We are surrounded by animals that deserve to be respected, and yet there are countless people in the world who are unable to bring up this respect. It says a lot about a person when they pick up a knife and slash an animals throat. The pain that is inflicted on animals in various different industries is absolutely harrowing, and no person in their right mind should be okay with such torture. It is important to ask yourself whether or not you feel it is right to brutally slaughter an animal that screams in pain like a human would, and that fears being hurt as much as you do. The fact that our species happens to be capable of things others are, to our knowledge, not able to do doesn’t mean that we get to beat, abuse, and kill them. We can't fly without technology, we can't live underwater without technology. There are plenty of things we cannot do, that animals can, so why do human beings have this arrogance in them that tells you it's all right to inflict pain, as long as you have a "legitimate" reason?
We have sophisticated languages, we invent machines that exceed the abilities of anything else in the world, and we are the most powerful and influential species on the Earth. For some, this is reason enough to assume that we have the right to control the other animals to the fullest, and to kill them when we see fit, to others, this says that we have the duty to protect and preserve the fauna of our world. Now, I ask you, which side do you stand on?
If you eat meat, wear leather, go to animal circuses, or buy products that were tested on animals, you have (un)wittingly joined the side that claims we’re in charge, and should make use of this power. Does it make you feel queasy to see a video of an animal strung up by its hind legs, having its throat cut? Then don’t eat meat. Does it make you gag when you see a raccoon being skinned alive? Then don’t wear fur.
The terror animals are put through for things that some people don’t realize are cruel is truly sickening. Can you imagine being tossed in boiling water, alive? I sure as hell can’t, simply because it is such a harrowing thing to think about. Unfortunately, this is the reality for countless animals in the meat industry, as is being beaten, electrocuted, drowned, stabbed or otherwise tortured. It’s pretty crazy, isn’t it, all those horrors that unfold behind the shut doors of the meat industry? You see a butcher’s van drive by, sporting the logo of a smiling cartoon pig, and some will think: food. Is this right? Should living, breathing creatures be treated in such a way? When I see such a van, I shudder, feeling horrible for the corpses that that van might carry, for the animals that have been molded into hamburgers and sausages and whatnot. I feel like this, because I care, and because I have respect for life.
Animals feel pain. Animals feel fear. Animals feel affection for their young, their parents, their peers. How can any person consider themselves so blatantly important that they have the right to end a life for food when non-cruel alternatives are everywhere? Why is it necessary to slaughter animals in the most painful ways, simply because it’s cheaper, or faster? Why have we allowed society to become so absolutely obnoxious and insolent?
Educate yourselves about what happens to the animals before they become your shoes, your food, your coat, or your source of entertainment. Follow this link: www.petatv.com and allow yourself the privilege of being well-informed on this subject before you decide to chow down on another corpse. In the end, their lives lay in your hands.
I can’t even count the number of times that people have criticized me for what I stand for, telling me there is no point, or that it’s all just stupid nonconformity. I’ve been told that my being a vegetarian won’t change a thing, and that they’ll still kill animals, whether or not I agree. This is not entirely true. Vegetarianism is increasingly popular, and the amount of products one can get that replace meat in your diet are extremely varied. If more people become vegetarian, there will be less demand for meat. So, yes, I do have an effect on the world, however minor it may be for an individual. I know that there are others out there who are fighting for the rights of animals, who are educating people, sending them down the right path to a cruelty-free lifestyle, and I know that together, we’re changing the world.
I respect other opinions too, though I sometimes get drawn into being hostile when I'm faced with people whose opinions are completely against mine. I try my best to have as much respect as possible. I aimed at making my essay direct, confrontational, and not disrespectful, so I hope that I've succeeded in that, at least.
