momzcrazy:
Goddamnit! How am I supposed to debate you with those things pointing at me?!
(Shielding my eyes)
I'm sorry, how does the way I treat MY animals and kids affect starving kids and slaughtered animals?
Well, money you spend on them is money that you could donate to charity, for example. (Not saying you should, just that you could.)
How are starving children fed by not slaughtering animals?
It's more efficient (for the most part) for humans to eat crops directly rather than feed them to animals and then eat the animals. The superabundance of cheap food that would be available if everyone switched to a plant-based diet would easily feed the world's starving people.
Why am I being attacked because I do eat animals and feed my kids animals?
Not attacking you, just pointing out that you do actually compare children to animals and, like virtually every other person in the world (including me) you care more for those near you than for distant, nameless statistics. I don't mean to pick on you specifically, just to highlight the incongruity between giving regular insulin shots to a cat, and eating the flesh of another mammal that never even saw daylight in its short miserable existence. If you're comfortable with doing that, then that's fine but if you expect to be involved in a discussion about how we treat animals and not have someone question how you treat animals, then you're in the wrong place.
Is it because I don't object to them being slaughtered for meat?
No, it's to make sure you know how they live and how they die so you can make an informed decision.
I can't change how animals are treated. I can only have an effect what I buy and how I treat animals here.
What you buy can change how animals are treated. If you only buy free-range organic meat (for example - the whole labelling system can be an ethical minefield) you are ensuring that your money only goes to those who treat animals (relatively) well. You can make a difference - if you choose to.
BurnTheShips:
“When men stop believing in God they don’t believe in nothing; they believe in anything."
Never been accused of that before. I don't think I believe anything about animals that you don't. I just think it's more ethical to treat them better.
One wonders if he tears off a tick or a flea.
If I can remove a parasite without killing it, I will, but I really have no ethical issue with bug-squishing.
hillbilly:
Momz... the funksters at that stage of life where debate for the sake of debate is fun for him. He is a pretty bright kid most of the time.
I think I'll put a positive spin on that and say it makes me feel young, rather than see it as condescending.