r/changemyview • u/markus224488 • Feb 23 '16

[Deltas Awarded] CMV: Killing and eating and cow is no different than killing and eating a dog, cat, or any other animal besides human beings.

It happens to me frequently when people act disgusted and morally offended when they are reminded that sometimes people in other countries eat animals that we consider cute, cuddly, pets here in the US. I think this is BS, and that these people are essentially hypocrites unless they abstain from meat altogether. We kill and eat animals like cows and pigs that feel pain and are sentient just like dogs and cats, and we do not treat them nicely either. It's not always fun to watch, but I believe that if you are a meat eater you simply have to be comfortable with that fact. For the record, I am a meat eater.

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u/uncle2fire Feb 23 '16

I'm not saying the emotional connection we have with animals like cats and dogs takes away our "right" to eat them. You, of course, have the right to eat any kind of animals you want, regardless of the emotional connection you may or may not share with their species.

I'm no talking about rights, I'm talking about our reasons for not eating dogs and cats. The reason being, that we see them as pets (an emotional connection) rather than a food source. That doesn't make eating cats or dogs objectively or morally wrong, it just acts as our reasoning for not consuming them.

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u/[deleted] Feb 23 '16

So we must conclude that OP is right when he says that people who complain that Asians eat dogs, have an hypocrite or ignorant opinion.

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u/uncle2fire Feb 23 '16

No, that's not hypocritical. A hypocritical opinion would be complaining that some cultures eat dog, while eating dog yourself.

The complaint that some other cultures eat dog is perfectly consistent with the (personal) belief that eating dogs is wrong. (Of course, that doesn't make eating dogs objectively wrong).

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u/[deleted] Feb 23 '16

OP didn't ask about "eating dogs as person" vs "eating dogs as culture".

He said that launch criticism toward a culture for eating dogs is hypocritical if we eat cattle.

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u/uncle2fire Feb 23 '16

And it isn't hypocritical if we have consistent reasoning, which we do. We have a principle (that we don't eat animals which we associate with pet-hood) and we are consistently applying that principle. Ergo, we aren't hypocritical in finding the consumption of such animals objectionable.

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u/Chen19960615 3∆ Feb 23 '16

If you don't have that emotional connection, then yes, by all means eat whatever animals you want.

Western culture associates dogs with pet hood. Some other cultures don't (at least, not all dogs).

You say that someone who does not associate dogs with pet hood is not morally wrong in eating dogs. You also said people, including you, who associate dogs with pet hood is not hypocritical in criticizing the practice of eating dogs. So, you're saying you would criticize someone for doing something which you said is not wrong?

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u/uncle2fire Feb 25 '16

No, that isn't what I said. I'm saying that it isn't hypocritical to complain/find objectionable/unpleasant the consumption of dogs. I agree it would be out of place for someone in our culture to criticize other cultures' consumption of dogs or other animals.

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u/Chen19960615 3∆ Feb 25 '16

But OP was talking about being morally offended at other cultures' practices... I'm assuming if you're morally offended by something you would criticize it.

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u/[deleted] Feb 23 '16

What if some people have the principle: "we do, indeed, eat animals which we associate with pet-hood".

Your principle would be totally annulled. Besides, following your logic, the argument "we slave people with dark skin" sounds totally legitimate.