Some thoughts about double standards of human behaviour towards animals.

Some time ago a thought arose in my mind about animals and just now I saw a thread by boardmonkey about thanksgiving which reminded me of that thought. It was about how differently we actually perceive animals which depends on if they are used for food or as something that is not considered as food by general population, and I get annoyed when people get angry or show "sympathy" when they find out that some people eat animals that are not considered as food like dogs and cats. These same people dont care about killing insects, I have asked these questions to people and always their answer is "well they are just insects" well, then what is the difference between a cat or a dog and an insect? both are living beings, both have a will to live. So how is one life judged lower than another? is not all life equal? both have life and thats what makes them equal. But I have seen people who is devesated by seeing animals get hurt while at the same time eat meat without giving a thought about how that came on to their plate. We seem to have sympathy for others only when it suits us. I have asked this question to people and never have I gotten an answer that have cleared my confusion and annoyance. Most answers are like "they are used for food while this is a pet" so you only have sympathy for an animal because you have an emotional connection to it? Shouldn't animals be treated with kindness and respect simply because it is alive? Shouldnt that be the only criteria? Also I eat meat too, I know, its hypocratic for me to say this. But still I do feel that this is wrong and I just usually avoid this thought because I feel guilty but I dont do anything about it. This is why I get annoyed when people get emotional for some incident regarding an animal while they themselves dont even care about the animals that die in order to fill their stomach. As I have said before, we seem to value life when it favours us and not unconditionally which I feel is wrong.

It is a luxury to even consider the ethics of eating meat. Every animal except for humans only cares about its own survival. What you are asking is an old philosophical question about consciousness, essentially. I think the question takes for granted the fact that we humans are animals with barbaric instincts and urges. It is highly satisfying and healthy for us to eat meat in balanced proportions. It is part of our biology. At a higher layer of thought, I might reconcile my own conscience by saying that farm animals deserve humane treatment until they are slaughtered, which is a real problem now.

I agree there is no difference I would kill them all equally if needed to dog cat unicorn elephant it’s all just flesh and bone at the end of the day

It's human nature to do what you need to survive and decide after. I've decided that no animal deserves to be mistreated or killed without reason, but when it comes to prioritization, those with a more rational consciousness should be prioritized. Smarter animals should garner more sympathy. Does a spider show you the same love as a dog would? They all deserve to live, but priorities are important as well.

We cannot avoid being biased by our culture and upbringing. I appalls me to think about eating a cat. Many people in the world are appalled by eating cows. Or pigs. I don't necessarily have an answer for this other than it's just what I'm used to. I think cows and pigs are probably as smart as cats