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Eating dog meat: wrong or not?


Dog meat in Hanoi

Dog meat is believed to keep the body warm and improve virility. It has a sour and salty taste and comforts the digestive system. The South Korean dog meat industry in itself involved about 1 million dogs, 6,000 restaurants, and 10 percent of the population. Various parts of China also find eating dog meat socially acceptable.

The Western society, however, is outraged, calling such a practice barbaric. Not only is the consumption of dog meat in America a cultural taboo, those who do eat dog are criticized. Numerous animal rights activists have publicly criticized the dog meat industry and even FIFA, the world soccer organization, has called on South Korean to stop eating dogs.

But there is an essential question yet to have been answered: What’s wrong with eating dogs?

Anti-dog-meat activists claim that eating dog meat is inhumane because dogs are pets—friends, not animals. Brigitte Bardot, the French actress-turned-activist who called on FIFA to protest dog meat consumption in South Korea said “I had protested against the cruel treatment of geese for food. But geese are generally seen as food. Meanwhile, dogs are close friends to humans so that people must not make them suffer." But “food dogs” are not pets nor are they close friends to humans. They are bred in farms, just like any other livestock. They are killed humanely, just like any other livestock. And they are sold and prepared for consumption, just like any livestock.

However, despite the parallel treatment between “food dogs” and any other livestock on the market, most people, even the Korean government itself, do not widely accept such a practice. In fact, though not strictly enforced, it is illegal to eat dog meat in Korea. And contrary to popular belief, dogs are rarely eaten, if at all, in most Asian households.

The debate on whether eating dog meat seems to be based on cultural differences and like most controversies, no side can win completely without continuing opposition. An international ban on dog meat would be imperialistic and would almost seem like a blatant attempt by the Western world to impose their cultural standards on the East. However, the continuation of the dog meat industry would anger animal activists and would be an act of insensitivity towards those who hold that dogs, despite what country they were raised in, are truly man’s best friends.

For more info: http://www.slate.com/id/2060840/

 

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LA Ethnic Communities Examiner

Clarissa is eager to tell the heart-touching, unique, and occasionally hilarious stories of the people of LA. She has a passion for writing and...

Comments

  • Jami LoVullo 2 years ago
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    It is absolutely NOT the same as eating farm animals. Dogs are bred with an innate desire to please humans. They are the ONLY animal on the planet that does this. They truly are bred to be man's best friend. They trust us and want to be with us, regardless of if they are "farmed" or not. I've seen many disgusting videos of all kinds of dogs (including pets) crammed into cages half dead and dumped out like so much trash to be killed for food. Humane?!!? Please. It is an abomination to eat dog whatever your "cultural differences are". Would we condone cannibalism because some tribes in South American still practice it? The world is disgusted and they should be. some countries still practice slavery, lynchings and executions, we don't condone that simply because it is their "culture".Hopefully caring Chinese people will come to see that this is the case as soon as possible for the welfare of our best friend, the dog.

  • Carlos Oliveira 2 years ago
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    In my opinion it is very wrong to eat any animal as it is very clear (and proven over generations) that humans do not need to consume animals to thrive! Personally I think that it is very hipocritical to condemn eating dogs and then sit down and have a steak, there is no difference between a dog, a cat, or a cow or humans in terms of biology, all are living beings and any one of these species have one common goal, that is to avoid suffering and pain whilst living a happy life!
    If we look at cultural differences I am sure that hindus will condemn the western culture for eating Cows, as muslimns will condemn people eating Pigs...
    is this really cultural differences or moral schizophrenia?

    The only real solution is to go Vegetarian, or even better GO VEGAN!!

  • Steve D'Sa 2 years ago
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    Its inconsistent and weird to have dogs or any animal as both food and friend. When an animal is designated as food, it generally suffers, so that humans, especially ones that are poor, can enjoy less expensive food. I don't believe that animal welfare standards in China, or in the Western countries is good enough. I am therfore trying my best to be vegetarian. I want all animals not to suffer, because they are my all friends.

  • BJR36JRG 2 years ago
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    Please do not publish any more articles by Clarissa Wei espousing that it is acceptable to eat dogs as part of a "culture". Considering her ancestry, our beliefs in the USA do NOT include dogs in our diet and she needs to realize this. I am a total vegetarian and am living proof that humans do not require eating meat of any kind.

  • Michael 2 years ago
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    Jami, you don't seem to understand the word "cultural differences."
    Because you obviously are judging it with your cultural background.
    If a Hindu person says to you or any of people who eats cow, and call it "disgusting", and compare it to cannibalism or executions, would you be willing to accept that and say sorry?
    Now, I'm not supporting eating dogs. What I'm saying is, you might feel dogs are human's best friends and all, but there are some people who don't see it that way, and just like we don't see cows in the way Hinduism sees them.
    So, if you don't like it, don't eat it. Simple huh?
    The only disgusting thing here is your self-centered point of view.

  • Jessica Singh 2 years ago
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    Eating dog meat is an abomination. It is clearly consumed by seriously demented sub-humans who cannot differentiate right from wrong. Their warped sense of what is civil and correct and what is not cannot draw on this distinction. So let me spell it out for these degenerate retards; dog eating is not only barbaric, it is WRONG. In the West dogs are beloved family members, NOT FOOD!

    In fact to eat ANY sentient being that once breathed life is WRONG! It is a form of cannibalism really, yet is not considered so by the majority of humans because these animal life forms are considered lower than human life forms so it is apparently acceptable to consume them. How archaic and ignorant an assumption from a supposedly intelligent species.

    Asians think nothing is wrong with their dog and cat eating practices; similarly to how the rest of humanity thinks there is nothing wrong with consuming other animals. Meat eating in any capacity is inherently WRONG on every level! Animals die for you!

  • wells 2 years ago
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    I like fried chicken.

  • Bea Elliott 2 years ago
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    The killing of any sentient being is wrong - And unless one is literally "starving to death" it can't be justified by "tradition" or "culture"... Just because something is socially accepted or "legal" does not make it moral. I would no sooner eat a dog than a cow or a child... These are stolen lives - and humans have the ability to conquer the "might makes right" fallacy. Much more compassionate and healthy to thrive on a plant based vegan diet.

  • sakiuyu 2 years ago
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    Dogs are men best friends!!! dey try to please their owners unlike poultry n farm animals.

  • Jessica 2 years ago
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    HEY people stop criticizing! things like that happen all around the world!! Hey what about cows, pigs, horses, chicken, duck, deer, kangaroo, alligator, snake, bugs, and any other animal out there!! Humans still eat them too!! So what is wrong with dog? is dog any better than all of those? No it is same, people can keep cow, horse, pig and chicken as pet like dog too!!!

  • Law 2 years ago
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    BE a vegetarian! It's that simple. All animals have lives, u know?! So dog or no dog, stop eating animals...!

  • M+Eat 2 years ago
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    Eat meat and shut up, I would eat a person if I'd had too. Man's suppose eat meat. If I would have to choose I would rather eat a chicken then a dog but i don't criticize people for eating something that is not normal to me..

    Whale hunting for the win

  • kemari 2 years ago
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    people are free to eat whatever they like, unless they are infringing on another HUMAN BEING;s life. so just let the people be. who is barbaric and backward, the dog eater or the person who tries to tell another human being what the should see as food

  • kemari 2 years ago
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    pum pum nuh fi eat though

  • Justin Danh 2 years ago
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    Wow i am a dog person and to see one being cook makes me very mad. I just wish that dog can be treated better and to be comfort with. I have 2 loving dogs and i take very good care of them.

  • keisha 2 years ago
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    i love how ppl say what animal is ok to eat and what animal isn't. really, who's to judge??? would i eat a dog, no, but that's just me. in india they see eating cows as "wrong" and to them cows are sacred, does that make us americans stop going to burger king, wendy's, etc NO! There's no difference when you really think about it. dog is man's best friend, yes but then again so is cow...hmmm

  • Kevy 2 years ago
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    "Eat...watever u can Digest".Coz if we can eat our other pets so Y can't Dogs.dog meat kips ur body warm and is very very tasty.Heres a tip: Try dog meat cooked with bamboo shoots. i bet u will love it.Even cats are Good. Bon Apetite.

  • topdog_1300 2 years ago
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    thats horrible, what gets me going is how come he chinese come to America to start over and have a better life when they still slaughter dogs? no they dont kill them, they skin then alive, drown them, electricute them, break their legs to watch then suffer! thats no way to humanely kill MANS BEST FRIEND! it needs to stop its disguisting and inhumane

  • J.E.T 2 years ago
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    I personally, love some dogs. I also love my family.
    This world as far back has been survival of the fittest. We as humans are the fittest and we have destroyed, not far from everything in this world. most animals(including, dogs & cats, I have both) will eat anything that it can overpower.
    Pigs are not far of from being as intelligent as dogs & if trained properly will be just as loyal(if yo search google pigs as pets i am shore something will come up)but most westerners still eat them.
    I farm pigs for my crocs & gators i also breed and train certain breeds of dogs, for security industry, But i can tell you i would rather eat dog than pig, pigs are not fit for consumption.
    I wouldn't put dogs in the same category as cows or chickens, there sole purpose is to be eaten by larger predator.
    Dogs are very capable of being very hostile and solely protective of there self & yong, no different than any other animal on this plaint eaten.

  • super dog 2 years ago
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    i love dogs but would not rule out eating them. it is just a matter of the food chain. we humans are at the top so why not? us westerners are some of the most closed minded people, how dare we call korea and tell them to stop eating dogs? how would we take it if india calls us and tell us to stop eating cows? stupid. and for all u people who think eating meat is evil, what u think they are there for? decorations? stupid.

  • plerhaek 2 years ago
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    good god meat.
    keep u body warm.

  • kenzie 2 years ago
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    OMG!!!!!!!!!! this is so mean,poor lil dogeyyyyyyyy this is sad,why would people eat dog? puppy? i have turned vegiiiii i do not eat cow,chikin,pork or any fish i am very sad:(((((((

  • Kevin 1 year ago
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    A dog is a dog. Whether you consider it your best friend or not, other people are going to have different views. You don't hear India complaining about us eating cows, and if you did how would you feel? So if someone wants to eat a dog, then who cares. I'm not supporting dog eating, i'm just saying that american's are idiotic. The biggest hypocrites in the whole world.

  • vishwajeet 1 year ago
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    hey i am in DR. D. RAM DAV PUBLIC SCHOOL PRESENTLY IN CLASS 9TH...
    M AN INDIAN ....EATING DOG IS SUCH LIKEA VOMITINH....OOOUUEE
    LIKE 2 SUGGEST PPLE DAT....EAT D MEAT WICH KEEPS U FIT....OR BE VEGETERIAN...OUR SOCIETY DOESNT ALLOW 2 EAT COWS...BT MANY R EATING....PEOPLE EAT WAT THEY LIKE....GO AHEAD EAT WHATEVER....BUT REMEMBER OF UR HEALTH NAD FOOD

  • Poop head 1 year ago
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    I like eating puppies best. All you do is blend them up and add spices.

  • vicky 1 year ago
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    Hey,
    Fcuk off this all nonsense kill them who eats dogs. They need to go hell.

    Fcuk of mother fcuk eating Dogs

  • persianboy 1 year ago
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    dogs and cats are very intelligent like humans.. if its ok to killing and eating them so What’s wrong with eating humans?

  • mlo 1 year ago
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    Eat humans.

  • Antiimperialism 1 year ago
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    Its a different culture. In those cultures they werent treated as "companion animals" but as meat until the West started forcing beliefs on them. Theres no logical reason that dogs should get special rights but not pigs(which are smarter than dogs) or cows(which are sacred in India).
    Western esp American activists go to Korea and China and protest against dog-eating but you never see Indians coming to America to protest against cow-eating.
    This can be seen in other things. Saudi Arabia bans alcohol but made no effort to get others to ban it. But the United States used “foreign aid” to force countries like Nepal to ban cannabis & pressures South American countries to ban the coca leaf which was traditionally used for millenia.
    All this military & economic power has gone to our heads to the point where we think it is our right to impose our own culture on the rest of the world without even examining whether our ideas r logically right or completely arbitrary & culture-specific reasons

  • Michael 1 year ago
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    I think it all boils to down to intelligence. Dogs are intelligent animals and should not be eaten. Judging by some of the retarded comments here, I think it's time we started eating people. Why not? There are billions of them and most of them are idiots like Jessica.

  • Mark Mark 1 year ago
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    I am a dog lover and I have two as pets. That being said; I see nothing wrong with eating dog meat. It boils down to cultural differences. It's truly sad that many westerners cannot open their minds. We were conditioned to love and respect dogs and cats. However, geographical conditioning doesn't have to be permanent. Open your mind.

    My brother lives in South Korea. I plan on visiting him soon. I will try dog meat while abroad. I will then come home and provide love and care for my two dogs.

  • Anonymous 1 year ago
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    You are one sick indiviaul read the Bible and find out what God thinks about that. Chaptr 24 verse 2, chapter 21, verse27, chapter12 verse10. Psalm37:4-5, 107:5,9, Joel 2:26 John6:35, John. 16:15, Matthew 21:22. Chapter 12:10 say A righteousman regardeth the life of his animal ( beast) :bit the tender mercies of the wicked is cruel.

  • Anonymous 1 year ago
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    Dogs are loyal to humans and as pets solely live to please their owners so then why if someone chooses to eat dog meat is it wrong in the canines eyes because that is what pleases the owner. Go try some boshintang or gaegogi and I'm sure your perspective on eating dog will change. I believe there's no difference eating any kind of living animal as long as it suits your tastebuds. Put a paw in your mouth and stop hating you haters! I live haters!

  • Maki 6 months ago
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    The only reason why this is a debate is because of Western Cultural Imperialism. When did "dogs are men's best friends" apply to every human being? Ignorant Westerners have to understand that not everyone treats dogs as pets, some treat them as "food".The dogs are raised from birth fated to be consumed, just like how cows and pigs are farmed to be consumed in America and Europe.

    Just as in India, in the eyes of the Indians, cows are sacred. Some indians even treat cows better than their fellow indians. So why are there no complaints about Westerners eating beef?

    And then there are Westerners trying to justify that eating dog meat is wrong because dogs are "intelligent". What a load of bull. Pigs are ranked higher than dogs in animal intelligence. So So smart ass Micheal, what's your next retarded reason to justify your reason?

    I personally do not eat dogs, and find it disgusting to eat dog's meat, in fact my diet is similar to most Westerner's. But, it absolutely abhors me when Westerners try to impose their culture on others, and use words such as uncivilised when other's culture is different from theirs

    It really goes to show how some narrow minded people can come up with all sorts of excuses to impose their ideas on others.

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