I'm not all that up to defending my straw man, but I am horrified by the treatment of livestock, and the Iowa Select Farms stories made me realize, that level of cruelty has been extant for probably (tens of) thousands of years.
If only 130,000 years ago, evil pigs used humans for livestock, not only ate them, but ensured their cruel short lives, and humans revolted and turned the tables on the pigs, so they deserve cruel treatment, because they're adverse to human existence.
But that is scifi. In truth, a number of people have been killed by pigs, but as a species, pigs don't really threaten humans. We don't need to eat pigs, and even more cruelly, pigs are just business. But once you realize how much these interesting animals have in common with people, which is not apparent by their unflattering names nor our general familiarity with them having vague knowledge of various farm animals since childhood, the idea of consuming one or part of one becomes revolting in the same way that cannibalism is revolting. I used to eat pork steaks, and even though I could talk about taste, I don't care what it tastes like anymore. Taste is just not that important, and, most importantly, it can be and has been entirely simulated so that no one could tell the difference.
I'll just say it, I don't think humans should eat pigs anymore, period, let alone continue to treat them so horrifically. We should, through ethical programs (not killing) reduce their population over generations to a healthy representative of the species, and just let them go and not mess with them any more unless nuisance animals need to be moved. Because they're mentally absolutely no different than human children, and we should, as a species, have compassion for others like us, that experience the world in pretty much the same, mammalian way.
And all the other animals, too, we should stop killing everything immediately, and back out of encroaching on the remaining wild habitats. And we should, over generations, massively reduce the Earth's human population, but let the off-world human population grow as much as practical.
Because, otherwise, very soon, in two generations, maybe ten, Earth is totally going to suck, the whole stinking place, because of humans and terrible things done and caused by humans. If Earth succeeds in ridding itself of humankind, life will go on beautifully for a long time before another species becomes like humans and destroys all the environments.
I try to stay positive. I feel good knowing I lived at a time when the Amazon Rainforest still existed and there were still glaciers in some places. And maybe, just maybe, this research can generate compassion for living creatures that are mentally a lot like humans, and we know this for sure because their brains are just like human brains. Duh.
Ever since I was a small child it was obvious to me that there would be a time when humans no longer ate other animals. Not in my lifetime of course, as that and other insanities such as inflicting misery on other humans is still well ingrained, accepted, and promoted.
If only 130,000 years ago, evil pigs used humans for livestock, not only ate them, but ensured their cruel short lives, and humans revolted and turned the tables on the pigs, so they deserve cruel treatment, because they're adverse to human existence.
But that is scifi. In truth, a number of people have been killed by pigs, but as a species, pigs don't really threaten humans. We don't need to eat pigs, and even more cruelly, pigs are just business. But once you realize how much these interesting animals have in common with people, which is not apparent by their unflattering names nor our general familiarity with them having vague knowledge of various farm animals since childhood, the idea of consuming one or part of one becomes revolting in the same way that cannibalism is revolting. I used to eat pork steaks, and even though I could talk about taste, I don't care what it tastes like anymore. Taste is just not that important, and, most importantly, it can be and has been entirely simulated so that no one could tell the difference.
I'll just say it, I don't think humans should eat pigs anymore, period, let alone continue to treat them so horrifically. We should, through ethical programs (not killing) reduce their population over generations to a healthy representative of the species, and just let them go and not mess with them any more unless nuisance animals need to be moved. Because they're mentally absolutely no different than human children, and we should, as a species, have compassion for others like us, that experience the world in pretty much the same, mammalian way.
And all the other animals, too, we should stop killing everything immediately, and back out of encroaching on the remaining wild habitats. And we should, over generations, massively reduce the Earth's human population, but let the off-world human population grow as much as practical.
Because, otherwise, very soon, in two generations, maybe ten, Earth is totally going to suck, the whole stinking place, because of humans and terrible things done and caused by humans. If Earth succeeds in ridding itself of humankind, life will go on beautifully for a long time before another species becomes like humans and destroys all the environments.
I try to stay positive. I feel good knowing I lived at a time when the Amazon Rainforest still existed and there were still glaciers in some places. And maybe, just maybe, this research can generate compassion for living creatures that are mentally a lot like humans, and we know this for sure because their brains are just like human brains. Duh.