Carnal Reason

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) member Chris Link of Norfolk, Va., top, adjusts the cellophane covering on the costume of demonstrator Dezeray Rubinchik of Philadelphia, top right, during a protest in front of the Statehouse, in Providence, R.I. The protest, in which three people placed themselves in containers resembling supermarket meat trays, was meant to compare eating meat with cannibalism.

Source: wftv.com

Most claims of moral equivalence don’t come with a theme song, but this one does.

Heifer whines could be human cries
Closer comes the screaming knife
This beautiful creature must die
This beautiful creature must die
A death for no reason
And death for no reason is MURDER
And the flesh you so fancifully fry
Is not succulent, tasty or kind
It’s death for no reason
And death for no reason is MURDER
And the calf that you carve with a smile
Is MURDER
And the turkey you festively slice
Is MURDER

Meat is Murder, The Smiths

The problem with claims of moral equivalence is that they cut both ways. If meat is murder, killing and eating a cow is as bad as killing and eating a person. By the same token, killing and eating a person is no worse than killing and eating a cow. Jeffrey Dahmer was pretty much the same as some guy having a steak.

I’ve known a few vegetarians and vegans to have fallen off the wagon. I wonder whether PETA members ever say the hell with it, the diet is too damn hard? If meat is murder and you decide to have some anyways, I imagine all bets are off.

Posted on June 10th, 2005 by pwyll
Filed under: General