Julie in New York City, New York asks…
Mr. Roth, I have read that a restaurant in Arizona served lion meat. That’s despicable, isn’t it?
Answer:
If you are a meat eater, lion consumption should not be particularly deplorable. Your food is merely another life lost. But, meat eating animal activists, who might as well be prostitute nuns, may argue that lions are too adorable to consume.
Folks, these ridiculous cuteness and cuddliness arguments are red herrings. The real ethical “dilemma” is whether slaughtering a species with a nervous system is acceptable. Because we can live healthily without animal flesh, there need not be a conundrum. Killing is immoral.
Opponents may argue that we need meat to survive. This line of reasoning is poorly supported. A large portion of the scientific community now believes that a plant-based diet is superlative. Put simply, killing supporters’ arguments rely on insufficient evidence.
The nature of slaughter is irrelevant. Sure, a painless death is better than the alternative. However, murder is never humane…whether it involves, lions, tigers, bears, cows, monkeys, goats, sheep, ducks, chickens, golden retrievers, pigs, turkeys, fish, or other mobile species.
Do not allow the “this is why they’re here” or any of the ubiquitous unsound arguments to confuse you. The reality is indeed tautological.
