Some satirical observations on eating habits and cruelty to animals.
The first time I experienced the mushy texture and slightly sickening taste of a banana must have been in 1947 when I was twelve years old. Relatively late in life due to the absence of such luxuries during the war years. I cannot remember if I had the pleasure before the beginning of the war, but I’m sure they were available then.
I know that because in my bedroom hung an old pre-war poster advertising “Artis”, the zoo in Amsterdam. It depicts an illustration of an Orangutan with glorious reddish hair, chowing down on a banana. When I was served my first mushy banana as an after-dinner delicacy, I told my mother what I thought of it and asked her to send the remainder to the ape in Artis.
Nice young fellow eating his lunch
Her comment, “The reason why people and the great apes love bananas is that we descended via the chain of evolution from those glorious primates.” The fact that she had it slightly wrong, as we originated from a joint ancestor, is immaterial to the rest of this story.
I got into serious trouble then, as I replied, “Aha evolution, and if we descend directly from our Artis ape, it could explain why Dad and Martijn (my younger brother) also have orange hair and seem to enjoy their bananas.”
My father, who had a well-developed sense of humor, said, “You are right. All real Thorbeckes have red hair. You have more in common with your mother’s branch of the family but don’t worry, there is hope for you despite that.” My brother took the remark more personally and threw his napkin ring (picture below) at my head. Fortunately, he missed as those things, relics of bygone days of fine dining… were made of heavy solid silver.
Table set for fine dining with table napkins rolled up with silver rings.
At that age, I wasn’t quite ready to have much in common with primates or any animals for that matter. I was a speciesist and most likely a racist and sexist to boot. I know I was a sexist as I thought my sisters to be much inferior and if Germans were a separate race, as they had claimed during the Hitler days, I certainly was a racist too.
Since then I have made amends in my attitude towards other creatures and like so many famous philosophers such as Peter Singer, Jeremy Bentham, J.M. Coetzee, and the American, Gary Steiner (Animals and the Moral Community), I disapprove of all cruelty to animals—not only our companion animals but all vertebrates and in particular the warm-blooded ones.
Horse Racing, another form of Animal Cruelty – Painting by Edouard Manet
It was Jeremy Bentham who coined the term speciesism—prejudice or bias in favor of the interest of our own and against members of other species. Its patterns are identical to those of racism and sexism and like them find their justification in the Old Testament. The concept of man’s dominion over all other animals is one of the most misplaced and wrongheaded ideas that find their origin in the Judeo-Christian and Islamist belief systems. Let’s face it, there is not much of a difference between them.
As a result, I will not only refrain from eating bananas, not even that disgusting concoction referred to as banana bread, but I will also not dine on orangutans, dogs, sweet little lambs such as Mary’s Little Lamb, big-eyed, trusting cows and their calves, clever and amusing pigs, dirty rats or white-tailed deer cavorting in our forests.
I refuse to take part in that endless chain of abuse and cruelty of sentient animals that feel fear and pain and experience suffering like I do.
Note: Now that I am MUCH older, and as it is supposed to be good for my health, I eat meat in moderate portions, and now and again kick myself for doing so.
2 responses to “Satirical Observations on Cruelty to Animals and Eating Habits”
As usual, I love the anecdote of your youth wrapped in a sort of moral of the story. I admit I haven’t thought much about speciesism but am vaguely aware of it , especially as talks of climate change arise. Many folks like to declare how much they don’t care if a species is discontinued by our rampant consumerism and general apathy toward the consequences, and it never feels right because even at a basic level, all species (vertebrate or otherwise) are worthy of existence. Much as I might dislike certain bugs (mosquitoes, yellow jackets…), they still have a right to existence and we’re only bothered because we humans did what we do in that we took their habitat and then campaigned against their having it in the first place.
Heather, good to hear from you. As to speciesism, the question is where to draw the line. Since I had a pet chicken I cannot bear the idea that one should eat one That would be like eating dogs, a sort of cannibalism to me.