Humans, animals different things

Ibrahim Bah -- Staff Column

Back in February, we had the chance to experience the ugly side of animal use. A few of us had the chance to listen to animal rights experts and see some gruesome pictures displayed along with signs such as "Did your meal have a face?"

Though I agree with many points like we should not misuse and mistreat animals, I don't agree with the push for vegetarianism. The part I find disturbing about the whole issue is how they portray meat lovers as evil.

Despite the credible arguments against the misuse of animals, people who choose to eat meat should be respected for their preferences. Often we eat meat and use animals' skins in productive ways such as making coats and other animal-related products. The same rule applies when it comes to using animals in labs to study certain diseases for possible cures.

Many PETA fanatics polarize the issue and take extreme measures for the purpose of recruitment. Distorting information for the sake of opposition undermines how animals contribute to finding new remedies resulting in the saving of countless human lives. Even though the use of animals has been in existence since the beginning of civilization, animal rights activists' approach in redirecting our use of animals is near impossible.

Regardless of how meat lovers use animals, they simply see it as mere animal cruelty. Although we should be compassionate to animals and recognize their contribution to our environment, because we need them for our well-being and for other uses, we have no choice but to cause some harm to their existence.

Experiments on animals have led to the discovery of remedies to many existing medical problems. For example, the polio vaccine was discovered thanks to animal experimentation. The least we can probably strive to do is find ways to cut inappropriate misuse of animals to the lowest extent. I support animal experimentation as long as it makes our environment better.

If there were other means to use instead of animals, such as technology that delivers the same accuracy as the experiments on them, then it is understandable in not using them. Even though animals are creatures that breathe and feel like us, it doesn't mean they are equal to us.

For example, if there was a case where two creatures, a human being and an animal were drowning at the same time and we only had the chance to save one.

Which one would we save first?

After all, should we really compare the value of human life to that of animals? The nobility of human life over animals rests in the hands of one's own perspective and reasoning, but one thing is for sure: if animals are more important than humans, then something is really wrong with that picture.

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Ibrahim Bah can be reached at [email protected]