I think a large part of the dehumanising process is losing the ability of objective personal introspection; probably because if we look too closely, we may find things about ourselves that in an earlier, more 'naïve' time in our lives, we may not have approved of.
Butch (sorry, I can't be bothered trying to spell it backwards) and Jayb, I'm inclined to agree. Bleeding is probably as humane (painless) a way to kill a beast as any; I have no objections to eating Roo either, if it's a clean headshot to an unwary animal.
Stressing out an animal, whether by running it down or by sending it to an abattoir, not only is bad for the animal but also bad for the meat. It's also -long term- bad for the farmer.
Children can witness their parents being dehumanised, and as a result, end up sharing the experience.
The one great moral advantage to capitalism is that we all get to vote with our wallets. If we don't approve of an industry, we have the right -if not the duty- not to support that industry.
I love meat. There is no more salivating smell than frying bacon. But I refuse to support an industry -even one I have been a part of- that is deliberately inhuman purely for the sake of the Most Holy Dollar.
Posted by Grim, Friday, 9 December 2011 7:31:15 AM
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Havn't eaten beef for 7 years, chicken and roo only. Since marbling of beef took over, you can not get rid of the fat. The only thing that is good for is a hart attack. Never discard a bit of good road kill.
Posted by 579, Friday, 9 December 2011 9:05:48 AM
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God I'd love to send all these fools out into the bush for a month, totally unaided, with a gun & a knife.

At the end of it, any who survived would have relearned what human is, rather than some idealised sanitized version. What we see in the city centers, where some kids actually believe milk comes pre bottled off a tree, is the result of lives so far removed from reality, that they would not recognise it, if it bit them on the bum.

If anything is going to destroy the planet, it will be these over educated, over refined twits, who have become totally removed from their roots. Talk about a waste of space.
Posted by Hasbeen, Friday, 9 December 2011 9:15:50 AM
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*Any activity which requires one to bottle or compartmentalise their emotions erodes one's humanity, and can be quite stressful to more sensitive types.*

I would have thought Grim, that being human means the ability to
think and to feel. Even better, to think about what we feel and why.
According to you, only the emotionally engulfed are human. I would
have to dispute that. Widsom does not come from simply following
your feelings. Try reading Daniel Goleman's "Emotional Intelligence",
if you want to understand it further.

There are good reasons why we give both people and livestock a number,
rather then a name. Its far easier and practical. Being human
means being smart enough to understand that. If for instance, I had
to order a couple of thousand eartags with everyones name on it,
apart from having to think of all those names, it would be a logistical
nightmare to get the names to the tagmaker and for him
to produce them. Right now he simply runs the tagmaker 1-2000.

Being human means doing things smarter. The latest dairies are completely
automated. Cows can wander in when they please, they are
fed according to their needs, whilst being milked, all automatically.

That means that farmers can focus on sick animals, livestock nutrition,
pasture management and all the rest. All very human
and farmers can have a close bond with their animals, for they
have more time.

Your problem Grim, seems to be more one of coping with a changing
world. Well you are not alone, its common amongst old fellas.
Posted by Yabby, Friday, 9 December 2011 9:58:10 AM
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At least us humans are caring toward our animals, at least until they are on the plate , then they get knocked around a bit. If some want to eat grass , so be it. Not everybody is like that, we need meat to make our brain grow. We are not like animals, ripping the rear end out of an other animal, while it is still alive. It comes down to education, or the lack of it. Get some animal handling experience, become a chicken drover, and get to know how animals behave.
Posted by 579, Friday, 9 December 2011 2:20:45 PM
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I'm sure you know it all 579, breed a lot have you?

My old stallion still calls & comes at the trot when he sees me, although he's been retired from breeding & show jumping for about 8 years now. His mother is a bit lazier, she comes, but only at a walk. She never was one to spend more energy than necessary. He gave her a hell of a time as a foal.

I'm only here now, so these last 2 of our horses can have a comfortable retirement, after all they gave us heaps of pleasure for many years. Do you think 8 acres each should do them?

Perhaps you could come over some time & teach me how to handle them, always have liked learning new skills.
Posted by Hasbeen, Friday, 9 December 2011 5:42:58 PM
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