Would you rather see a human die or a dog?

[KillerGremlin]

There was an interesting conversation on NPR with psychologist Hal Herzog (Western California University, http://www.wcu.edu/7051.asp).

Here is the full transcript: http://m.npr.org/news/front/130892795?singlePage=true

The Short Sad Life Of A Fast Food Chicken

Herzog doesn't shy away from the messier areas of that moral life. He devotes one section of the book to the underground phenomenon of cockfighting, and comes away with an uncomfortable conclusion: "A McDonald's chicken a suffers a much worse fate" than a gamecock, he tells Raz, "and I suspect you would be with me on this if I described the life of a game rooster and the life of a McDonald's chicken."

A gamecock lives for several years, often in pampered luxury, before it goes to its fate; a chicken destined for the plate lives about seven weeks, often in terrible, painful squalor.

"Now this is in no way to argue that cockfighting should be legal," Herzog says. "I don't think it should be legal. But on the other hand, it is a bit of a paradox that people get so bent out of shape about fighting roosters, and the suffering of chickens is probably the world's greatest animal welfare problem."

Obviously, I do not support dog fighting. I think it is awful and I think people who engage in dog fighting are bad people. At the same time, Vick did his time, so the burden of whether or not he should be entitled to play football falls squarely on the private organization that is the NFL. He paid his debt to society, and as far as I can tell he has been exhibiting good behavior since. In terms of his football career, in my make-believe world of ideology I would like to see his pay take a huge dock due to his crimes, but that is asking a lot. On the other hand, I think most sports players are overpaid.

[Typhoid]

Well, the way McDonald's treats their future 'food' is a whole other can of worms.
There are many reasons why I don't eat fast food anymore - and the shitty way they treat the animals is one of them - despite the fact I am well aware that me not eating them will not save the lives of any (chickens).

[KillerGremlin]

Originally Posted by Typhoid

Well, the way McDonald's treats their future 'food' is a whole other can of worms.
There are many reasons why I don't eat fast food anymore - and the shitty way they treat the animals is one of them - despite the fact I am well aware that me not eating them will not save the lives of any (chickens).

That's a noble reason to not eat fastfood. Even if you are not directly helping save the animals, it is still an okay cause in my book.

The reason I bring up the chickens is because unless Tucker Carlson is a vegetarian, he consumes animals that likely get worse treatment than many of the dogs used for dog fighting. I cannot say that with absolute certainty of course. But also, it is ironic at some level, because for a guy who so vehemently opposes dog fighting, you would think he would also oppose eating any meat that has gone through the typical chain of command.

Now I do happen to know some hardcore vegetarians/vegans who think a dog is more precious than a human. Those people are hard to reason with. There are ways to stir the pot though.