I am a member of PETA, People for the Eating of Tasty Animals.
In all seriousness, I agree with the general vibe here. A) social media is a huge weapon nowadays, HUGE. The worst part is that once something starts trending, the press is all over it and makes it a lot worse because that makes their job easier. B) People are going further and further and sticking their nose into people's business. That's what happens when you raise the bar, the next person is just going to want to raise it higher. Live and let live is not something that many people are willing to do anymore.
To say an animal should have the same rights as a human is, I'm sorry, stupid. Theres a difference between giving an animal rights and punishing a person that acts in a way that contravenes a code laid down by society. Honestly for all the people that say "We didn't have a choice, we were born into these laws and we have to follow them, no one asked me and I don't have a right to decide" to you I say go live in the woods. Seriously, go live in the woods somewhere far away from society, then you can do whatever you want. I like being a member of society, and although I don't agree with some of the rules I also can't say I follow all of them, but certainly not going to run to the media if I get caught breaking them. Protest, go vote, or just do your thing and be happy your city isn't being bombed everyday. I myself am a news junkie and I am tired of miserable oppressed first world citizens complaining about the fact that they feel they should be more entitled then the next person. I personally feel the only reason I should have something better than you is if I work harder than you, not because I complain more. It is getting worse and worse, and I agree there could come a day, maybe not too far away, that our hobby will change because someone feels they want more control. You're gonna take a fish that had a 25% survival rate in the wild that I have been feeding shrimp, smelt, expensive flipping pellets twice a day, busting my balls to upgrade systems, change water, throwing tons of money into keeping them alive and healthy, and you're gonna call that cruel?
To go on a tangent but to illustrate the example, the women's rights movement has hit a huge wall. Back in the day women have been fighting about fair wage, being able to vote, etc. Where I live women are allowed to go topless legally (which I am all for, believe me), and now we have teenagers fighting to be able to wear see-through tank tops in high schools or sports bra's as shirts in schools. This makes front page news for weeks at a time... Nothing better to fight for? Won't go into reasons why a bit of modesty is a good thing to teach the younger generation especially in light of stuff like Tinder and Jersey Shores, but the whole #MyBodyMyBusiness trend is not true when you a) make it everyones business and b) are trying to change the way men are wired while at the same time buying clothes that sole purpose is to make you look sexy (which is totally 100% fine, human sexuality is a perfectly natural thing, we ARE sexual beings, in a lot of time and places it is great that people want to walk around with some sex appeal, it keeps our population going, but not in a setting like a classroom filled with hormonal boys). The other half of women are trying to prove that they are better than men, not equal. In my eyes different does not mean unequal. Put Rhonda Rousey vs. Connor MacGreggor, do it. There are a ton of important things women do better than men, I am first to admit. But to constantly throw it out there that men are such awful creatures and women should have more rights are turning them into the bad guys they are fighting against in the first place. Women already have plenty of rights men don't have, especially in regards to children which everyone knows takes 2 to tango, but I see this going further and further in the wrong direction. And this is just one example of almost everything being taken too far nowadays.
In the end, I flipping love steak. I love bacon, I love trout. I also love my dog and my cat, and my fish to a lesser extent. If you kick my dog I will probably kick you. But in the end the dog is my property because it is also my liability. Can't have it both ways. My dog and cat teach me a lot of great lessons about life that I would be hard pressed to find elsewhere, and for this any many other reasons it should be treated with respect. However this doesn't mean it should be treated with the same capacity as a human being capable of creating novels, iPhone 6's, and find cures to diseases. There's a reason we are at the top of the food chain, and we should be honored as such. Remember that a lion will not think twice about the ethical dilemma of eating you.
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