A friend told me today that you can't argue with stupid - it's a good message. Of course, I still do try to argue with stupid, I'm just stubborn that way.
Recently, a new website was launched - humanewatch.org. I didn't post a link to it because I have some issues with the author - a guy who works for Center for Consumer Freedom. I have mixed feelings about CCF. They are funded by alcohol, tobacco and agribusiness. I don't have anything against those groups, but they are closely allied with a lobbyist group. BUT, facts are facts and CCF does post and publish and expose facts. The problem, of course, is that anyone who disagrees uses the strawman argument that they are supported by key players in the animal use business. It doesn't change the facts they are posting, but it makes using their information difficult when arguing with stupid. Of course the "facts" presented by the AR folks are tainted since they come from vegan, AR, liberation or abolitionist sites. But that FACT is ignored.
Animal rights advocates aren't generally stupid, but they are fanatical. They are fundamentalists in the truest form. There are several AR "arguments" that are used when discussing animals, HSUS, PETA and BREEDING with those of us that actually love our animals and don't feel guilty about having them in our lives.
1. Owning, using, eating, wearing any animal is akin to slavery. In fact it is slavery.
2. All humans are inherently evil and by our nature cannot possibly have anything but an exploitive, cruel relationship with animals.
3. Any dog, cat, horse, gerbil, etc that is purposefully bred takes away a home for a homeless animal, consequently any purposeful breeding is bad and evil.
4. Anyone who purposefully breeds an animal is doing so for nothing but profit, consequently they are bad and evil. For some reason in the world of AR, profit is a four letter word. I haven't quite figured that one out.
5. Humans do not need to eat meat to live a healthy life, therefore we shouldn't.
6. You must provide PROOF of all claims that indicate any AR organization might be deceptive. The proof of course will never be accepted.
Those are just a few of the standards. There is actually a website for how to argue with a meat eater:
http://www.eatveg.com/argument.htm
It is next to impossible to discuss any of the above rationally with an AR advocate. It isn't because they are stupid, it's because you are challenging the very core of what they believe. I have been posting on a website - care2.com in the last few days. An article was written about Humanewatch.org. Because of the authors (CCF), the blogger was trying to debunk the content of Humanewatch. The blogger posed a question - Do you think the HSUS campaigns try to trick the public?
The public has overwhelmingly voted yes - 62% to 39%. There are several of the usual suspects (AR supporters) posting on the message board. Rather than answer simple questions regarding deceptions by HSUS, they immediately jumped into the standard lines above. When presented facts, they demand MORE proof of those facts and anything remotely related to an organization that support "animal use" or exploitation (read - AKC, NAIA, humanewatch, CCF, USDA, etc) the facts become tainted. I have asked one question over and over and have received NO answer.
The question asked was if the HSUS is all about improving the lives of animals, why did they advocate the deaths of the confiscated pitbulls from Michael Vick? After three days, still no answer. Regardless of what I post, the answer is that slaveholders in the 1800's didn't see they were abusing their slaves either, I'm an evil breeder, making money on the backs of my dogs, I'm an animal abuser who only sees my animals as money machines, blah blah blah. They never respond.
So why do I continue to post on that board. Every post I make is slammed with BREEDER, ANIMAL user, etc. Not one AR person has changed their mind. Why do I continue to post? Because maybe, just maybe one person reading the board might actually use some critical thinking skills and say, wait a minute that makes sense. Because maybe one person who is on the fence about welfare vs rights will think about the consequences of animals having rights.
I'll continue to argue with stupid in the hopes that just one person will see the truth about animal welfare and rights. I don't think I'm all that smart, nor can I change the world. We as animal lovers have to start standing up for ourselves. We can't sit on the sidelines anymore. We have to remember that the ultimate goal of animal rights advocates is the elimination of animals in our lives. They do not compromise, we can't either.
Ziyadah Clarken Making Waves - Gidget
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