Cows and pigs and sheep are cute. I agree with this. I have no problem admitting it. But I also know that cute is a word we assigned for them because they had that winning combination of big eyes, big ears, big feet and silly noises. That's anthropomorphizing. Animals do not care if they are cute. They did not evolve to be aesthetically pleasing to us. That was not their purpose. Big ears help control body temperature and hear better. Big eyes help an animal to see better.
However, through our own hubris, we came to believe that they were. It's easy to see how it came about. These are the days of tea cup pigs, bred specifically for some twit who wants something adorable, and, apparently, so inbred it will die young in misery. Cute sells, and cute is created by stunting normal growth.
Tea cup pigs are created by breeding the runts of runts. They don't stay tea cup sized for long, either. And you can buy them pretty cheap, but be prepared to shell out a fortune in vet bills, because these things are plagued with health issues.
I'm not saying that I'm eating your tea cup pig. I am saying that to make the point that 'cute' isn't a word that should be used in an argument against eating animals. They are two separate things. I do not eat meat because I hate cute animals. I eat it because it is tasty and I like it.
In that same vein, who are these vegetarians, to decide what plants live an die? Cutting down plants means less oxygen for us heterotrophs! You're killing us slowly with your plant eating! At least I kill the methane and carbon dioxide producers as well!
Sorry for the rant, I'm just irritated. And omnivorous. And proud of it.
Also, if you're planning on getting a pet, get a mutt, not a breed. People shouldn't have the right to breed animals to satisfy whims of the consumer.
Also FYI this is what those cute little porky things grown into:
Story on the DailyMail
