June 2012
“Q. How does Ringling Bros. feel about local legislation banning the use of animal acts in some towns?
A: We believe that these bans are unnecessary and take away a treasured part of the circus experience that patrons tell us they support and love. (Fortunately, such communities are the exception, not the rule.) By banning performing animals, the town is effectively saying that our experts are not fit to handle the animals they have devoted their lives to caring for. We can’t say it enough: Ringling Bros. loves animals as much as you do!” —
A: We believe that these bans are unnecessary and take away a treasured part of the circus experience that patrons tell us they support and love. (Fortunately, such communities are the exception, not the rule.) By banning performing animals, the town is effectively saying that our experts are not fit to handle the animals they have devoted their lives to caring for. We can’t say it enough: Ringling Bros. loves animals as much as you do!” —
We can’t say it enough: Ringling Bros. loves animals as much as you do!
Don’t. You. Fucking. DARE.
(via open-the-cages)
Why is veganism so controversial but eating meat and dairy not?
One major assumption in this question: that eating meat and dairy is not controversial. If you mean to say that the consumption and exploitation of animals is not widely disputed due to health, environmental, and ethical concerns, then the assumption is incorrect. If what you mean to say is that the majority of the planet does not find the exploitation of animals to be of great concern, then this is possibly true (however, I have met many omnivores who claim they are for “better treatment” of the animals).
But perhaps the question aims to address: why does an omnivore become angered or defensive when faced with someone advocating a vegan diet? Surely if I were to advocate working down at the homeless shelter to others, they would nod and smile and find it an amiable thing to do (even though most will not go volunteer). If I advocate being against homophobia, racism, sexism, ableism, or transphobia, many will agree there also. So why is it that people become enraged or snide if I am to advocate a diet that reduces our environmental impact (more than stopping all forms of transportation), decreases risk of cancer and heart disease, and benefits the lives of (literally) more than 60 billion sentient beings on this planet?
Ask someone to visit a homeless shelter once a week and at most they lose a few hours of their life. Ask someone to go vegan, and they don’t even know how to live their life without meat and dairy. The answer is simple: it is controversial because a) widespread misinformation and b) fear.
(However, note that working at a homeless shelter is an attempt to fix a problem that oneself is not directly causing, whereas going vegan is merely fixing the problem that one is causing - if volunteering for the homeless is giving back to the community, veganism can be seen as merely not stealing from it).
Widespread misinformation: It makes you sick. It’s hard. Animals don’t feel pain like we do. They’re stupid. It doesn’t really help the environment. It’s the only source of protein. And the ever aggravating “plants feel pain, too!”——
It does not make you sick (said both out of personal experience and medical studies):The American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada said in 2003 that properly planned vegan diets were nutritionally adequate for all stages of life, including pregnancy and lactation, and provided health benefits in the treatment and prevention of certain diseases.
It’s not hard: If thousands of lazy college kids can do it (myself included), it’s not hard. When people tell me it’s hard, I don’t really make the connection that they’re talking about something I do every single day. Of my life. Without thinking about it.
We have google. It’s not hard.Animals - pain and intelligence: We live in an age where we have discovered that pigs are as intelligent as dogs, and on some levels even a 3 year old child. But you certainly wouldn’t find a 3 year old child in a casserole just because he did not have the same intelligence level as you did.
What makes the way humans feel pain superior? We have acknowledged that animals feel great amounts of pain. What makes causing pain for sentient creatures of the same kingdom (animalia) a moral action? Where are we drawing the line? Would you harm a chimpanzee, despite sharing the same genus?
If we’re going to deny it is a leading environmental concern, we’re going to have to disagree with the UN: (x)
Not a popular thing to do, I might add.
Ask a vegan where they get their protein and... well, I’m sure you already know this question is ridiculous by the look on their face: (x)
Plants: no, they do not experience pain. A response of stimuli is not “feeling pain”. But, if you truly do care about the lives of plants, a vegan diet is the best option - it will always take more vegetation to feed that cow, than it ever will to feed a human.
Fear: I understand that people are generally afraid to screw up their life. But there is enough information out there by reputable sources that clearly states veganism can be a common lifestyle. Since when was the human race so afraid to give up bacon?
It is controversial because people are ignoring the studies available concerning veganism and its benefits. It is met with great debate and defense, and even anger because apparently there’s something “high and mighty” about helping others in this world. There’s something “elitist” with thinking about your effect on the planet and other beings which can experience pain.
In a world that does not think twice about “ethical consumerism”, where does veganism stand?
so I guess I should start watching Legend of Korra?
