Today we’re looking at PETA and humane rodent control to try to reconcile the conflict between killing and non-killing economic models involving animals. The argument has been raised by many practitioners of vegan livelihoods why farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, and any other craft would need to kill an animal in order to survive or even to make a living. Many omnivorous people remain confounded by the question of the “Rise Peter, Kill and Eat” question that is so deep within the human psyche. Separating metaphor from anecdote is where we start:

From PETA: “Sometimes those in power claimed that juvenile or dark-skinned human beings couldn’t feel pain. Sometimes the powerful claimed that their superiority was granted by God. Our society no longer believes that any human being has the right to rape, torture, or enslave another human being for any reason. We accept that all human beings share a fundamental value and celebrate our differences.” — source

Now anyone who grew up with Tom and Jerry on TV knows that the predator-prey model can indeed be funny, but the difference between the screen world and the real world clears up when you are cognitive of how the mouse feels while it’s being eaten alive by the cat – which we never saw on the screen. I remember picking my dog, Duke, up from the side of Highway 60 after he’d been run over by some asshole driving the speed limit but not paying attention. This is the problem… People telling other people how to live, what to eat or wear, where to drive, what they can and can’t laugh at or about… what to deny or accept.

I know what you’re thinking…

The Telepathic Rodent is OzoneFarm’s publication for dealing with cognitive empathy issues.