"1.1 Eating meat is OK
1.2 Eating meat is wrong
2.1 Using products from live animals (e.g. dairy) is OK
2.2 Using products from live animals (e.g. dairy) is wrong
3.1 Testing on animals for medical purposes is OK
3.2 Testing on animals for medical purposes is wrong
4.1 Testing on animals for cosmetic purposes is OK
4.2 Testing on animals for cosmetic purposes is wrong
5.1 Using animals in circuses is OK
5.2 Using animals in circuses is wrong
6.1 Keeping animals in zoos is OK
6.2 Keeping animals in zoos is wrong
7.1 Hitting pets is OK
7.2 Hitting pets is wrong"
I havn't voted on any of these so far as they have so many more factors to take into consideration than just them being either ok or not ok.
As far as meat eating is concerned, i agree, its a normal part of our nature- we were evolved and designed to eat a variety of foods including meat and vegetables etc.
The bit that concerns me, is wether the animal has been raised in a morally correct mannor or not and humanely killed- by morally correct mannor, i mean, the animal has been properly given the basic needs it has to be "happy" i.e.;
a. A decent amount of space to move about in.
b. The chance to see the sun at least a couple of times in its life/the ability to go out doors at least a couple of times at least in its life.
c. At least some of its natural foods given in a naturally prepared mannor i.e if it is a chicken, it should be fed at least some whole grain foods and not just powdered foods, or if it is a cow it should be allowed to eat fresh growing grass etc.
d. The animal should not be fed animal products.
e. The animal should be allowed to fullfill some of its social requirements like the ability to interact with its own kind if it is a sociable animal for example.
f. The animal should be killed effectively and not be forced to go through prolonged suffering.
g. The animal should not be given chemicals that will cause it suffering throughout its life.
There are a couple more points, but thats the jist of things.
I eat meat, but i do not eat battery farmed animal products(including intensively dairy farmed products), at all. Nothing. And rarely ever barn ranged animal products as there is little difference in the upraising of the animal in question. This is partly due to the fact, that in the vast majority of battery farmed animal cases, none of the above factors are even taken into consideration.
I was born and raised on a farm for most of my life, i also worked for a couple of days in a battery chicken farm- and i can tell you, i never seen anything so horrific in my life as a battery chicken farm.
I do not eat things like macdonalds, kfc, burger king and similar large company chain product foods due to the fact that all of their animal products are battery farmed.
I can tell you, that almost every animal that can be farmed, people have found a way to intensively farm it in a cruel mannor;
Pigs are battery farmed.
Chickens are battery farmed.
Ducks are battery farmed.
Turkeys are battery farmed.
Cows can be "0 grazing" farmed(i.e. kept in doors their entire life, never see a green feild in their life).
Etc...The only animal i can think of that i know isn't intensively farmed in a battery-style mannor are sheep, but then again they are a whole different story and can often endure great suffering.
I strongly disagree with battery farming, intensive dairy farming and 0 grazing farming, so i refuse to financially support it with my money- trust me, you would throw up if you knew what went into half of the food you eat, i know, because i have seen the raising of many animals and delt with food production. Thus i only eat animal products if they are organic and have been raised in a morally correct manner and humanely killed, and ironically, i hardly ever get the chance to eat good meat because its so hard to find with just these basic factors attended to.
Im against testing on animals purely for cosmetic purposes, and often against testing on animals for "medical purposes"(because you'd be suprised at how many utterly useless and horrible experiments on animals go under the the catagory for medical purposes)- as far as medical testing on animals go, im largely undecided, although i strongly believe its what exactly is tested on the animal in the name of medicine that is the deciding factor.
Im not against circuses or zoo's as long as the animals are well-treated and happy, but in the case of there being an endangered animal being held in captivity that is the right age and health for breeding, i believe that is must be given a proper chance to breed- if its highly unlikely it will breed in its current enviroment, it should be removed to a reserve where it will be given a proper chance.
Hitting pets is a grey area...I guess some of it comes down to what type of animal you are hitting, where you are hitting it and how hard. For example, its highly stupid to hit a hamster because it bit you, because hamsters bite when they are not handled enough by their owner, and they honestly do not benifet in anyway from being physically harmed.
But if a dog bites you, i think its fair enough to hit it back(although gently, i always found that a tap on the nose was more than enough)- dogs are often intelligent enough to register its negative actions with your negative re-actions, and they are often strong enough to never be harmed, but i only i think you should hit a dog for example if it bites you. I always believe that violence should
always be a last resort though, because the majority of dogs are very intelligent animals, its almost always more than enough to just somthing else they dont like, like spray some water on them from a water gun( a friend of mine who bought a badly behaved dog actually used this method and the dog turned into an angel within a couple of weeks of getting soaked in water)
.