Chinese dog-eating festival outrages foreigners

a reply to: doobydoll
They do the same thing to dogs

originally posted by: stumason
a reply to: damwel

Dog's are expensive.... A sheep is probably cheaper, especially if you buy them as a lamb.

Not if you steal them. Most of the dogs on the chinese menus are stolen family pets, they're fatter and better fed than the skeletal strays.

a reply to: paraphi

That headline could easily read American Cow-Eating Festival Outrages Indians.

Really, what some cultures see as cuddly, cute pets, others see as food. In America we make pets out of dogs, horses and guinea pigs, but they eat them in other places. We are divided over rabbits in this country. So much so that animal rights groups will turn you in if you raise rabbits for meat and keep them according to perfectly acceptable livestock standards for rabbits because according to the rights groups you're being cruel to not keep them as house pets. So you have to be careful whom you tell you keep rabbits.

On the other end, yes the Chinese are a cruel culture.

I keep reminding people of this because if the US crumbles; the Chinese will be taking over and imposing their cultural standards on the rest of the world.

a reply to: ketsuko

And just like the Mayan culture of sacrificing human children these are cultures that have no place on this earth any more if we want to progress. Screw them and their culture. cultures come and go

a reply to: papazen

Oh my, it gets more amusing by the minute, comparing human sacrifice with eating dogs now?!
Absolutely ridiculous

a reply to: papazen

Human sacrifice as part of a religious rite is no where near the same as slaughtering animals for food.

Why are you conflating the two?

a reply to: doobydoll

Well, I was joking in response to the poster who said it was amusing it came right above/below a thread on the cost of food....

originally posted by: papazen
a reply to: doobydoll

They do the same thing to dogs

Yes I know they do.

How they can live with themselves after hearing the animal's cries of agony whilst inflicting the most horrendous heinous torture is beyond my understanding. It makes me RAGE.

a reply to: doobydoll

Agreed, any suffering of any animal is abhorrent in my opinion, but the principle of eating dogs which have been killed humanely I have no problem at all.

originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: doobydoll

Agreed, any suffering of any animal is abhorrent in my opinion, but the principle of eating dogs which have been killed humanely I have no problem at all.

Although I don't eat meat I don't have a problem with those who do. I have a problem when animals are deliberately treated badly and cruelly slaughtered.

No excuse for it.

originally posted by: papazen
a reply to: ketsuko

And just like the Mayan culture of sacrificing human children these are cultures that have no place on this earth any more if we want to progress. Screw them and their culture. cultures come and go

AMERICAN COMMERCIAL FARMS have also been caught with their pants down repeatedly & even recently with regards to animal cruelty, too. Don't be so willfully blind about that & bash another country like we're oh-so-perfect over here. Let's mind our own house before we demand a change in rearing & slaughter practices elsewhere beyond the borders.

originally posted by: doobydoll

originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: doobydoll

Agreed, any suffering of any animal is abhorrent in my opinion, but the principle of eating dogs which have been killed humanely I have no problem at all.

Although I don't eat meat I don't have a problem with those who do. I have a problem when animals are deliberately treated badly and cruelly slaughtered.

No excuse for it.

I even move snails to safety on my way home from the pub, if they are in the road or whatever heading toward the grass verge a yard or so away!
I'll help any creature out if I'm not going to eat it.

Shall we condemn a culture as less than human because of dietary preference? I'm not a fan eating dog. Don't particularly like the taste. Is some Asian countries dogs are raised just as the U.S. raises cattle, chickens, and pigs for food. Does that make them less human? I see so many people saying "Deplorable, what monsters, how cruel."

And then these same people mock vegetarians for not eating meat.

The hypocrisy is nearly palpable.

originally posted by: stumason
a reply to: damwel

Dog's are expensive.... A sheep is probably cheaper, especially if you buy them as a lamb.

You know, I have a pet dog that I love very much and take care of. But suppose tomorrow something happened to me that I could not take care of him any more and I don't want to see him go to some home that might starve or beat him to death, I am torn in the idea that if he makes a good meal for someone or being put to sleep just to be cremated....

I don't want to see my dog die, so it is a tough thing to think about. If they gently put him to death by gassing him so he feels no pain, then maybe he would make a good tiny snack for someone.

If it were come to a point that it helped feed someone, because someone was hungry, I would sacrifice my dog for hungry children who depend on grown ups to feed them.

OK, maybe that is it, for children who are hungry, who can deny them food?

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

It's not about what they're eating.

Chinese have less regard for the animal than most in Western culture. Most of us, even those of us who understand the dog's purpose is to be eaten, don't want the animal's time in life to be miserable. The Chinese in general have little regard for that. This is the same culture that will cut the fin off a live shark and drop it back overboard to sink to the bottom and drown because it can't swim without fins.

For info:

It is legal to eat dog meat in the UK

RSPCA
So, it appears that even here in the UK, the law only really has issue with animal welfare. As long as a dog is killed humanely, if you want original hot-dogs then you are good to go.

a reply to: ketsuko

Cruelty is subjective. A vegetarian thinks what meat eaters do to cattle is horribly cruel. And they aren't wrong. I work IT for an agriculture company, and got the opportunity to tour a slaughter house/meat packing plant. That's not something you forget easily. Yet we see that as acceptable in our culture because it's seen as "normal". Don't get me wrong, I'm a meat eater, love me some steak, and I'll go HAM on some sushi.

But to judge another culture's practices against animals is kind of fallacy. Besides, there are plenty of other things to demonize the Chinese for, such as their record of HUMAN rights abuses, which continues today.

I read somewhere fairly recently that the Chinese were changing their habits about this, and even some of the wealthier Chinese were beginning to have dogs for pets, and it's becoming "trendy". This certainly doesn't support that.

Given their propensity for sending the US toxic dog products, they must not think much of them.