afternoon tea

["Alice Evans" <apyyae@nottingham.ac.uk>]

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Hello again,

Following a recent post I've decided to add another scene to my play:

(Alice has invited Paul to her house to discuss eating habits)

Paul: First, why do u call humans animals? I think that's a mistake.

Alice: Err, what? no seriously, that's just a silly point, if categorised scientifically humans are just a sub-category of the larger group, animals. In fact, animals is divided up into vertebrates and non-vertebrates. Then the former category is divided into mamals, reptiles, amphibians etc etc... Humans are mamals, yes? And hence animals. 

Paul: oh whoops.

Paul: by the way I agree that the current state of the turkey (or dairy) industry is unsatisfactory.

Alice: Awesome! So everyone in the UK should defs be a vegan?!?

Paul: Well no, cos there are livelihoods at stake.

Alice: Good point, if it wasn't the cows what on earth would the EU do with that two dollars each cow is subsidised a day? But jokes aside, do u think we should allow sex trafficking because there's such a big industry and the pimps enjoy their livelihoods? Or do u reckon William Wilberforce would have changed his mind about being anti-slavery when he realised that Britain's imperial strength was built on such exploitation?

Paul: Err, no. But those aren't appropriate analogies. I'm saying that if the meat industry was made less harmful then it would be ok and indeed beneficial (making both financial sense and maintaining cultural norms).

The farmers cannot simply down tools and get an office job in the nearest town or city: farming,and its methods, is their way of life – it is all they have known.  

Alice: im sure farmers arent frickin retarded. they will have transferable skills. that's a bit like saying to the afghanistani warlord, terror is all he has known, u better let him continue. since when do we base ethical judgements on parasitic benefit?

Alice: So, if we made sure that the eastern european women only had to be raped 12 times a day instead of the usual 45 and that the African slaves only had to do menial tasks then that's ok by you? Still slavery isnt it?

Paul: ur just being silly. I'm defending the meat industry where there is no harm, whereby the only harm the turkeys suffer is death. 

Alice: Urgh. I'm getting very frustrated. 

1) ur presuming that it's possible to make sure there's no physical harm in death, that's quite an assumption, given the needs of the industry. surely, for it to remain commercially viable, each bird has to be killed in some commercial fashsion, or else meat prices would rocket. the 'down the farm' ideal is unlikely to catch on.

2) even if i buy ur theory that the birds will live wonderful lives... (which i dont). ur assuming death isnt a harm. well, surely if the birds have pleasurable states, what right have we got to curtail them? ur argument seems to be approving of lethal injection to eat the mentally retarded... bit iffy. ur still assuming the birds exist for us. ive been reading grandin's articles detailing 'electric stunning'. sounds wonderful, painfree no doubt, i might give it a try on my brother but my mum might get upset. hmm. analagously, cows as evolved mammals do form relations, indeed even sheep can identify their young in a field. so why split up families for our benefit?

3) u havent dealt with the ecologists argument about land waste. that we need to cut down land to grow food for them, waste of energy, etc etc.

Paul: oh... well let me think...

ALice: you do that, i dont mean to be rude, you know, hope you haven't taken any offence, i just think you've made some big assumptions that kinda undermine ur case. so do i take it ur a vegan? (given the current state of animal treatment in this country)

To be continued........




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