Suffering

“As one authority on the subject has said, “cruelty is acknowledged only when profitability ceases”. So hens are crowded three of four to a cage with a floor area of sixteen inches by eighteen inches, or less than the size of a single page of a daily newspaper. The cages have wire floors, since this reduces cleaning costs; though wire is unsuitable for the hens’ feet; the floors slope, since this makes the eggs roll down for easy collection, although this makes it difficult for the hens to rest comfortably. In these conditions all the birds’ natural instincts are thwarted: they cannot stretch their wings fully, walk freely, dust-bathe, scratch the ground or build a nest. Although they have never known other conditions, observers have noticed that the birds vainly try to perform these actions. Frustrated at their inability to do so, they often develop what farmers call “vices” and peck each other to death. To prevent this, the beaks of young birds are cut off.”

This paragraph about the animal liberation has to do with what happens to the animals that are being prepared for food. This particular paragraph talks about the hens that are crowded into conditions that they aren’t meant to be in. There are three or four hens that are made to share a cage that has wire floors that slope just to make it better for the farmers to get the eggs. These cages also don’t allow room for the hens to make a proper nest or even stretch their wings. As a result of these conditions, the hens start to attack one another because they get frustrated with their limited space. These are just some of the conditions that these hens are exposed to, and they aren’t the only animals being exposed to harsh conditions too.

I don’t believe that animals should be exposed to these conditions even if they are just there to be served up as food one day. I think that these animals should have proper living conditions even if it means spending a little extra money. Animals have hearts and feelings just like humans do, and it is unfair to treat them as if they aren’t an actual living creature. I selected this particular paragraph because I think it’s terrible to see what these animals go through just to provide us with food. However, it does not change my thoughts on my food preference because I’m not a vegetarian and I love to eat meat (as terrible as it is). I say this because like me, I think a lot of people try to ignore what goes on at these farms and put it in the back of their mind.

In terms of the reading, speciesism is a way of experimenting on other species in order to see if certain substances are safe for human beings. I don’t agree with this because I find it to be harsh on innocent animals that don’t have a choice. Although the testing being done on these animals is for our benefit, I still don’t think its right. We don’t subject humans to this type of testing for a reason, and that reason is that we know it’s harsh and don’t know exactly what the outcome will be. So why should we be allowed to do this to animals? A lot of the testing done on these animals is for lotions or a beauty product which I think is even worse.

Humans have the right to equality because we have morals and we have a voice. Humans have the right to equality because we know the difference between right and wrong. We know that inflicting harm on others to gain something is wrong which is why we don’t do the type of testing they do on animals to humans. We’ve come a long way with equality for humans such as not discriminating based on gender, sexual preference, race, etc. However, this hasn’t stopped us from treating animals like they have no feelings and making them live in terrible conditions just to be processed as food later. I agree with the way that Singer addresses the subject of human equality is one I agree with. He talks about how humans have equality in ways that aren’t who is the smartest or the fastest or the strongest. I agree with this because I think that just because someone is more intelligent or smarter doesn’t mean they should have all the power.

I think that we do have moral obligation to avoid inflicting needless pain on animals because we wouldn’t do these things to a human so what makes it right to do it to an animal? Like I said before, just because it’s for our benefit doesn’t make it right. We should treat animals with respect just like people treat their pets at home with plenty of food, space to be free and move around, and taking care of them by keeping them clean and giving them the love that they need. Animals are a part of our world and it is up to us to help them stay alive and treat them with care. I already said above that just because we treat these animals this way, I haven’t changed my diet; I keep this type of cruelty in the back of my mind which I know is wrong. In terms of hunting, my boyfriend is a hunter and I get excited for him when he gets an animal because it’s a challenge and a sport for him. I know this sounds bad but I consider these things different then the testing we do on animals. We group them together without enough room to move an expect them to cooperate which is wrong. I guess I would need to do more research and be more conscious of what happens to the animals around me to start making some changes in my life.

In terms of hunger and poverty I think that if someone is homeless and have no means of obtaining food other than to hunt for it then so be it. This type of survival has been known for years and I don’t see it as a big problem because it’s not like these people are going on a killing spree. I think that poverty and hunger are a huge issue that need to be addressed better here but if they people are starving and can get their own food out in the wild, then so be it.

I included a picture of a lion with my post because I love lions and especially love the movie the lion king :). I do think it is our moral obligation to help endangered species because we are the only ones who can help them. It’s just like with humans how if a country is suffering and dying out then we help them out in any way we can. I think it is up to us to protect all animals, endangered or not because they live on our planet too.