What would you do if your best friend ended up on your plate?
Each person will interpret this video in their own way. It’ll mean different things to different people. From me, it speaks to me about cat and dog meat. Because in cat and dog meat we have people eating companion animals or animals who should be companion animals.
The pig in the video is an animal that can be domesticated and often is domesticated and can be a pet. I think the pig was chosen for the video because you’ll find the pig as a pet in households albeit rarely and of course the pig is livestock on farms. They are both a friend, a companion animal, and livestock to be slaughtered and eaten all over the world. They sit in that grey area in the middle for some. This is where cat and dog meat sits as well for those people who eat them.
But when you argue it is unacceptable to kill and eat cats and dogs as they do in certain parts of Asia, India, Switzerland (and even the USA) the apologists say that it is no different to eating livestock. I say that it is because they are domesticated companion animals. This was not the deal on their domestication. But livestock is also domesticated. Sometimes cows and pigs can be pets (horses are another animal in this middle area). There is a blurring of the boundaries and this video reminds us that we can often end up eating an animal that could be someone’s companion.
So I guess the video is saying that we should all be vegan and there is a very good point in saying that. It’s probably true in the modern world. We should all stop being addicted to dairy and meat. The older I get the more I believe in being vegan. It is far more respectful of animals with whom we share the planet.
My mind is drawn to a bit of television that I watched today. It was David Attenborough addressing a climate change convention. Here you had the world’s best advocate for animals passionately pleading with the world’s leaders to lead the world in the right direction to prevent climate change which he believes could be catastrophic in the future. He was thinking of both humans and animals. He was thinking of the planet and the leaders of the world today are simply pulling in different directions. They don’t have the capacity to work together. The world has become too competitive and everybody works in their own interests.
It was tragic to see David Attenborough, such an elderly and distinguished gentleman pleading with the leaders to do the right thing. I see a connection between that and the video. They are both about animals, nature, the planet and how to protect, respect and save them and it.