alt Hacker NewsThe suffering of test animals is a tiny decimal point compared to the suffering of factory farmed animals, which produce 99% of the animal products humans eat. Literally 50 billion chickens a year in the most inhumane conditions imaginable for their entire lives. Over one billion pigs per year. They die in horrible 9/11-like conditions.
Edit: I used to dismiss all that since I figured animals don't have enough neurons or intelligence or whatever for their pain to matter. A quote from Ozy Brennan[1] (five paragraphs down from this hyperlink, though BB's commentary here is important too) changed my mind. TL;DR: intelligence is almost certainly not relevant to feeling pain, and the same pain pathways that exist in the human brain exist in other animals too.
[1] https://benthams.substack.com/i/151605056/2-intensely-what-a...
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Vegan food is like Star Trek replicators. It is the future. Can’t wait for vertical farms and world being overwhelmed with beans and fruits all picked by AI floating robots.
It is funny how future is here yet it takes centuries to come. Human’s still sticking to their slaughter instead of using replicators. Klingon much.
Trying to go vegan because of this, but then I realize halfway through the yogurt I am eating that it is based on milk and is not vegan in the slightest, even though it is considered vegetarian. There is always tomorrow.
Not just their living conditions, but their cruel slaughter in the name of religion ought to get banned, too. Countries claiming to have animal welfare laws, roll out special exemptions for religion for killing them in a fashion than can only be described as deliberately cruel.
To the larger point, all exemptions in the name of religion must stop. You don't get special treatment just because you read Harry Potter.
Of course their conditions are inhumane: they are not human.
I love that you posted this. Going to listen to Propagandhi now.
Ok factory farming has some appalling quality of life issues for the animals but I'm really struggling to figure out what the comparison is to 9/11 unless you're just a troll.
+1. Highly recommend people read “Animal Liberation Now” (“Now”) being the 2023 version of “Animal Liberation” from the 70s.
I became vegetarian after reading the original book, and more recently _mostly_ vegan after reading “Now”. (Still a work in progress as it’s only been a few weeks and takes time to adjust my diet).
Factory Farming is definitely horrendous and it’s not only for the animals killed for meat. Animals kept for egg or milk are essentially mistreated during their entire (short) lives.