Post-"Turkey Day" concerns from the wife
December 06, 2002 ~ 1:57 p.m.
The wife, after reading several back entries of various diaries, recently told me that she was disturbed by the habit of some Americans to refer to Thanksgiving as �Turkey Day.� She said it only promulgates the notion that Thanksgiving is more about eating turkeys than celebrating the fall harvest or remembering the men who survived a brutal first winter to establish themselves in the New World.
That�s right, my wife is bullish on animal rights. In the time that I�ve been married to her, she�s been schooled in American conservative thought � after all, living with me is often akin to attendance at a Republican think-tank � but she remains committed to the notions that animals have rights.
We are both passionate animal lovers. I believe that pets deserve better protection from abuse, that human conditions should exist for livestock and that animal abusers should receive two years in prison. She and I are both outraged by fox hunting and hope for a ban on the "sport" here in England. However, unlike the wife, I don�t consider myself an animal rightist; I propose animal welfare instead. If you are wondering about the philosophy I have used to differentiate between the two spheres of thought on the subject, please read this.
As should be obvious, the wife is a vegetarian. She has been for nearly fourteen years. She was successful in getting me to give up red meat, which I did in 1997, and has met with only marginal success in getting me to give up poultry. Although I do not eat it on a regular basis, I do have the occasional bit of chicken. And I openly eat fish; she knows I�ll never give that up and she complies by getting me cans of tuna.
Now I must say, however, this dedication to life is refreshing. Her philosophy takes into account the beauty of life, not just as it concerns humans, but all creatures with whom we share the earth. Some will argue that anti-vivesectionists compromise the quality of human life, but who couldn�t agree that using animals to test razor blades or cosmetics is pointless, petty torture? Who but for silly rich women with even less of a heart than brain matter or shameless fashion models wear fur?
My wife is anti-abortion and has made donations to children�s charities, so she is not blind to human need, something that those who are dedicated to the well-being of animals so often stand accused of. But, although my philosophy differs a bit from hers � I can laugh at the dimwits of PETA, whereas she cannot or does not want to see the damage to animal rights they inflict � I am with her on the basic tenets of animal welfare. And, to the wife�s credit, she practices what she preaches � she does not eat meat nor own any leather products.
It does not really take a radical change in lifestyle to grant animals a bit of respect. Just don�t begrudge them their space on the planet. That alone could make a huge difference in mankind�s view of his fellow creatures. And perhaps, while we�re at it, even call the third Thursday of every November what it is � Thanksgiving.
� M.E.M.
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Copyright � 2001-2007 by M.E. Manning. All material is written by me, unless explicitly stated otherwise by use of footnotes or bylines. Do not copy or redistribute without my permission.
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