What makes one animal different from another? Last summer, you may have heard about the Yulin Dog Festival: an event in China where dogs are "'tortured and skinned alive'" (Qin). The Western world was outraged to learn of this and across the world petitions were signed to protest this horrific massacre of what many consider to be "man's best friends" (Qin). A lot of people cared about what was happening to these dogs overseas and wanted to prevent them from losing their innocent lives. These protests are just one example that shows people care about the inhumane treatment of animals. The terrible reality is that animals are killed daily for their meat on an even more massive scale than the Yulin Dog Festival, and yet very few people choose to do anything about it. Why is this? There is no doubt that the majority of Americans are opposed to animal cruelty. Are dogs and other domestic animals with protected rights much different from farm animals? Or do people simply not realize that their food choices do not align with their moral values? Although it is very unlikely that Americans are willing to completely cut meat from their diet, they should consider reducing their meat consumption because purchasing meat supports animal cruelty, which probably does not fit not their morality. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Some would argue that our pets are different from the ones we eat for several reasons. First of all, it can be assumed that farm animals do not have the emotional capacity of dogs. If we accept the idea that an animal's intelligence is what determines whether it lives or dies, this argument can be countered by several studies that have determined that pigs share a number of cognitive abilities with other highly intelligent species such as dogs, chimpanzees, elephants and even humans” (Viegas). However, this superior intelligence is not visible in other animals that Americans are accustomed to eating, such as cows and chickens, but it is also not visible in other animals used as pets. companionship such as hamsters, guinea pigs and lizards. Despite this, Americans do not consider it socially acceptable to eat them. It is wrong to believe that these animals are being killed, or that killing them is justified, simply because of their lack of intelligence. Since the explanation for how much meat we eat as Americans isn't that animals deserve to die because of their stupidity, it comes down to one factor: taste. This is also the likely explanation for why the Chinese choose to eat dog meat (Qin). The difference between why it's okay to eat dogs in China and not in America is likely due to cultural norms. The fact that it is normal to eat meat in American culture is a very valid reason. It's very difficult to avoid eating meat at holiday events because it's so ingrained in our culture: from hot dogs at Fourth of July barbecues to Thanksgiving turkeys. However, while it makes sense to participate in traditions passed down through generations, it is illogical to support an industry that routinely goes against your morals. Americans are clearly morally opposed to the slaughter ofdogs because of their It is therefore not a stretch to believe that they would not like what is happening in the meat industry if they had a relationship with farm animals like they do with dogs . This is an unlikely situation for the average American. However, there are situations where average farm animals, such as pigs, are kept as pets and incredibly well liked and treated (Greenwood). Pigs are capable of loving pets, and it is unfair that they are raised and slaughtered as if their lives were worthless. Farms that raise animals prioritize efficiency and consider humane treatment of animals last. “Laying hens are kept in small cages, chickens and pigs are kept in crowded sheds, and cows are kept in crowded, dirty feedlots” (“factory farming”). These animals do not live in comfortable conditions and cannot lead a happy life. It could be argued that we protect these herbivores from predators who can end their lives at any time, but the likelihood of them dying from a predator (people) is much higher when they are in the care of 'humans. No, these animals have little chance of happiness and freedom, but they are raised so specifically for their meat that they are incapable of living a happy life outside of human confinement. “Some chickens' [breasts] become so abnormally large that their legs cannot support their oversized bodies, and they suffer from starvation or dehydration when they cannot walk to reach food or water” ( “Industrial Livestock Farming”). Animals suffer throughout their lives because of the backward priorities of the meat industry and the American public. The way farm animals are slaughtered isn't much more humane than the way animals are forced to live their lives. If Americans actually participated in the process of slaughtering the animal, it is likely that they would be morally disturbed. Michael Pollan describes how this systematic process takes place in an article titled “Power Steer.” Pollan describes what happens at the killing site, “something that [even] journalists are not allowed to see”: I have reconstructed what is happening on the other side of the blue door. What happens is that the animals advance in single file. At one point they go over a bar, their legs on both sides, and the floor slowly lowers, and at that point they are sort of transported onto this bar, which is a mat rolling, and they then pass through a train station where there is a man on the footbridge above. He's holding something that looks like an electric nail gun or something. This is a pneumatic device called a stunner. It basically injects a metal bolt. It's about the size and length of a large pencil in its brain, right between the eyes, and it should render the animal's brain dead. At this point, chains will be attached to its back legs. He will be lifted by the chains. The chains are attached to an overhead cart, then it will be bled. Another person at another station will stick a long knife in, cut the aorta, and bleed the animal. And then he will be completely dead. And from there it will go through a series of stations to clean it and remove its skin. The fact that neither journalists nor the general public are allowed to see what goes on behind "the blue door" makes it incredibly difficult for the average American to understand the terror a cow goes through to enter and exit a door. in a carefully cut meat form. The way these.