The Hidden Persuasions*
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Pet Animals & Meat Animals
Why do the West go bananas over only Dogs & Cats?!! And at the same time continue to slaughter and voraciously devour Cows, Pigs, Chicken, Turkey, Eggs, Fish...?!!
Wish the same love would emerge and would get bestowed upon other 'Life forms'?!!
These clench-fisted, teeth grinding, self righteous angry PITA/Greenpeace activists have no qualms about lining up in front of MacDonald's and Berger King's and consume huge amount of meat and fish everyday!!
Somehow down the line this love for animals: “Pet Animals”and “Meat Animals” have merged and have become one obscure and vague, abstract and absurd, tragic and comic socially accepted behaviour. The 'Hidden Persuasions' in our society have been orchestrated by the vested interest... by the money making factor.
The American President discuses his 'new dog' buying dilemma with his citizens even before he has stepped into the White House... Most citizens in the West are brain-washed about care and love for animals... if you don't love a cat or a dog you are a social outcast.. a weirdo !!
To be a modern liberal citizen you have to show your unconditioned total love for cats and dogs!!
Behind this social conditioning campaign, persuasions we have the real players at the background: the multi-million dollar 'cat & dog' selling industries!! And multimillion dollar cat and dog 'food' manufacturer!! And 'vets' and 'medicines' and grooming and pet care shops... all making money in an organised manner at the stupidity of “dog-cat” loving PITA citizens!!!
The so called doctors and social scientists come on TV and give their 'expert opinion' about positive aspects of keeping theses pets: "Dogs will teach your children love, cats will give you healthy long life, fishes in the aquarium is good for your heart, blah, blah, blah..."
The result is people are buying pets in such numbers in the West that it has grown into a multimillion dollar enterprise!! In the same way as the meat and fish industry!! While millions of cows and pigs and chicken line up on conveyor belts to be slaughtered, fishes are hauled up form sea and lakes for the consumption by the same "animal-loving crazy-citizens"... The meat industries makes a neat profit!!
But all this is at a great cost of the health of its citizens... both physical and mental!!
To make more profit and to meet such unrealistic demands for meat and pets... scientific methods are used to bring more animals in this world.. their DNA is tampered and modified...
The life of these “Pet Animals”and “Meat Animals” are both tragic and sad... on the other hand we the humans too suffer... obesity and diseases from these habits are a way of life now in most developed nations...
There was a time when meat/fish etc. eating was a once month/week occasion and was eaten with great relish... and every part of the meat (inclining the bones, skin, head etc.) was cooked/consumed. Now meat is cheaper than grains and vegetables and eaten from sun rise to sun set.. and most parts are thrown or wasted...
Dogs and cats are breed in great numbers and their DNA is modified to make them look pretty and homely.. cats nails are clipped... fur washed.. and we have an industry supporting them..
Once upon a time dogs and cats belong to your home or neighbourhood/colony /area.. we would leave leftover food... they lived on their own.. not in our bedrooms... they eat healthy, hunt and eat natural food... not the tinned animal food now we stuff them with... and likewise get all sorts odd diseases!!!
Pets were always there... but it was OK when our lives were rural... we needed a dog, cat... it had a job to do... now people keep dogs and cats and avoid all human contact!! They live with pets as if they are their family!! They talk to them and walk with them, eat and sleep on the same table and bed... When these sad people die they leave behind their money and property in their pet's name!! The same lonely people would but cringe at the sight or sound of a fellow human!!
Is this all normal?!!
Even fifty years back it was rare to see an obese person... now its just the opposite!! Same about pets!! Most urban Indians too are not far behind in their obesity and obsession to own a pet!!
This is not a just Western phenomena now... The third world countries also are closely, avidly following... Albeit only the rich and 'educated' class.. Those who have the resources and the 'education', ape their ex-masters blindly.
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| Nandi sits peacefully in front of a house, Krishnanagar, West Bengal, India Jan 2011 |
These, once vegetarians (am talking of Indians here), respecting all forms of life are now eating meat and keeping expensive exotic dogs and cats as a sign of their 'avid love' for animals and Nature and most importantly to look "Western"**!!
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*Taken from Vance Packard's The Hidden Persuaders.. we had a copy of the book at home... I use to read it many a times during my art college days...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vance_Packard
** A very interesting fact here... the West, Europe etc had a long tradition of keeping dogs when their society was mostly rural, agrarian... dogs had a job, to look after the vast stretches of land and the domesticated animals etc. When they moved to city/urban life due to industrialization the usefulness of dogs had diminished...but tradition, life-style don't go away so easily... Yes industrialization, urbanisation has also brought with it loneliness etc. The popular reason (for keeping dogs etc.) which everyone talks about...
Once when I was having a conversation with a polish friend and asked why so many dogs in polish cites etc. His reply was the same... and he was embarrassed about it!! (as it shows they were once simple village folks etc !!)
This friend said... pointing to his 'city people'... 'only few decades back these people were simple framers living in this very place..which was then a village... or on the outskirts of this region. Once they lost the land etc. dog was the only memory of that past.' Many old people keep dogs here in Poland.. and it has been past on to their children.
Now the interesting part... when we compared notes with India!!! Indian villagers don't have the same relation with dogs as it's counterpart in the Europe/West etc.
So why do Indians when they moved to a urban life.. keep a dog?!!
Of course because we still copy our ex-Masters!!
Most Indians talk with their dogs in 'English'... and name their pets as: Jimmy, Tommy, Tiger etc!!
