Animal rights - protest gone too far?

[Pablo Honey]

In a recent spell of protests about animal rights, one incident caught my eye.

In England somewhere, an animal rights group took it upon itself to terrorise the owners of a guinea pig farm. The farm bred guinea pigs for scientific research labs, and the animal rights group, instead of protesting to the government, launched a vendetta on the family who owned the farm. The farm was closed after the protesters stole the buried body of the owner's mother from her mother's grave. They are now facing prosecution, but it's really nothing serious.

Do you think they should have done that? Why were the family not protected, and why were they allowed to be terrorised to the point of graverobbing? Were the animal rights people fighting for a just cause, something worthy enough of putting a family through such trauma?

(Also, on a personal note, I think they were being incredibly stupid from a protesting standpoint. If you're trying to change someone's opinion on something, God, don't dig up their dead mother, they will not see your point of view that way.)

[Asheis]

There's really a rather large difference between animal rights protestors (as well as any other type of protestor) and animal rights extremists.

While I don't really think it's right to grow guinea pigs for experimentation, those people had no right to pester those poor people like that.

They took it too far, I do agree. You can still be a protestor and have an effect, but not resort to obnoxious or dangerous methods. I think those are the people that are just protesting because it's fighting against society, they're really selfishly not trying to solve things the way they should.

[OnOneRyder]

I side with aninmal rights activists occasionally but never with extremists. Animals are NOT an equal to us, they ARE our subordinates and I have every right to eat them. If and animal such as a guinea pig's death can lead to the life of a human it is worth it. One million tortured guinea pig's is worth one human life.

Those people who go this far as usually a little looney. They are backed by a very wealthy looney who hires intelligent looneys to proove their points and dissregard anything said to them if it goes against anything they aggree with. My cousin married one of these type of people who view animals as equals so it was a completely vegan wedding. Luckily there was a vending machine in the hall and she actually tried to get it shut down for the duration of the ceramony. I love nothing more than eating a hot rod in front of her, I still haven't been mean enough to buy KFC when I know I'll see her though.

I don't think those people had the right to do that. What made them any more "humane" by digging up someone's mother? I think it is sick a irrational. I love animals, but I woul dchoose a human over one any day, and to treat your fellow man lower than a animal is just wrong.

I don't think that an animal capapble of eating a human would prevent it's fellow animals from eating an human.....becasue it felt sorry for humans. It would just ****ing eat us

[Asheis]

Originally Posted by cheesevixen

I don't think that an animal capapble of eating a human would prevent it's fellow animals from eating an human.....becasue it felt sorry for humans. It would just ****ing eat us

Ah, very true. We can, however, not only prove our mastery over our animalistic side, but also show our compassion towards animals by not eating meat.

Anyway.. I don't eat any meat at all, but i'd never try to force someone to be the same way. Especially forcefully. I'd much rather try to show them why I feel the way I do peacefully.

Just because you don't eat meat does not mean to do not help to the destrustion of animals. You live on their land, you smoke up their air. We all do it, so I am not pin pointing you exactly. I bet those people did not even once stop to look at themselves. They are taking just as much away. They are only pointing finger at people that are doing "worse" then they are. like choosing apples over oranges.

There is a fine line between protesting what you believe in, and insanity. These people have crossed that line. I don't agree with animal testing, but this has gone way too far, and something has to be done about it.

[Asheis]

Originally Posted by cheesevixen

Just because you don't eat meat does not mean to do not help to the destrustion of animals. You live on their land, you smoke up their air. We all do it, so I am not pin pointing you exactly. I bet those people did not even once stop to look at themselves. They are taking just as much away. They are only pointing finger at people that are doing "worse" then they are. like choosing apples over oranges.

You make an exceptional point. In this day and age, it's close to impossible to totally not have any negative effect on the environment. In fact, being that I am a vegetarian and not a vegan, I still consume dairy and egg products. These are both terrible industries that greatly mistreat the animals.

However, I do try my best to minimize the damage I cause to the environment, and the harm I cause to animals. I do my best to recycle, I eat organic whenever available, and I walk/bike instead of drive whenever possible. These things may not be entirely without destructive practices behind them, but I do feel that I am still helping, even if it's in a very small way. I also feel that I am, in essence, taking less of a toll on the environment than some. The little things do add up =)

One thing I don't do is accuse people, and point fingers. It really doesn't get anything done, it just serves to make people resentful towards you and your cause. I would hope that we all strive to be greener in our consumptions, and do the best we can in dealing with the destructive parts of our lives. However, I have NEVER condemned someone for eating meat, or not recycling, or driving an SUV. My life choices are going to be different than yours, and I totally respect that.

Basically, unless you live in the wilderness alone, hunt no game, and just survive off of the fruit and plants that you are able to find, you're still in some way harming the environment.

Anyway.. sorry to get a bit off topic.. ^^;

[Jin]

Originally Posted by OnOneRyder

Animals are NOT an equal to us, they ARE our subordinates and I have every right to eat them.

That's debateable and nothing more than an opinion.

If and animal such as a guinea pig's death can lead to the life of a human it is worth it.

So is that. Maybe I'm misinterpreting you, but you seem to be stating your opinions as if they were facts.

One million tortured guinea pig's is worth one human life.

How many human lives must be saved for a single human to endure such suffering? You seem to work with an "ends justify the means" mentality, so, where does it end?

In actuality, that mentality is no different than these extremists. They believe that what they are doing is worth it if it means freeing these animals from harm. It seems somewhat hypocritical to me to condem them when you yourself have just agreed to a very similar thing, albiet being on the oposite side of the spectrum.

Myself, I don't condone acts of terrorism, although I am all for animal rights. I don't believe that ANY animal should be tortured to achieve our goals, I don't care how many humans can be saved. I don't have a problem with testing on animals to further medical science IF it is done humanely.

Originally Posted by OnOneRyder

One million tortured guinea pig's is worth one human life.

Is that not like saying that one trillion ants being stepped on is the worth one human life. An if it were your life you might think differently. Fact is, we only feel sorry for animals because we have the brains to do so. Inreality if we were just like animals we would be ripping them to shreds with all the other tigers an bears.

[Sasquatch]

This is nothing, really. This is extreme, yes, but much more extreme acts have been committed by "animal rights activists". I'm talking about vandalism, property destruction, even firebombing. No murders that I've heard of, but I wouldn't doubt it.

But yes, definitely -- it's been said in this thread already. People who do things like that just give the normal activists a bad name. Nobody will take them seriously if they keep getting their reputation scarred by crap like this.

Originally Posted by La Fée Verte

One thing I don't do is accuse people, and point fingers. It really doesn't get anything done, it just serves to make people resentful towards you and your cause. I would hope that we all strive to be greener in our consumptions, and do the best we can in dealing with the destructive parts of our lives. However, I have NEVER condemned someone for eating meat, or not recycling, or driving an SUV. My life choices are going to be different than yours, and I totally respect that.

Wow. I don't think I've ever met an environmentalist like that, that's awesome. Most are like Jintatsu here. I really respect that of you. And remember, this is me talking, you treehugging wacko.

[Tiffany]

I dunno. I think we're superior to animals as well. Last time I checked, I haven't seen dogs figuring out medicines or inventing cars or planes.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's my right to eat them, but like every other thing in the food chain of life, it's going to happen. I also don't feel sorry when I bite into a hamburger (granted, that's rare) or when I have chicken. Just the way I see it now.

I'm not for torturing animals. But I also understand the importance of animal testing. Not for make up or the latest new shampoo, but if it's going to save human lives, then I'm all for it.

Those were extremists, and I agree with the common theme of this thread that it gives normal protestors a bad name.

[OnOneRyder]

So is that. Maybe I'm misinterpreting you, but you seem to be stating your opinions as if they were facts.

I am stating my opinions strongly as I believe them to be true. Humans have traveled to the moon, we can perform surgery on a living person’s brain with them awake at the time, and we’re capable of nuclear war. We're something special unlike anything else that has ever been seen on this planet and I do feel that I am superior to an animal who lives its life on instincts while I live mine from day to day.

I don't believe in senseless animal torture and I don't condone mass slaughtering of animals for our consumption. I take in a lot of my protein from hemp hearts and eggs, so I'm certainly not the type to simply believe we have the right to kill simply because we would like to eat something. There is a huge difference between being superior and being greedy by taking an animal’s life when you don't have to.