Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Not a brilliant conversation about animal experimentation, but...
ME: What makes you think doing incredibly cruel tests on animals will teach us anything about human health?
HIM: You gotta do experiments on animals. What choice do ya have? Humans?
ME: But there are vast differences between individual humans. For example, I’m allergic to sulfur and you’re not. How can we possibly learn anything from testing done on not only another person but another species entirely?
HIM: Better some friggin’ rat than me. We humans have feelings.
ME: You’re not gonna answer that last question?
HIM: I got one for you. Would you really wanna see laboratory tests on humans with thoughts and emotions and intelligence?
ME: That’s your criteria? Thoughts and emotions and intelligence?
HIM: Of course. Animals aren’t like us.
ME: Then let’s do experiments on your grandmother. She’s not like us either.
HIM: What?
ME: She’s been in a coma for ten years. As far as you can tell, she has no thoughts or emotions or intelligence. Why not squirt toxins in her eyes to test some overpriced perfume?
HIM: That’s crazy.
ME: Not according to you.
HIM: We should do the tests on you.
ME: Why me?
HIM: Because you’re a wiseass.
ME: So, let me get this straight. It has nothing to do with the usefulness or validity of performing painful, cruel tests on a species with little in common with humans and it really has nothing to do with emotions and thoughts and intelligence. In the end, you’re willing to torture any creature you personally don’t like. Like me, for example.
HIM: I never said that.
ME: You didn’t have to.
For more, here’s an article I wrote some five years ago:
http://www.disinfo.com/archive/pages/article/id1051/pg1/
Copyright © 2005-2007 Mickey Z.
