Different River » People for the Ethical Rights of Vegetables (PERV)

”You can never step in the same river twice.” –Heraclitus

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February 21, 2006

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— Different River @ 9:03 pm

ollie Says:
February 27th, 2006 at 10:22 pm
I’ve seen this bumpersticker: “I am not a vegatarian because I love animals. It is just that I hate plants.”
Different River Says:
February 28th, 2006 at 9:31 am
I’ve also heard of another PETA: “People for Eating Tasty Animals”

I actually have no problem with vegetarianism. I even considered once for ethical reasons, and (consciously — this seems to surprise people) decided against it because I concluded those ethical reasons were not valid. But if other people disagree, I have no objection.

I do have a problem, however, with the notion that animals “have the same rights as people” — or in fact, any “rights” at all. Animals and people are not the same. This doesn’t mean I’m in favor of cruelty — I believe it is immoral to treat animals cruelly. But that’s because it’s immoral for people to do it, not because animals have any particular “rights.”
Different River Says:
February 28th, 2006 at 9:31 am
Another bumpersticker-type saying: “If an vegetarian is someone who east vegetables, what’s a humanitarian?”