South Korean legislators want dog meat legalized
Posted by MelSkunk (Melissa Drake) on Mon 31 Dec 2001 - 09:03
Dog meat, a long time traditional food of many cultures, has been outlawed in Korea, but legislators want to push a bill to change that. They say the lack of regulation leads to the inhumane killing and unsanitary handling of dogs in markets currently, which in turn is the primary target for the animal activists against the practice. The opposition to the bill is not only comming from Western animal rights people, but humaine groups in the country as well. Similar bills have been unsucessful.
Micah's Only Note: Yikes.
About the author
MelSkunk (Melissa Drake) — read stories — contact (login required)a student and Skunk from Toronto, ON, interested in writting, art, classic cars and animals
Comments
While this is certainly repugnant to most people in the West, I still don't see what's intrinsically wrong with this bill.
Pigs are arguably smarter on average than dogs, but we have no trouble with using them for food, so intelligence can't be the issue.
I wouldn't *like* seeing dogs on the menu either, but that's because I'm from a culture that sees dogs as pets and companions - not because of anything special about dogs themselves. IMO this is not sufficient grounds for condemning this bill being put forth in a different country with a different culture.
I'd like to personally note that I hope my reporting on the subject was sufficiently objective enough. I personally object to the handling of MOST food animals in markets in the far east. Their treatment of snakes for food and potions, for example, is repugnant in it's cruelty. Cultural values is no suffient excuse for the cruel handling of animals.
Melissa "MelSkunk" Drake
So to clarify, your quarles are merely with the treatment of animals intended for use as foodstuffs, not with decisions reguarding which species are classifyed as such? Thats understandible, and I think most would agree(IMO raising a fuss about what species another culture sees as food would be nothing short of a double standard for most)
"Soylent Green is People!"
"Not exactly. We just use the vegitarians; it's the natural order of things"
"Oh. Umm, ok... I'm going to move over there now..."
The handling of food animals in the USA isn't a great deal better in a lot of cases. The conditions that egg hens live in, for example, are simply deplorable.
While I agree that the handling of animals in the far East are far from exemplary, we are also not in a position to throw stones. The United States needs to crusade for improvement of the quality of life for food animals at home as well as abroad.
Ahh, but I'm Canadian, so we don't count ;D (joke)
Melissa "MelSkunk" Drake
Then you're already a step ahead of us in the U.S. Remember, our honor guards can't even figure out how to fly your flag right. :p
-Feren
"We use them for divine retribution."
The pointy bits face upwards, right? ;)
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