Willow Tree

PETA and Me

First I would like to thank everyone who took part of my survey. I enjoyed reading your answers and hearing your thoughts on the matter.

This survey was begun because of an e-mail debate on a list I belong to.

Like many people answering here and on their own blogs, my visceral reaction to PETA is negative. Too often their tactics have been so over the top and, in my eyes contemptible, that I haven't even bothered to listen to their messages even when the ads do not show what I feel is contempt for my fellow human being.

Animals are not equivalent to human beings. Neither is their suffering. That doesn't mean of course that their suffering should go unnoticed. But human beings must come first. The needs of a human outweigh those of an animal.

This would, in my eyes, allow almost anything to be done to an animal if the intent was to improve the human condition (of one or more individuals), under the following qualifications.

1)the use of the animal is necessary for the purpose; it can not be done sufficiently well any other way.
2)the animal is treated as humanely as possible.

Obviously one can haggle here: what do I mean by "improve the human condition", "necessary for the purpose" and what do I mean by "humanely as possible" ? These arguments can go on ad nauseum. In my mind that means eating meat, using animals for experimentation to find cures for illnesses and using animals as companions and aides.

Vegetarianism, especially vegean form of eating, is a higher level of morality in terms of eating, than a omniovorious style, just as someone who devotes most of their hours to charitable work, or who spends all their free time learning Torah, or who gives up their lunch hour to spend time with a friend in need are also acting on a higher level of morality. The ultimate Judge is G-d and how these actions play together is dependent upon many a thing.

PETA undercuts its own good intentions toward animals by not recognizing or not admitting to a difference in the treatment of animals versus treatment of people.
The essence of the Holocaust and the enslavement of Africans and others is that people are reduced to the level of animals. To once again reduce humans to that level, by equating an animal being slaughtered to the Holocaust or depicting a pig on the head of a lynched man, demonstrates to me that, at the very least, those in charge of PETA have no real concept of the depravity of the above two events in human history (and similar actions.)

PETA would do itself a favor if it reexamined itself; its goals and its ideals.
If they truly believe that the difference between animals and people in terms of value is equal then they can never represent me, even if I should come to agree with them in terms of the basic issues.

People are not animals. We were given this world to use; not abuse, but to use, for the betterment of ourselves as a whole.

I do believe a good goal of the human race would be to eliminate the use of animals as much as possible. But with that attempt must come the understanding that people are first, and the needs of the human outweigh the needs of animals.

Posted by Rachel Ann at September 25, 2005 07:47 AM | TrackBack