A billboard dipicting a dog (via computer animation, of course) subjected to some of the torments routinely inflicted on pigs would have been thought-provoking.
Help me out: Why is it okay to eat pigs (not only eat, but manufacture & process them like widgets), but not okay to eat dogs, cats, monkeys, and dolphins? It can't be a function of intelligence. Is this merely an invidious distinction?
Because pigs are just so tasty ... pork chops, ham, sausage, bacon, tenderloins ... do I need to go on?
Eating such animals is a commonly-accepted practice.
...just not in our culture.
but not okay to eat dogs, cats, monkeys, and dolphins?
It is cultural, we just don't eat those animals here in the US.......... for the most part, well, maybe not much, ok it happens.
"Why is it okay to eat pigs (not only eat, but manufacture & process them like widgets), but not okay to eat dogs, cats, monkeys, and dolphins?"
It's the 'cuteness factor'. One simply cannot eat cute animals. You can't sit down to a steaming plate of braised baby kittens, but you can eat a pig's a$$. You can get dolphin safe tuna, but no tuna safe dolphin. Yup, the cute factor. Same thing that keeps you from killing your kids when they act up.