Dehumanizing Humans - by Cathryn Crawford

The Washington Dispatch | May 24, 2003 | Cathryn Crawford

[Cathryn Crawford]

Dehumanizing Humans

Exclusive commentary by Cathryn Crawford

May 24, 2003

There is a bit of propaganda which is threading its way through the United States, on a twenty city tour. Ironically, this liberal propaganda made its début in Berkeley, California (a fact which I find to be quite funny in its own right). The propaganda to which I am referring is the newest cut-and-paste billboard "education" created and sponsored by our friends, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Entitled "Holocaust On Your Plate", it is an exhibit of 8, 60 square foot panels, showing photos of factory farms and slaughterhouse scenes, side by side with photos from Nazi death camps where 6 million Jews died during World War II. I was taken aback by the sheer lack of insensitivity on the part of PETA, despite their claims that the advertisements were funded by "a Jewish philanthropist". The claim that animals and people are of the same value seemed to be quite a stretch to little old traditionalist me.

When I visited the PETA website to see these billboards for myself, I was, I admit, momentarily distracted by headlines such as, "Woman strips naked to protest circus cruelty" and "Why did the chicken cross the road? To protest Col. Sander’s cruelty!” However, after savoring the sheer stupidity of said headlines, I once again focused my intent on the target of taking a look at these controversial "education tools".

I was, after a bit of searching, linked to another site, http://www.masskilling.com, which features photos of piled up pig carcasses on one side of the screen and a black and white picture of human bodies on the other. The obvious connotation was that it was an equal crime; as though the murder of the Jews was just the same as the murder of pigs. I felt that familiar queasiness begin in the pit of my stomach.

As I moved on through the site, the sick feeling only grew. I found more photos, some of Jews, crammed together on beds, next to pictures of chickens in coops. I found quotes from Charles Patterson, author of Eternal Treblinka and self proclaimed Holocaust expert - “... [d]uring the twentieth century two of the world’s modern industrialized nations—the United States and Germany—slaughtered millions of human beings and billions of other beings. Each country made its own unique contribution to the century’s carnage: America gave the modern world the slaughterhouse; Nazi Germany gave it the gas chamber.” Nice comparison of America to Nazi Germany, I thought. Creative twist of history. Truthful? No. But so very creative. There is no question that what happened to the Jews during the Holocaust was mass murder. It was the ultimate crime - the attempted extermination of an entire ethnicity. However, when someone comes along and rubs salt in the wounds of those who died - and those who knew and loved people who died - by trivializing their deaths in such a way, it is as though the entire race is being raped all over again. Equating animal life with human life is demeaning. People should be offended by this. How is the pillaging of six million people comparable to my eating a Big Mac? If someone could logically explain that to me, perhaps I would be able to understand. But what I see is a group of leftist people who are willing to further their own agenda on the backs of their fellow human beings. Not just a certain group of human beings, but the human race in general.

The parallels between thinking that a human is only as good as an animal and an animal is only as good as a human are so easy to draw. Think about it. Our only being as good as animals gives us the right to act like them. Want to have an abortion? Go ahead. After all, not only is it just a fetus, but it's also just an animal fetus, right? So go ahead! It doesn't really matter! Want to screw around with everybody who comes along? That's okay, too! After all, we're all just animals, anyway! Follow your instincts! Want to get rid of someone who's not convenient, whether you discard them emotionally or physically? That's great, fine, good, acceptable. Might makes right. It's the animal kingdom, anyway! The law of the jungle. Who cares?

Now, don't say that I'm making a big deal out of nothing. You may think that this is normal stupidity from the wacko animal rights activists. You may say, "What's the point in griping about it? There's nothing we can do. Just let it go!” Well, there's a reason why we can't let this go, why we have to point it out and talk about it and debate it when we get the chance, and it is just this -we cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the dehumanization of humans. We are dumbing down ourselves and our children, and the irony is that we don't even realize it. As a matter of fact, not only do we not realize it, we allow it to go on and even encourage it by our silence. We are allowing that way of thinking to seep into our being and tint our perspective of the world. It is amazing how much affects us that we don't realize. Every time you accept as fact the view that animals are just as good as humans, every time you give a dog's life the same value as your child's, you are contributing to the problem. We are not animals! We don't have the right to act like animals! Yet, if you follow the logic of PETA, we are not just on the same level as animals; we are below them because we kill animals! Oh, the horror!

This is not an oversimplification. This is a black and white, follow-the-logic conclusion. If animals and humans are all the same anyway, then why should you or I or anyone else have any more respect for our kids or our parents than we do for the rat that we set out poison to kill? Why should I care anymore for my neighbor than the stray cat I saw dead on the side of the road this morning? Someone explain that to me, please, because the logic that I see tells me that no one cares. Either you agree with PETA, or you won't take a firm stand to say that it is wrong. That's pretty shameful behavior from conservatives. I expect the liberals to agree with and support PETA as they dehumanize humans. I don't expect conservatives to blandly stand by and let them do it. Pathetic.

Cathryn Crawford is a student from Texas. She can be reached at feedback@washingtondispatch.com.

[Cathryn Crawford]

Really? Money? Really? I'm sallivating...

j/k

[Scenic Sounds]

You’re absolutely right about these PETA folks, Cathryn.

These people are stupid: I agree with you about the “sheer stupidity of [those] headlines.”

These people are irresponsible: "Woman strips naked to protest circus cruelty."

These people are callous: “[Rubbing] salt in the wounds of those who died . . .by trivializing their deaths.”

These people are insensitive: “[I}t is as though the entire race is being raped all over again.”

These people are ruthless “[W]illing to further their own agenda on the backs of their fellow human beings.”

These people are dangerous: “[D]umbing down . . . our children.”

These people are our enemies: “[W]hat I see is a group of leftist people,”

So, Cathryn, you tell me – which one of these despicable PETA folks do you think is more valuable than my honest, loyal, conservative Bluebelle?

;-)

[Cathryn Crawford]

Awwww...

I never said I didn't like animals! Remember my German Shepard?

However, okay, I have to admit, if it came down to saving the life of one of these stupid, despicable, idiotic, foolish, and ruthless enemies of mine, or saving the life of my dog, I would, despite my better instincts, save the person.

Woe is me!

But, what a beautiful dog! And, I'm sure I'd like your dog much better.

;-)

[Scenic Sounds]

I never said I didn't like animals! Remember my German Shepard?

Of course I do. LOL.

Another great column, Cathryn. Keep up the good work!

[Cathryn Crawford]

Gracias, amigo! As always, your opinion matters to me.

[DannyTN]

People Eating Tasty Animals

To PETA evolutionists, we are

People Eating Their Ancestors

[Cathryn Crawford]

"People Eating Their Ancestors"

LMAO!

Beautiful. I think I'll have that made into a plaque and put it above my desk. My hatred of PETA is on its way to being legendary.

[TLBSHOW]

cat bump!

[ladyinred]

In todays world the only ones allowed to be "offended" are the "offenders themselves".

Now that is a great quote.

No one loves animals more than I do, and I am concerned about the treatment of them. Having said that, human beings are in no way to be compared to them in this way! A human life is not the same as an animals. How sick is this?

[Cathryn Crawford]

Not only sick, but dangerous as well.

When we devalue human life, we allow reprehensible things to be done to humans.

At this point, abortion is socially acceptable, whereas kicking your dog will land you in jail. Talk about a reverse system of justice and morals.

[MEG33]

Two words for Peta using pictures of the holocaust and comparing them to animal slaughter...DESPICABLE and UNCONSCIONABLE!

[Captain Shady]

I saw three other GUYS protesting steak eating on another website.

[Susannah]

Excellent writing!

My daughter-in-law once told me that she was mad at her dad because he butchered her "pet" steer to eat. She went on to explain how animals have rights, feelings, etc..
I asked her if she ever ate a hamburger?..yeah..Then I said well, how do you know it wasn't someone's pet?..oh..


I hope all PETA contributors see this use "campaign" as vile and stop funding them. I would like to see PETA and some others removed from gov't funds and exemptions.


One more thing I'd like to point out:: Too many people think it was only Jewish who suffered the Holocaust. It was mostly Jewish, but also millions of Slavs, Eastern Europeans, gypsies, and homosexuals.

[Susannah]

from the masskilling website>>"The exhibit was funded by a Jewish philanthropist who has spent the past 25 years affiliated with the world's foremost Holocaust organizations and who recognized the moral and ethical imperative of making the public aware of the parallels between the Jewish genocide of WWII and the horrific and inhumane treatment of animals raised and slaughtered for food.

A Jewish person funded this?

[Mister Baredog]

I saw three other GUYS protesting steak eating on another website.

ROTFLMAO!

Thanks I needed that! LOL LOL LOL !!!!

[Mister Baredog]

A Jewish person funded this?

A very misguided Jew if true, I didn't see any names mentioned, that could be just as phony as everything else they do.

[friendly]

Most of these same liberals will applaude breaking into a cancer research laboratory to "free" the experimental animals in a childhood leukemia study, while fighting to the death to defend the legal right to murder a perfectly viable 36 week gestational aged baby via gruesmome partial birth abortion butchery.

Hey, I believe in cognitive dissonance as much as the next guy, but this is psychotic. And very evil.

[Cathryn Crawford]

Got chikin?

[Woahhs]

That's what the Czar said just before they came over the gates. It's also what von Hindenberg said just before Hitler seized power.

Size does not matter in politic

You miss my point entirely. And hackneyed references to twentieth century horrors do not make people trying to get me to feel sorry for my dinner any more diabolic, or any less absurd.

The KKK has been around for a long time...why haven't they taken over?

Do you have any clue about how democratically elected governments work? "Size does not matter in politics" makes about as much sense as "water doesn't have to be wet." (and please don't torture the analogy by chirping something about "ice"...you'll just look sillier)