Dog Meat Festival to Begin in China

[Jucifer]

If I posted this in the wrong place, mods please move it.

This Change.org petition popped up on my Facebook news feed today and I can't get the picture out of my head.  If you're an animal person don't click on it. it's awful.

https://www.change.org/p/mr-chen-wu-yulin-governor-please-shut-down-the-yulin-dog-meat-festival-in-guangxi-china

I looked into it.  I can't tell if the dogs are killed humanely or not.  It doesn't matter to me.  It's awful.

I try to balance US news with sources from across the pond:  https://www.google.com/amp/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/36583400

Thoughts, anyone?

[Shiny]

I'm familiar with festival. It infuriates me, but it's not much different than what is done to factory farmed meat in the US. At least, to me it's not. I see little difference other than we place certain attributes to dogs that we don't on farm animals. 

 

If I'm not mistaken, the festival was canceled a year or so ago because of global outrage. 

[Mercer]

It just seems to be a matter of cultural norms.

Cows are an acceptable animal to eat in the United States, but not (generally) in India. A lot of Indians think it's disgusting and morally unacceptable to eat beef.

Pigs are an acceptable animal to eat in the United States, even though they're more intelligent than dogs. Some researchers have stated that pigs are as smart as a three-year-old child, but we still sure love our bacon in this country.

Dogs are not an acceptable animal to eat in the United States because they're seen as exclusively a companion... but aside from our cultural view of them, what's the difference? Why would it be inherently less moral to eat a dog than any other animal?

Would we be in favor of a Change.org petition by people in India who think Americans should be banned from eating beef? If that seems weird and invasive, why would it be less weird and invasive for us to try to do the same thing regarding meat consumption in China?

If the slaughter method is inhumane, by all means that's a problem - but a different one. 

[Jucifer]

The Change.org petition says that the dogs are not killed humanely and it's really horrifying.

I've done some research but I can't tell if it's true or not. 

I signed the petition anyway...