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boredom causes strange behavior
Boredom and digital cable at Momie's house has led to me overwatching Penn & Teller: Bullshit! recently. It's a really interesting show, and for the most part I agree with all that they say, but I still try to take it all with a grain of salt. It is, after all, very opinionated, and things like that are never entirely balanced in their presentation.
Nonetheless, it's kind of served as a catalyst for me to evaluate my opinions on things. I've come to some firm stances on issues that were semi-wishy-washy in my mind before, and I feel pretty good about it.
For example - PETA. I didn't know much about them before. Now, though, I can whole-heartedly say that I do not approve of them or their methods. I'm all for animal rights, and I think that all living beings should be treated with as much respect and as humanely as is possible, but PETA takes it all too far. I like eating meat - biologically, humans are designed as omnivores, and I see nothing wrong with fulfilling the role that nature set out for me. Besides, sashimi is really really tasty, and I like not worrying about getting sufficient proteins. Just meat consumption ensures that I do. I also enjoy having pets. My ferrets seem very happy in the room we've set up for them, and I can't imagine them having a steady supply of high quality kibble, soothing ferret-lax, and jingly plush toys out in the wilderness. Somehow, I think they're better off in our care, and they'll live longer with the regular vet visits, vitamin supplements, and grooming my family and I make sure they receive. I agree with PETA that abuse in animal slaughter for consumption is appalling - that doesn't mean all slaughter should stop, however. Regulations should be made for it to be as humane and painless to the animals as possible, and I don't think anyone would really disagree with that. Breeding animals purely for fur coats is unnecessary and cruel, as is trophy hunting - but fur obtained from hunting for an animal which is afterwards consumed *should* be used. To throw it out would be wasteful! If hunters use as much of their kills as they viably can, I have no problem with it. So long as the animal is not wasted, it seems very natural to me.
Wow, that was a very long paragraph. Coming into this, I had no intention of dedicating that much space to just the PETA discussion. Ah well.
Moving on, I also stand against recycling, sans that of aluminum cans. Too much energy is consumed by recycling to make it worthwhile and beneficial to the environment, and growing new trees to use for paper does just that - grows new trees. Isn't this a good thing? Even if they get chopped down, more will be grown. And overall, there will be a farm of trees where there were none before. This is what we want! More trees, w00t!
Anyway. I don't know why I'm so inspired to rant about this stuff right now. I really should start packing up my stuff for tech again, or checking on the boys, but eh. I guess I may come back and write more later, if I am still so inspired.
Nonetheless, it's kind of served as a catalyst for me to evaluate my opinions on things. I've come to some firm stances on issues that were semi-wishy-washy in my mind before, and I feel pretty good about it.
For example - PETA. I didn't know much about them before. Now, though, I can whole-heartedly say that I do not approve of them or their methods. I'm all for animal rights, and I think that all living beings should be treated with as much respect and as humanely as is possible, but PETA takes it all too far. I like eating meat - biologically, humans are designed as omnivores, and I see nothing wrong with fulfilling the role that nature set out for me. Besides, sashimi is really really tasty, and I like not worrying about getting sufficient proteins. Just meat consumption ensures that I do. I also enjoy having pets. My ferrets seem very happy in the room we've set up for them, and I can't imagine them having a steady supply of high quality kibble, soothing ferret-lax, and jingly plush toys out in the wilderness. Somehow, I think they're better off in our care, and they'll live longer with the regular vet visits, vitamin supplements, and grooming my family and I make sure they receive. I agree with PETA that abuse in animal slaughter for consumption is appalling - that doesn't mean all slaughter should stop, however. Regulations should be made for it to be as humane and painless to the animals as possible, and I don't think anyone would really disagree with that. Breeding animals purely for fur coats is unnecessary and cruel, as is trophy hunting - but fur obtained from hunting for an animal which is afterwards consumed *should* be used. To throw it out would be wasteful! If hunters use as much of their kills as they viably can, I have no problem with it. So long as the animal is not wasted, it seems very natural to me.
Wow, that was a very long paragraph. Coming into this, I had no intention of dedicating that much space to just the PETA discussion. Ah well.
Moving on, I also stand against recycling, sans that of aluminum cans. Too much energy is consumed by recycling to make it worthwhile and beneficial to the environment, and growing new trees to use for paper does just that - grows new trees. Isn't this a good thing? Even if they get chopped down, more will be grown. And overall, there will be a farm of trees where there were none before. This is what we want! More trees, w00t!
Anyway. I don't know why I'm so inspired to rant about this stuff right now. I really should start packing up my stuff for tech again, or checking on the boys, but eh. I guess I may come back and write more later, if I am still so inspired.