Why do people (online) mock those who are kind to animals?

[Rory17]

Hello ,
Most people in my society would claim to love animals - especially cats and/or dogs (you get cat people and dog people, and both people and those who love another particular type of animal/multiple types of animals). Many people would claim that they would save a dog or cat from a dangerous situation, or at least view those who do as heroes.
Yet, when it comes to those who care about other animals like cattle, pigs, chickens, etc, and don’t eat them and advocate for them, they get mocked and bullied.
If someone were to save birds, cats or dogs, they would be adored by people. Yet, if someone goes out of their way to save insects and bugs from drowning and other dangers, they might get teased and mocked about it. Why?
If someone refuses to kill “pest” animals and tries to stop others from killing them, the other people get all defensive. Why?
Also, even most animal lovers tend to pick and choose which animals they love and other ones that they dislike/hate/don’t care about. People adore dogs and cats, but not many would say they love flies, spiders, crows, wild rats, seagulls, pigeons, salmon, sardines, tuna, prawns, lobsters or crabs. I know people are more connected to dogs and cats, but why is it considered so odd to love some/any of those creatures?
Every animal lover would love to save the pandas, tigers, elephants, the dogs and cats from the meat and skin trades, dancing bears and abused, neglected and stray dogs and cats, but not as many people would want to save insects, turkeys, chickens, cattle, sheep, etc.
Why is compassion towards animals something so many people mock and bully others for? If society really does love animals, why do so many people bully and tease those who are vegans and animal rights advocates?
Also, why is it considered so unmanly to be vegan? Men can get all the protein they need to be buff and masculine without hurting animals. Isn’t part of being a real man caring for others? There’s a German strongman who is at least one of the world’s strongest men, if not the strongest man in the world, and he is vegan, as are Lewis Hamilton and so many other buff, male athletes, bodybuilders and even Olympic men. A vegan man can potentially be just as buff and masculine as a non-vegan man, if not even more so. Also, isn’t being a decent, kind and compassionate person more important than being a “real man”? I’m not into dating at the moment, but if I were into it and I were looking to date a man, I’d rather date a vegan man who is kind and compassionate and not-so masculine, maybe skinny, but a really decent and kindhearted person than a big, buff man who couldn’t care less about animals or others and was mean-spirited and unkind…
Maybe some of it comes down to the non-vegans deeply down knowing the vegans are right, but they “couldn’t give up meat” because they love it so much and they are insecure about it?
I don’t want to talk bad of anyone here. I still have lots of compassion for non-vegans. I just want them to go vegan…
Thanks.

 

[Lou]

I think you are the third person this week who I recommended to read Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, And Wear Cows by Dr. Melanie Joy.
Pick it up at the library, she also has some interviews in places, and has done some videos on YouTube. So you should check her out.
Heck the title of the book - it is mostly the same as the question you just asked.

I may be able to summarize succinctly but certainly not comprehensively.

1. Social Conditioning.
2. people not analyzing or examining their behavior.

 

[VeganRachel]

Because compassion and empathy are seen as weaknesses, not strengths, in a society that has normalized aggression,
violence, and eating gentle animals. Humans are very afraid of admitting their meal was the result of being unkind, cruel, and selfish.
One study showed that when men and women were reading about the life of a lamb and I believe shown photos,
it lowered the desire for women to eat animals, but strengthened the mens' desire.....masculinity and the need to
dominate?

 

[Andy_T]

.. and because they have a bad conscience, as they know, deep down, that animals don’t really like to be killed and eaten, and that it is fundamentally wrong. One way to cope with that is to lash out and ridicule others who live up to their values…

 

[beancounter]

The anonymity of the internet allows people to be assholes without consequences.

 

[VeganRachel]

.. and because they have a bad conscience, as they know, deep down, that animals don’t really like to be killed and eaten, and that it is fundamentally wrong. One way to cope with that is to lash out and ridicule others who live up to their values…

Agreed. Human animals have an ego and we want to believe that we are kind, loving, and caring. We do not want to be
wrong and have it pointed out that we are making mistakes, Veganism questions the normalcy of eating gentle animals
and that makes humans uncomfortable. God bless you for your awareness, peace be with you.....

 

[VeganRachel]

Sadly our world has changed over many years. Aggression, anger, and violence are valued. Compassion, peace, and empathy
are seen as weaknesses. I believe males are taught as little boys not to show emotion, not to cry. This is a part of this whole
scenario of cruelty. Wars are not peaceful, loving, fair, or kind. But when a world "leader" declares war on another country,
he is seen as powerful, decisive, and strong. Ironically, compassion is a strength. Read Patrick Baboumian's quote on compassion
(he can lift 1200 pounds and walk it 31 feet as a strongman):
“Strength must build up, not destroy. It should outdo itself, not others who are weaker. Used without responsibility, it causes nothing but harm and death. I can lift the heaviest weights, but I can not take the responsibility off my shoulders. Because the way we use our strength defines our fate. What traces will I leave on my path into the future? Do we really have to kill in order to live? My true strength lies in not seeing weakness as weakness. My strength needs no victims. My strength is my compassion."

 

[Hope J.]

Agreed. Human animals have an ego and we want to believe that we are kind, loving, and caring. We do not want to be
wrong and have it pointed out that we are making mistakes, Veganism questions the normalcy of eating gentle animals
and that makes humans uncomfortable. God bless you for your awareness, peace be with you.....

Yes. People are very selfish, murderous, and evil. That is one reason i dont care much for them. People can respectfully debate you or express their opinions but they dont want too. They think that they're cool or tough by intimidation. Pathetic. They also like to post about what they ate and how good it was and that they laughed about it. And the really famous one, a guy eating a murdered squirrel in a protesters face. People have no class or respect for anyone. I was also called a mooch. Apparently they dont know what that means and that i shouldnt be in society to that effect.

 

[Generation V]

Hello ,
Most people in my society would claim to love animals - especially cats and/or dogs (you get cat people and dog people, and both people and those who love another particular type of animal/multiple types of animals). Many people would claim that they would save a dog or cat from a dangerous situation, or at least view those who do as heroes.
Yet, when it comes to those who care about other animals like cattle, pigs, chickens, etc, and don’t eat them and advocate for them, they get mocked and bullied.
If someone were to save birds, cats or dogs, they would be adored by people. Yet, if someone goes out of their way to save insects and bugs from drowning and other dangers, they might get teased and mocked about it. Why?
If someone refuses to kill “pest” animals and tries to stop others from killing them, the other people get all defensive. Why?
Also, even most animal lovers tend to pick and choose which animals they love and other ones that they dislike/hate/don’t care about. People adore dogs and cats, but not many would say they love flies, spiders, crows, wild rats, seagulls, pigeons, salmon, sardines, tuna, prawns, lobsters or crabs. I know people are more connected to dogs and cats, but why is it considered so odd to love some/any of those creatures?
Every animal lover would love to save the pandas, tigers, elephants, the dogs and cats from the meat and skin trades, dancing bears and abused, neglected and stray dogs and cats, but not as many people would want to save insects, turkeys, chickens, cattle, sheep, etc.
Why is compassion towards animals something so many people mock and bully others for? If society really does love animals, why do so many people bully and tease those who are vegans and animal rights advocates?
Also, why is it considered so unmanly to be vegan? Men can get all the protein they need to be buff and masculine without hurting animals. Isn’t part of being a real man caring for others? There’s a German strongman who is at least one of the world’s strongest men, if not the strongest man in the world, and he is vegan, as are Lewis Hamilton and so many other buff, male athletes, bodybuilders and even Olympic men. A vegan man can potentially be just as buff and masculine as a non-vegan man, if not even more so. Also, isn’t being a decent, kind and compassionate person more important than being a “real man”? I’m not into dating at the moment, but if I were into it and I were looking to date a man, I’d rather date a vegan man who is kind and compassionate and not-so masculine, maybe skinny, but a really decent and kindhearted person than a big, buff man who couldn’t care less about animals or others and was mean-spirited and unkind…
Maybe some of it comes down to the non-vegans deeply down knowing the vegans are right, but they “couldn’t give up meat” because they love it so much and they are insecure about it?
I don’t want to talk bad of anyone here. I still have lots of compassion for non-vegans. I just want them to go vegan…
Thanks.

People are into saving insects? What on Earth for? Aren’t they part of the food chain in our ecosystem?

 

[Tom L.]

@Generation V Most people aren't into saving insects, no. And they're so small and numerous, it's literally impossible to take the same amount of care to avoid harming them as to avoid harming mammals, birds, etc without going insane. Besides, their nervous systems are comparatively simple- and most biologists (I think) believe that insects are not sentient. But I've observed insects since I was a child, alhough I never collected or mounted them- and I have to believe they are sentient to a degree. So why not cut them a little slack when we can?

 

[Lou]

People are into saving insects? What on Earth for? Aren’t they part of the food chain in our ecosystem?

Saving may be the wrong word. Although saving is the opposite of wasting, I think the sentiment is not wasting insects. or not killing insects on purpose. Another way is to say the goal is to reduce the harm to insects.

Buying organic foods is one way I try to reduce harm to All animal life (including insects)

Also a lot of effort should go into preserving pollinators. Talk about food chains. About 1/3 of the food we eat is dependent on pollinators. Of course many pollinators are. insects.

 

[Lou]

@Generation V Most people aren't into saving insects, no. And they're so small and numerous, it's literally impossible to take the same amount of care to avoid harming them as to avoid harming mammals, birds, etc without going insane.

So much harm is done to insects on purpose. Spraying crops with insecticides for instance. A lot of good can be done just by reducing or eliminating spraying of crops. There is also a lot of collateral benefit to reducing the spraying of insecticides. It protects our water quality, our fish, and also so many insecticides have proven to be harmful to people.

Besides, their nervous systems are comparatively simple- and most biologists (I think) believe that insects are not sentient. But I've observed insects since I was a child, alhough I never collected or mounted them- and I have to believe they are sentient to a degree. So why not cut them a little slack when we can?

Sentient? this gets into semantics. But if you just use the threshold that sentence is based on that they Both perceive and react to the environment - insects pass that low bar.

But whether or not they are sentient, they still react to the environment. They probably don't feel pain like we do - but they must feel something.

 

[ewomack]

Many people think, for various reasons, that animals were "put here" for the free use of humans to do with whatever they want. It's a pretty convenient belief, especially since it likely originated with humans themselves. As such, many people find attributing moral status to animals "ridiculous" because they're obviously just "dumb animals" put here for us to eat and play with. It's a shallow way to view animals, especially insects, who really do help with supporting the biosphere upon which humans depend. Not to mention that studies continue to show that animals have far more intelligence than anyone previously thought. This becomes an inconvenient idea, however, because once you accept that animals may in fact suffer, meat eating takes on a completely different hue. So, as a coping mechanism, people just consider the thought "stupid" rather than face the potential moral consequences. Sometimes it's just easier to resent something than to try to understand it. Humans are pretty self-centered and myopic overall. We've done some amazing things, but our "intelligence" also gives us the means to justify some pretty barbarous and highly immoral behavior. It seems like we often aren't even aware of when we're doing this.