So I’ve been thinking…

Remember last week? When I said that I don’t care about animals? Well, I’ve been thinking that perhaps that isn’t exactly something to be proud about. I mean don’t get me wrong I still like meat, cheese, and other animal byproducts, but I feel that my stance on animal rights can be…altered a bit. So recently, and I mean a few hours ago, I decided to look more into the dairy business that is so viciously attacked and harped on by vegans, vegetarians, and animal rights activists alike. Needless to say, it changed by position on the topic of animal rights. I feel, or felt, that animal rights are a waste of time; that time spent on these pointless endeavors can be spent on more important issues like feeding the hungry, helping immigrants and refugees, and disabled groups. I feel that you can’t really dedicate time and energy to two things at once. That if you choose to focus on animal rights, that would be all you would be focused on; you wouldn’t dedicate any time to helping your fellow humans. Oh how wrong I was.

Now, please understand, that what I am about to say is going to come off as…crazy. No not just crazy, but stupid as well; and you are completely free to think that. I felt that by fervently ignoring the plights of animals at the hands of humans, I was being bigoted. Yes, I said it, I felt that I was being bigoted towards animals. Doesn’t it seem to devalue the word “bigot?” That a word that has such strong connotations associated, a word that we use to describe the vilest and most disgusting beliefs about minorities, women, and other disabled groups…is being used with respect to being against animals? It is as though I am demoting women and minorities to the level of animals. That’s not how I interpret it however, the way I see it I am elevating animals not demoting people.

I still believe, and nothing will change this belief, that humans are superior to animals and that we deserve more attention and help than animals; but not all the attention and help. However, I do believe that animals, although not at human status, are not “untouchables” in the caste of life. As per my new view, I feel that we can focus on two, even many, issues at once. Being both an animal rights activist and a human rights activist is not unheard of and is certainly not impossible. So I vow to purchase cage free eggs as well as milk and beef from farms that treat their cows humanely. I hope that I can keep this vow, and perhaps inspire some of you to adopt a more supportive lifestyle towards animals.