Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Will on Animal Rights

In the upcoming July 18 edition of Newsweek, the Beltway Bomber, George Will, discusses an essay entitled, Fear Factories: The Case for Compassionate Conservatism—for Animals, by former GWB speechwriter, Matthew Scully, which reveals the abusive nature of industrialized farms. If you want some idea as to exactly what conditions Mr. Scully is referring, see here. While I am not sure if I should be surprised by Will's choice of topic, I am pleased nonetheless. Then again, I suppose this is the kind of topic that allows Professor Will to chastise the rest of the uncultured-world with his typical verbose smugness (am I one to talk??).
I think that Scully's argument, as Will understands it, is on the right track. Generally, I view the concept of "Animal Rights" (in the P.E.T.A.-freak sense) as a misnomer that not only confuses the issue but acts as a disservice to those of us who choose not to eat meat. Human beings have "Human Rights" (in the "natural" sense - life, liberty, etc...) because we, in contrast to animals, have the ability to reason and the capacity for conscious choice. This ability is what generally distinguishes us from our animal brethren who continue to kill each other for food and delightfully wallow in their own excrement. That said, while the wolf does not respect the "right" of the rabbit to peacefully hangout nextdoor, we humans, as rational beings, have the ability, "right" and privilege to live moral, compassionate, and reasonable lives - how ever each individual being chooses to define those terms.
Accordingly, I view munching on our 4-legged and feathered friends as wholly unnecessary in light of the fact that I can stuff myself silly, meat-free, upon a trip to the neighborhood Whole Foods. But that is the sole basis, not some misguided notion of "animal rights." If presented with the choice of beef or starve, I would gladly insist that you pass the A-1. However, I do not face this choice because I do not live in a wilderness or even a third world country. Anyone who has watched Zambian children play "Toss the Chicken" is well aware that respect for animals, like environmentalism, is something loosely proportional to the advancement of your respective civilization. All in all, it is a personal preference that is right for me and available to me - unfortunately, this tends to be a foreign concept well-beyond the reach of the "rights"-focused folks at P.E.T.A.

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