You Might Think I'm Heartless

So in college, one of my room mates, Mafro, would always tell me that I was heartless because I am from Colorado. I don't remember why he came to that conclusion but my best guess is that I tend to laugh at people when they get hurt. I consider it a character flaw and have worked to correct it, unfortunately, all of my attempts have been unsuccessful.

In addition to that I think there might be another part of me that some would consider heartless. I really don't care about whales/dolphins/sharks/cows/chickens/fish/etc. Basically anything that has not been domesticated to be my pet cannot pull at my heart strings. Derek and I in college would watch Whale Wars together and just laugh because these people cared so much about the whales. Whales! Really, saving a few hundred whales is worth you risking your life? I don't even care if the Japanese are eating all of them, they hunt less than 1% of the projected population of the species. And now this is some sort of hot topic issue that the TV networks are cashing in on because they keep producing Whale Wars and have a new show Blood Dolphins.

Over hunting to the point of messing up the ecosystem has some negative consequences, so I can stand on that ground, but don't try and win me over with an emotional appeal to the animals feelings. I don't care. And when it comes to the huge industrial farms that raise cows/pigs/chickens, still don't really care. I watched Food Inc. and then went straight to Sonic. Again, stop trying to make me feel bad for the cow that cannot walk and is being forklifted to the slaughter house. Its going to a slaughter house where it will be killed, chopped up, processed, and delivered to one of the many fast food joints I love. Would a cow walking into the slaughter house make things better?

I think the reason I get a little heated about this issue is because it highlights people spending so much money trying to care for a whale or a cow while there are countless sick/homeless/needy/abandoned human beings all over the world whose lives would be changed if we fought for their rights and dignity rather than animal rights and dignity. I like how Food Inc addressed the rights of workers but it almost seemed to me like a secondary issue for them.

I think a world where the millions of dollars (or billions, too tired to find an exact number) wasn't donated to animal rights but was used to help the poor and needy would be a world I could be proud of.