quote:
Originally posted by Captain Sammitch:
Sorry, man. I like animals and all, but those PETA people scare me. [gulp!] Saying we should care more for animals is fine, but putting animal life on a level with human life [which is precisely what many of these activists are doing] has been the source of many unhappy philosophical debates going back past the Greeks. Fact is, an argument like that does more damage to society than can be compensated for by projected positive returns. If you want to build a credible base of information [which I sense you are trying very hard to do], steer clear of the fringe. There are plenty of good reasons people become vegans other than worn-out and indefensible philosophical arguments about the hierarchy of nature.
I already freely admitted that PETA can be a tad extreme and over the top in trying to get their message across(they are ALWAYS non-violent, however, and anyone who tries to say otherwise is woefully ill-informed). But they certainly have plenty of credibile information AND results--- this group has been making a huge difference and leading ALL animal rights advocacy groups since you and i were in short-pants, Cap. And a more than casual perusal of their web-site would also show you that they make SEVERAL excellent arguments for veganism/animal rights--- ranging from simply purely ethical arguments all the way up to the scientifically-researched environmental concerns that meat-eating raises (statistics that are as sickening as they are staggering). Don't know exactly what you meant by that whole "indefensible philosophical arguments about the hierarchy of nature", Cap. Please elaborate if you don't mind.

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* While I'm sure there are some vegans out there who value the life of an animal more than they do the life of a human, I really don't see how that has any bearing on animal rights activism as a whole. And why should anyone even bother to turn it into some kind of a pissing contest between humans and animals, anyway? It is shockingly simple for both humans AND animals to live satisfactory lives free of unecessary suffering and death without ever having to "choose" between one species or the other.

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* I already mentioned a link earlier to an outfit that is not affiliated with PETA--- go check that site out if you prefer, folks. It has some great info and it does a very effective job of answering the question "Why vegan"?

www.veganoutreach.com