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December 04, 2006
From the perspective of which tribe?
In my research into the morality of trapping mice in the previous post, I stumbled onto a very interesting debate about the immorality of glue traps and the need to ban them. While the conventional AR philosophy holds that glue traps should be banned, the discussion devolved into a practical question of whether or not the old-fashioned "snap traps" might be the most humane approach: You know the little plastic boxes which catch the mice live? For later release? They are problematic in that if you don't check them daily, the mice starve in 'em. So, the plain old spring/squash 'em traps are best, ironically.A commenter named "Gyspy" (soon to be called a Nazi butcher) lamented her anguish over the situation, reviewed her problems living in a rodent-infested home, described the torment she went through when she called an exterminator, but maintained (gasp!) that she didn't want rodents living in her house: in my fanciful mind, i want the word to get out in the underground that my house is not open for the rodent kingdom, go somewhere else.This drew immediate and repeated cries of outrage by "Antoine," who thinks killing mice is indistinguishable from killing humans: ....this is an animal RIGHTS tribe, which means that all animals are considered to have basic rights (the right to live being a very basic one) so it isn't about living in harmony with "critters" it is to acknowledge that they have just as much of a right to live there as you do, and if you would not like them inside your home, then make sure your home is clean, and that all foodstufff is put away in tight plastic, ceramic or glass containers.This caused Gypsy to apologize, but that apology was not enough for Antoine, who then likened her to a Nazi butcher: Nice high horse you are climbing on, say that to the mice that died.
If you don't believe in Animal Rights you are part of the problem...I prefer to be part of the solution.Sometimes it helps to know that you're a butcher and a psychopath. It actually brightened my day. MORE: If these perspectives brightened your day, there's plenty more at Antoine's blog, the guiding principle of which is expressed as follows: racism = speciesism = sexismGenocide, I tell you. And lest you think we're natural meat eaters, forget it! Being descended from Paleolithic hunter gatherers won't get you meat eaters off the hook, as the meat eating was an aberration indulged in by people who had no right to be living in northern climates: physical evidence of human flesh-eating, such as tool-scarred bones or ancient fire pits, is found only in northern areas which are well outside of the natural ecological niche for our tropical ape species; thus, any evidence of cultural diets so remote from our proper ecological niche is totally irrelevant to any understanding of what the natural diet for our species is. This ecologically-relevant, and crucially-important fact is universally, and conveniently, ignored in any discussions of Paleolithic humans. Paleolithic (tool using) humans are not natural humans and are just as irrelevant as any modern cultural group and their modern self-destructive dietary practices.If only there were some way to spread the word. I think that if ordinary people knew how incredibly guilty they were, something might be done. As to all you pet owners out there, remember. Having pets is unethical. (I'll try to keep it a secret from Coco....) UPDATE: Speaking of tribal perspectives, humancentric Professor Ann Althouse (linked by the speciesistic Glenn Reynolds) seems blissfully unconcerned with Paleolithic man's proper place. Reports Althouse: ...anthropologists Steven L. Kuhn and Mary C. Stiner theorize that the women must have joined the men in hunting for large animals.But now that we know hunting for large animals is an unnatural phenomenon resulting from humans being "well outside of their natural ecological niche," doesn't that beg the question of precisely which violations of natural law caused the demise of the Neanderthals? posted by Eric on 12.04.06 at 11:11 AM
Comments
My lip turned upward in an involuntary grin when Antoine dared accuse his opponent of being on a "high horse". The irony and the embedded speciesism boggle my narrow little mind. But not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth when someone steps in it so badly while they are howling at the moon, I call on Antoine to: - Renounce the inhumane, immoral use of non-human species in all metaphors, especially of the clicheed variety. - Take steps toward the removal of his so-called "white" blood cells, the bringers of death to innumerable non-human organisms - Work with those of other species to avoid killing one another, especially for the defense of territory, but even for food. Their example has led countless humans to infer that killing for food or territory is acceptable - Begin speaking truth to power about the desperate need for an alternative to the evil Food Chain (alias "The Web of Death") Together, we can slay this beast. Socrates · December 4, 2006 01:39 PM If you believe these animals have a right to life than you have to believe no animal has the right to kill another animal. Therefore you have to make every wild carnivore starve to death. How can these people walk around and function? Harkonnendog · December 4, 2006 03:26 PM He's full of it about prehistoric human hunters. Chimpanzees hunt monkeys and other animals for food and our common ancestry with them is 6,000,000 years ago, so our ancestors have probably been hunting for at least that long -- that is, longer than we've been human. Infidel753 · December 4, 2006 04:02 PM How can these people walk around and function? Aren't you making assumptions there, Hark? :) Eric Scheie · December 5, 2006 11:17 AM Having gone through reincarnation for, at least, the past 80,000 years, I can honestly say that killing mice is not murder, it's more like a promotion. Alan Kellogg · December 6, 2006 09:57 PM Moral relativism! Next you'll be saying it's OK to swat flies! Eric Scheie · December 7, 2006 04:01 PM |
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Isn't the obvious solution to invite a cat into your apartment as a roommate, charge it "x" number of mice per month, then release it back into it's freedom after the job is done?
There, the cat can have it's morality, thereby killing the mice, and I can follow my human morality in giving it a room in an equal partner/contractual relationship.