I agree. It's just that with their high intelligence and their affinity for us, I feel like dolphins deserve extra respect, especially from us conservatives.
"It's just that with their high intelligence and their affinity for us, I feel like dolphins deserve extra respect, especially from us conservatives."
You're entitled to that opinion, but I can't forget that people develop an affinity for all kinds of creatures.
I once wandered into what was labeled a "pet store" in Japan, and it was like a house of horrors to me. Spiders, snakes, poisonous centipedes, lizards...the only things that looked halfway like pets to me were the smuggled tortoises, whaddaya call'em, they have a geometric pattern on their shell?
They even had mamushi in there.
People have even waxed sentimental over grizzly bears.
I have no problem with people shuddering and not wanting to eat certain things. I do it, too. Got queasy at the sight of dog meat in Korean butcher stalls. Get really queasy when they bring something to the table here in Japan that's not only raw, but still alive.
In the end, though, they're animals, and while I agree that it's rational to like certain animals, I think it's going overboard to respect any animal.