Aaron Vallis
Recent Activity
Why don't we take a gander at what's going on across the pond! http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/26/civilliberties.labour … Read More
August 26, 2008 |
Why do people continue to commit acts of animal cruelty?
Why is it that just about everywhere you look, someone is commiting an act of animal cruelty? Is it inherent; an evolution of the hunter instinct of our ancestors? Because it seems as though that from childhood, we are taught subliminally to mistreat animals: to eat their flesh, to wear their pelts, to take them from their natural environments and use them as slaves, or merely another entartainment medium (such as a circus, a zoo). Why do we do it people, and what will it take to end the suffering? … Read More
April 29, 2008 |
Aaron Vallis commented on Kids and Animal Cruelty on April 29, 2008, 1:07 PM
I myself have been researching the subject of animal cruelty, and frankly I am nothing but appauled by the actions of the individuals who do so. Why do people continue to do so, anyways? What people need to learn is that we are all part of the same global community, no matter what the species, and the actions carried out by people like Michael Vick are no different from racism, slavery, and genocide. It's a shame, really. Congrats on KAAC by the way!
Aaron Vallis commented on Re: What would happen if we discovered an alien civilization? on April 23, 2008, 1:51 PM
While human civilization has definitely evolved beyond the simple hunter/gatherers of the paleolithic, we must take into account the second party: the alien civilization. More than likely, their civilization has not evolved in the same context as our own, and therefore their social norms will be far different than our own. For example, perhaps their idea of peace is so radically different from our own that upon first contact, we may be convinced that we are being invaded. Furthermore, if we do make peace, how are we to communicate? They certainly wouldn't speak english, and their physiology culture might make it so that their means of communication is impossible for us to decipher. These are the kind of questions that must be taken into account, rather than simply examining past instances of first contact between human civilizations (none of which, it would seem, have turned out perfectly).
Aaron Vallis commented on Why do people continue to commit acts of animal cruelty? on May 2, 2008, 12:21 PM
Our hunter/gatherer ancestors had no choice but to hunt animals, I understand that. I also understand that at the same time, they had a great deal of respect for these animals (if cave paintings and egyptian mythology are any indication) and made good use of meat, pelts, and bones. So then why, why nowadays do we skin foxes and minks alive on fur farms, then leave the corpses to rot? Why do we isolate pigs into factory farms, where they spend two years before an inhumane slaughter? Why, in Spain, are bulls beaten and stabbed in a show of mass entertainment before a public execution? I understand that being speceists, we will never extend the same support to animals which we give to our family and friends, but surely no being, whether a rat or a pig or a dog or a boy, truly deserves the sort of treatment with which we subject animals.