Pigs experience the worst of animal inequality. Whenever I open my Facebook in the morning and I see the cute posts of my friends with their beloved pets of dogs, and cats, and the occasional iguana or parrot. It truly makes me curious about their love affair with bacon. I wonder if they realize that pigs are more intelligent than dogs. In fact, their cognitive, social, emotional complexity and capacity skills are shared and in some cases, surpass those of other highly intelligent animals, and this my Facebook friends, includes dogs.
Pigs Are No Different
So how do we get people to differentiate pigs from their pets? When I mention to people that pigs are smarter than dogs, and have just as much emotion and empathy, the response usually is the same: I don’t know. Behaviors and attitudes towards animals are very inconsistent. One species is sent to the slaughterhouse and another species receives loads of love and affection for no apparent reason, other than its culture and society norm.
Why do they post bacon recipes one day and a picture cuddling with their dog the next? Awareness of animal equality is absent here. It is ludicrous that people eat pigs and adore dogs, yet do not necessarily know their motive. Our choices as consumers, our love affair with bacon, pushes an industry that slaughters billions of animals a year and people don’t even know why.
How Can We Make Change?
Education seems to be the answer. It’s the only thing that has a chance of slowly changing the thought process of our society and culture. In 2015, the World Health Organization deemed processed meat, bacon included, to be in the same category of cancer risk as asbestos and tobacco smoking. Keeping that in mind, and having so many healthy vegan alternatives to bacon available in the grocery aisle, don’t you think it is time to decide why it is you love your dog, but are eating a beautiful, intelligent and affectionate animal without knowing the reason?
Veganism is becoming a movement, and within this movement is change. Pigs will hopefully no longer be looked at as bacon on a plate, but as the benevolent, warm, caring animals that they are, and our society will adapt. Pigs have every right to be our best friend as much as dogs and cats do, and deserve that chance to be the next cute post on Facebook as a pet, not as a recipe.
bbs says
Excellent article in that really brings to light the reality of eating pork and supporting a potentially harmful food industry