Boiling Mad: Crabs Feel Pain

YahooNews ^ | 03/27/09 | Robert Roy Britt

[mickey finn]

“I love Dungeness crab! All these damn touchy feely idiots will have to pry the shells from my cold dead hands!”

Besides catching and eating Dungies, my favorite part of going crabbing is grabbing them form the cooler and plunging them head first into the briny boiling water. I need to make some calls soon and get a crabbing and clamming trip to the Oregon coast.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

And you know this how?

Well, my aunt suffered severe burns three years ago when the handle on a pot of boiling rice gave way and it spilled on the floor, splashing her. Weeks afterward, she described it as the worst pain she had ever felt - she was still feeling it. That's how I know, not that it takes personal experience or witness testimony or much more than a bit of common sense.

[Judith Anne]

The pain of being boiled alive is far worse than anything you're ever likely to experience.

No, you jerk. The pain of taking care of my husband here at home while he died from cancer is the worst pain in the world. I WOULD RATHER HAVE BEEN BOILED ALIVE, THAN SUFFER WITH AND FOR HIM, IN HIS AGONY.

So kiss off.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

No, you jerk. The pain of taking care of my husband here at home while he died from cancer is the worst pain in the world. I WOULD RATHER HAVE BEEN BOILED ALIVE, THAN SUFFER WITH AND FOR HIM, IN HIS AGONY.

So kiss off.

Fine, you're the Queen Of Pain and no creature should expect to be spared because of your experience. Happy now? Do whatever you want, drama queen, I really don't care. But comparing your emotional pain to being boiled alive is just mindless.

[Osage Orange]

Sorry to hear about your Aunt.........

But you know nothing about the other poster...

And you can't equate what your Aunt went through to what a lobster goes through. And then declare it's the worst pain imaginable....

And that's my point...

[Mila]

This is not happy news in this area.

I hope it doesn't apply to mudbugs too

[Judith Anne]

I didn't compare my emotional pain to being boiled alive.

This was YOUR comment 99 to me: The pain of being boiled alive is far worse than anything you're ever likely to experience.

I just corrected you.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

But you know nothing about the other poster...

And that's why I said "likely". Most people never suffer that kind of physical harm, though some unfortunately do. In any event, my point was simply that boiling crabs and lobsters alive isn't even necessary - killing them beforehand is not hard, and spares the creatures some pain. I don't know how it devolved into the current "my pain is worse" thing with the other poster.

[Judith Anne]

Hold it here, now, I’m the Queen of Pain. I think I’ll use it for a tagline for the PETA freaks.

/sarc

[Judith Anne]

I don't know how it devolved into the current "my pain is worse" thing with the other poster.

It's polite to ping someone you're talking about. Please refer yourself to your post 99, and you'll see what you said. Apparently, you've forgotten.

[Osage Orange]

I don’t even like lobster.........

[jimt]

You have to admit, being boild alive has to be one of the worst ways imaginable.

Yes, if you start with them in cold water.

But you don't. You get the water boiling and drop the suckers in. The shock is intense. They stop moving nearly immediately.

[Judith Anne]

The thing that gets me about this waste of research dollars, and the bleeding hearts that compare crustacean suffering to human suffering in quality and quantity, is that they expect people to take them seriously.

There are animals that live with mankind, serve mankind, and for all intents and purposes, love mankind. Them, I equate almost to humans, and wonder at times if they have souls.

Crabs? No. Lobsters? No.

I see no reason to prolong the suffering of a food animal. Boiling alive is fast, I am certain. I see no reason for any cruelty to any animal, but dropping them into boiling water for a near-instant death is not cruel. Certainly I would prefer that death to many other ways to die, for myself.

And people who think their pity for the theoretical suffering of crustaceans MUST be shared by everyone on the planet are silly, shallow, and dumb. And likely to know next to nothing about actual suffering.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

It's polite to ping someone you're talking about. Please refer yourself to your post 99, and you'll see what you said. Apparently, you've forgotten.

I said this:

The pain of being boiled alive is far worse than anything you're ever likely to experience.

I think it's pretty obvious I was stating that you, along with me, my neighbors and most other members of the human race, are not likely to have suffered any physical harm to compare with being boiled alive, or to have undergone physical pain to compare with it. This isn't a controversial statement - it's also unlikely that you, I and everyone we know have ever won the lottery or been struck by lightning. I have no idea why you feel this is some sort of personal attack on you.

[brytlea]

You mean there are people who haven’t seen it? That’s kinda sad...

[Judith Anne]

I refer you to post 113.

And I don’t think we need any more freaking laws to “protect” any crustaceans from any hypothetical pain.

After all, take a good look at a tick, flea, spider, or termite, or other destructive bug. I don’t care about their suffering when I kill them.

But for you, I’m sure their suffering is no less.......after all, how would it feel to be killed by poison chemicals? I’m sure you care.

[Judith Anne]

I have no idea why you feel this is some sort of personal attack on you.

Because you posted it to me, that's why. Next time, try that bilge on some other adult FReeper who thinks you're precious. I don't care about your feelings, either.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

And likely to know next to nothing about actual suffering.

And there you go again. Believe it or not, many people have suffered in life. You don't have a monopoly. But we don't all use our personal sufferings to justify inflicting needless pain on some hapless animal, even if the animal is far too primitive to feel love or make us wonder if it has a soul.

[Vision]

That’s why as a good Maryland boy I steam mine to death.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Because you posted it to me, that's why. Next time, try that bilge on some other adult FReeper who thinks you're precious. I don't care about your feelings, either.

Lady, take that chip on your shoulder and that pain you wave like a flag and inflict them on someone interested in bitter, self-absorbed blowhards. I'm not interested. Bye, sunshine.