Illuminati, i'm not sure how you've managed to make the Non Sequitur that me condemning an act of animal torture, must equate to me now condoning every other example of animals being killed that you can think of, such as harpooning whales and halal meat etc?
To begin with, i do not support the intensive meat industry due to the manner in which the animals are treated, But to me, there is a very clear difference between shooting an animal yourself, for the meat, and supporting an industry which is responsible for a huge amount of needless cruelty and waste.
I do not see how intelligent people can defend certain aspects of the meat industry, and i think it's weak and unethical that people feel they can delegate the responsibility of killing something for them to consume, without having to face the reality of what it involves. That is why i have no issue with people who want to eat meat, hunting in order to do so.
That is an aside however, to the argument i am making towards bloodsport, which is a completely different issue. Foxhunting, bear baiting, bullfighting, all amounts to nothing more than barbarism and torture in the name of sport and involves unwilling participants.
It's no different from dogfighting either. There are communities who would like to watch, bet on and partake in all of these acts. The fact that people may wish to view it, is no reason at all for justifying the existence of it.
With hunting for food or culling, there is a separate reason for doing so, and it does not involve taking pleasure in the act. For you to ask " who decides what is right and wrong, and how" on regards to this, is an incredibly simple question to answer for anyone capable of thinking logically.
We have the ability to empathise, we have a good scientific understanding of animals and their ability to feel fear and pain. Anyone who isn't a total moron can see that it would be wrong to inflict pain and suffering on a sentient being, purely for the purpose of entertainment. Bullfighting is nothing more than a public spectacle of animal torture, for no other purpose other than entertainment and i think it's disgusting that any man would pay to go and see it, as well as attempt to justify it. Read the description in the link i posted, of what the bulls face before and during the bullfight. You think that is acceptable?
We clearly have some differences as well as some similarities.
I don't condone animal cruelty or for that matter Human Cruelty.
My points being that the other types of activities in killing animals
For food or 'fun - entertainment'
Also involve cruelty to them.
As for intensive animal food farming, No it's not a Pleasant or Pleasing thought.
Though sadly how else do we help feed our own bloated numbers of humans.
People want the meat but don't want to think of the process of how it ends up
In the meat counter / on their plate.
Agreed just because some want to view it, is it justifiable Probably not.
Then the same can be said for the Religious killing of animals, etc.
I maintain that in Nature there is no Right or Wrong / Good or Bad,
the way animals interact & kill one another.
No feelings No Remorse to us it's cruel.
Not for one Second am I suggesting that this makes anything justifiable.
Just that we are supposedly higher evolved animals.
I say supposedly as we only have to see the news/ go into any major town
Or city to see countless examples of human cruelty to one another on a Huge
World wide Scale.
If we cannot sort out our cruelty to each other It doesn't bode well for the Animals.
Chances are we will destroy ourselves or end up with just a few people left.
And so the cycle begins again.
