Live data from Hacker News

Pigs are as smart as dogs. Why do we eat one and love the other?

vox.com

21–30 of 45 posts

Re: Pigs are as smart as dogs. Why do we eat one and love the other?

#21
I think it's good that people become aware of their dietary hypocrisy in their lives.

Not many animals are treated more cruelly than pigs raised for food consumption with the exception of chickens perhaps.

The problem is that culturally around the world, all kinds of animals end up on dinner plates that are unacceptable to other cultures.

There is no right or wrong. The only solution is compassion for other animals suffering, and then making a conscious choice.

If a person is really compassionate, they will not eat any animals. Until then, articles like this highlight the hypocrisy but that alone is not enough to enable change within human society on a whole.

BTW, it is established that we do not need to eat meat to survive. People choose to eat meat because they like the taste, not for any other reason.

Re: Pigs are as smart as dogs. Why do we eat one and love the other?

#22
post #9

Pigs are also a handy source of meat. They grow to a large mature size quickly, reproduce in large litters with an early sequel maturity, and (like dogs) can eat all type of food, like the las vegas pig farm on restaraunt leftovers https://www.agupdate.com/agriview/news/business/pigs-part-of... Anecdote: my inlaws in Colorado 50 years ago used to grow potatoes for market and raise pigs for themselves. They showed me…

Uuuh...dogs can't eat any type of food. Everyday things like garlic, onions, avocado and chocolate, in no big a serving, can kill them in a relatively short time. Please be aware of our little friends can and should eat.

Yes, those are important. Surprise to me that xylitol gum is toxic to pets too.

Re: Pigs are as smart as dogs. Why do we eat one and love the other?

#23
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are friendliness and loyalty important ethical factors? Is it more ethical to cause suffering to an unfriendly and disloyal person than a friendly and loyal one?

Why is reducing suffering ethical? When you squash a bug does it suffer? Most lie and say it doesn't, because the exact chemical signals aren't there, but if you could ask the bug it would not want to be crushed. What about plants? Do they enjoy being uprooted and eaten? Well, there is no chemical process that we call "suffering" so it must be okay. But, these mammals you see, they're so close to us! And we don't lik…

[deleted]

Re: Pigs are as smart as dogs. Why do we eat one and love the other?

#24
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are friendliness and loyalty important ethical factors? Is it more ethical to cause suffering to an unfriendly and disloyal person than a friendly and loyal one?

Why is reducing suffering ethical? When you squash a bug does it suffer? Most lie and say it doesn't, because the exact chemical signals aren't there, but if you could ask the bug it would not want to be crushed. What about plants? Do they enjoy being uprooted and eaten? Well, there is no chemical process that we call "suffering" so it must be okay. But, these mammals you see, they're so close to us! And we don't lik…

Is there evidence that plants feel pain or that bugs do not? I don't know of any, but I would definitively be interested as that could change my view. I want to go wherever the evidence leads, even if it's uncomfortable.

In either case, if plants did feel pain, would a person cause more suffering by eating plants or by eating animals that eat plants?

Re: Pigs are as smart as dogs. Why do we eat one and love the other?

#26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uuuh...dogs can't eat any type of food. Everyday things like garlic, onions, avocado and chocolate, in no big a serving, can kill them in a relatively short time. Please be aware of our little friends can and should eat.

In Russia, nobody knows that dogs can’t eat any type of food. The dogs there don’t know this either.

Same everywhere else where we treat dogs like animals not members of the family.

Re: Pigs are as smart as dogs. Why do we eat one and love the other?

#27
Why do people let Vox lecture them in their arrogant way? I haven't listened to the additional lecture part, so not sure what they go into.

Pigs are way smarter than dogs.

Dogs are a very gamey meat and are expensive.

In Asia they only eat it rarely for special occasions or health. It costs to much.

I'm not a big fan, but maybe if I had it more it'd become an every day meat like pig. But I think not. They are not bred to be eaten. They are carnivores. And bred to look emotional to humans.

What interesting with this restaurant dog thief article to me is they are poor, but they do it for beer. People need something in life to live for.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xymkgw/eating-with-the-do...

Re: Pigs are as smart as dogs. Why do we eat one and love the other?

#28

I think it's good that people become aware of their dietary hypocrisy in their lives. Not many animals are treated more cruelly than pigs raised for food consumption with the exception of chickens perhaps. The problem is that culturally around the world, all kinds of animals end up on dinner plates that are unacceptable to other cultures. There is no right or wrong. The only solution is compassion for other animals s…

>If a person is really compassionate, they will not eat any animals.

I had the opportunity to live in an impoverished area of the Phillipines for several years- I met many kinds of people, some of whom were the most compassionate and selfless individuals I've ever known. After seeing the meals of dogs and cats they need to eat to survive because they can't afford any other lifestyle, I can say with no reservations at all that it's absolutely ludicrous to assert that compassion and carnivorism are mutually exclusive. Your sweeping generalization is wrong, my friend; perhaps you should try to empathize with the people you deride.

Re: Pigs are as smart as dogs. Why do we eat one and love the other?

#29
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are friendliness and loyalty important ethical factors? Is it more ethical to cause suffering to an unfriendly and disloyal person than a friendly and loyal one?

Why is reducing suffering ethical? When you squash a bug does it suffer? Most lie and say it doesn't, because the exact chemical signals aren't there, but if you could ask the bug it would not want to be crushed. What about plants? Do they enjoy being uprooted and eaten? Well, there is no chemical process that we call "suffering" so it must be okay. But, these mammals you see, they're so close to us! And we don't lik…

> Why is reducing suffering ethical?

Deep question. Seems like it's usually more of a postulate of ethics than a logical conclusion. Treat others as you'd like to be treated, for example.

If you're looking for a scientific answer, it's probably that empathy makes you suffer when you see it in others. And empathy is instinctive behavior that presumably evolved for the good of the species. Though evolution might be "selfish" in its own way, preferring to protect some species which are useful to us in other ways while eating others.

Re: Pigs are as smart as dogs. Why do we eat one and love the other?

#30

I think it's good that people become aware of their dietary hypocrisy in their lives. Not many animals are treated more cruelly than pigs raised for food consumption with the exception of chickens perhaps. The problem is that culturally around the world, all kinds of animals end up on dinner plates that are unacceptable to other cultures. There is no right or wrong. The only solution is compassion for other animals s…

You like the taste because your body needs it
Post reply on HN