What's the conventional wisdom as to why this is so bad, but eating meat basically gets a pass? Like, meat offers sustenance, yes, but it's by no means required. So basically, humans eat meat because it tastes really good --- it's great "culinary entertainment."
This is a different kind of entertainment, but it's deeply offensive to many folks. I'm not trying to be a dick about it, just curious why this is seen as such a sin.
Is it that these animals weren't "supposed" to be killed? Would a movie about a beef cow who ends up getting slaughtered, both onscreen and IRL, be seen as better? Worse?
1.the chasm between the intended discourse of the film (feelgood movie with puppies going on adventures) and the alleged means to film it, feels particularly cynical and dishonest
2.the fact that dogs are companions -they have co-evolved next to humans for about 15 thousand years and hold a special place, contrary to animals typically consumed for their flesh
Thanks for the thoughtful response! 1) makes a lot of sense, and 2) makes a lot of "emotional sense" to me (as opposed to "intellectual sense," I guess).
yea, it's still not super reasonable to murder animals when we could, well, not do it. But I think dogs being companions mostly explains the difference in treatment. I used to be a vegan but the emotional load was too heavy to bear everyday. I chose to look away. I'm not proud, but I can't afford to be shameful. Do you eat animals ?
No, I've been a strict vegetarian for a long time, mostly vegan now but not strict about it. I did eat fish a few years ago because it was an invasive species (and also, delicious).
But also, I have no problem getting the food/nutrients I need from a plant based diet, which isn't always easy for other folks.
Yes, that's the cognitive dissonance of carnism. "How could torturing one animal possibly be the same as torturing another? We have different categories for torturing!!!!" smh.
Broadly, people are not ok with animals being mistreated. An animal that is raised in safe, comfortable conditions and then killed painlessly is not mistreated by the standards of many people.
Abusing a puppy and kitten to make a film is absolutely mistreatment, hence the different reaction.
I'm not trying to be a dick about it
Doubt. "Just asking questions" is so often a deliberate dick move.
The farmers I know go through a handful of local butcher shops to handle everything from that point forwards. The butcher gets high quality meat to sell and the farmer doesn't have to deal with the parts of the process that aren't part of their skillset or that they otherwise don't want to handle. So while they aren't part of the killing and butchering process, they are confident in their trust of the individuals and small businesses they rely on for it
From what I've seen and learned, small businesses and small farms have the capability to handle the process of breeding and nurturing their stock for processing into the cuts of meat we buy at the store in a humane manner, but very large farms and very large meat processing operations every individual is simply too disconnected from the full process to ensure every step is as humane as it should be.
Ultimately this is why we need to greatly expand the USDA to ensure every step of the process of our food being brought to our plates is as humane and safe as possible. The USDA already has full time inspectors who work at meat processing plants full time to ensure everything is safe and by the book, with the power to pause operations at any moment if they see a problem, but this needs to be expanded. We need USDA and FDA inspections to be frequent and thorough at every food processing facility in the country. Farms that product stock for these facilities need to be regularly audited. The erosion of the FDA and USDA is part of why there's been so many salmonella outbreaks and food recalls in recent years
In france we also have strong laws for that. Doesnt stop our local associations from releasing footage of industrial-scale farms that are just horrible to endure.