Courtesy of IOTWReport, we learn of a petition on Change.org to remove a children's book from publication.
Mascot Books has published a children's book titled, "I Want to Be Bacon When I Grow Up". The book is written in the voice of its main character, Melvin the pig. We should not be teaching our children the ridiculous and cruel notion that pigs or any other animals would aspire to being killed for their meat. We should be helping our children retain their innate compassion and respect for all living beings.
Pigs are sentient and intelligent animals who do not, in fact, want to be bacon when they grow up. Like you and me and the children who are the target market for Mascot's book, pigs want to live their lives in love, joy and freedom. To teach children otherwise is deceitful, cynical and callous.
Sounds like it was written by PETA, doesn't it? I think Wirecutter has the best response. He posted this picture under the title "Happy bacon is delicious bacon".
Peter
Sentient my a...er, um, buttocks. Smart, may be, and like humans, some are more intelligent than others, but I don't think we're ever going to have to worry about having to welcome our new porcine overlords. At least not without substantial genetic manipulation/uplifting. Not going to happen.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, if we don't teach our kids about where bacon comes from, we're going to continue to produce mental midgets that think hunters should stop killing deer and get all their meat from grocery stores where no animals are hurt. Stop trying to protect your special snowflake from the truth! And reality! That's how we get these freaking man-boys that wet themselves whenever someone disagrees with the stupidity that they spew forth. Freakin' hippies.
The stupidity is STRONG with that one... sigh
ReplyDeleteSentience
ReplyDeleteor sentiency
[sen-shuh ns]
Spell Syllables
Examples Word Origin
noun
1.
sentient condition or character; capacity for sensation or feeling.
noun
1.
the state or quality of being sentient; awareness
2.
sense perception not involving intelligence or mental perception; feeling
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And from Websters...
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Full Definition of SENTIENT
1
: responsive to or conscious of sense impressions
2
: aware
3
: finely sensitive in perception or feeling
Using the definitions above, a Venus Flytrap could be considered sentient - as it is "responsive to sense impressions". With that definition, in the literal sense, sentience is rather common, and not really a valid reason not to kill something, as it would apply to cockroaches, rats, and houseflies.
I've got respect for God's creations, pigs included, and I was raised from early childhood knowing where meat came from and to respect the animal that died so we could eat that day. Dad taught us to kill quickly and as humanely as possible when hunting, fishing, or even controlling pests and varmints.
Pain in animals is a real thing (with or without people involved, animal life almost always includes pain) but I think the writer/founder of the quoted petition might consider the terms he/she is using more carefully, and perhaps reconsider the cause he/she is fighting for in favor of more important causes, such as freedom of the press, the wellbeing of fellow humans, and things that have greater influence on the good of the world than an obscure picture book.
I have no idea what this book is about or even if I will read it. But just because of this idiot, I just ordered the book from Amazon.
ReplyDeleteSentient? By teh dictionary yes. Sapient? Oh heck no. And I've heard about what pigs can do to humans when the pigs are riled. (Didn't see it, thanks be. The sheriff didn't need a very large bag to collect what remained of the farmer.) Pigs are food. Pigs are mean, sharp-toothed food. For Pete's sake, _Charlotte's Web_ and _Babe_ were NOT documentaries!
ReplyDeleteLittleRed1
We are all food for something. Something dies for each of us to live.
ReplyDeleteMan, bear and pig have something in common. We are all omnivores.
ReplyDeleteThere is no reason not to exterminate the whole of Sus, except that we can eat them if we keep them extant.
As the father pig said to his son; "Go for the gold, son, think prosciutto."
ReplyDelete$12.70 to piss off militant vegans? Well worth the price.
ReplyDelete