For The Animals
You adore Vlekkie, your tiny yorkie, and oubaas se honne gets treated like the princess she is. You sign petitions to protest animal abuse and every year you express your aversion to the cruel dog-eating festival in Yemen on social media.
You are an animal lover, and animal cruelty is against your very nature. Yet, your butcher knows you by your first name, and you buy pork ribs in bulk at Makro without batting an eye. We are not judging you; we have also been there. This conflicting state is called cognitive dissonance; the mental discomfort we feel when we simultaneously hold two or more contradictory beliefs or values.
Our wonderful brains are wired to avoid suffering, so instead of having to deal with those unpleasant thoughts, we change the narrative to suit us, ignoring the inconvenient truth.
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Do you find this dog meat ad shocking?
Why do we love certain animals yet eat others? In certain parts of the world, cat and dog meat is traditionally eaten, but since we value dogs as family members, we think it is barbaric to eat them, or any meat that belongs to an animal that represents “a cute pet” or intelligent being.
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However, we forget that our opinions are quite subjective on this matter. Animals we term “livestock” are definitely not stupid by any means. Domestication and taste preferences aside, when it comes to intelligence, pigs outsmart dogs. Cows are intelligent animals who have excellent long-term memories, develop friendships, hold grudges, and even mourn the deaths of loved ones. So why do we draw an arbitrary moral line in the sand?
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Isn't it hypocritical to be outraged by people eating dogs in other countries while you happily upsize your McDonalds hamburger made from cows? Or is it perhaps more a case of denial? After all, denial is one of the most powerful tools humans use to justify or rebuff just about anything—even denial itself.
It takes one click on Google to verify the shocking reality of the meat and dairy industries, and South Africa is no exception. Cherry-picking the facts that support your argument is also easy, but before you read another health study, check who’s funding the research. Many vegans will tell you that once that penny drops, it is like a veil gets lifted and burned…because you ain’t ever getting that thing back. Preventing the exploitation of animals is one of the primary reasons people stop eating meat, but it is also central to why most people who adopt this lifestyle remain vegan.
If you still think animal exploitation and cruelty are exaggerated by a weird bunch of hippies, spend some time on this PETA website.
Click here for an interesting, well researched document on animal welfare in agriculture, specifically focusing on the local industry.