4 ms·

I'm a vegetarian, and I also tend to get pests out of my house rather than kill them, where possible (including spiders.) So, I don't get your examples of hypoc

I'm a vegetarian, and I also tend to get pests out of my house rather than kill them, where possible (including spiders.) So, I don't get your examples of hypocrisy; they're not acceptable just because everyone is doing them. I value living things because I'm a chronic Myers Briggs "Feeler" - I put myself in the other things' shoes way too much for my own good, including things like octopuses and pigs. It's much harder for insects because their neural circuitry is so much simpler, but I still try and avoid killing them needlessly.

cko 13y ago
I, too, consistently test as a "Feeler" when taking Myers-Briggs. Sometimes after it rains I go out side and scoop earthworms back into the grass so they don't dry up and die later. Then I wonder if I should be going to everyone's driveway and doing the same thing. Then again, I'm not strictly a vegetarian (I eat meat rarely). It's interesting to see how people reason these things - like, for example, at my job there are lots of dog-lovers, but they won't hesitate to kill an ant or spider.
- tehwalrus 13y ago
  It's much more reasonable to kill a very very simple organism like an ant or spider than a mammal or cephalopod. You're right that the individual choices people make are interesting!
girvo 13y ago
I'm not a vegetarian, not in the slightest. But I don't kill "pests", I too remove them. I grew up on a farm, and have killed plenty of animals for food... But I don't see a reason to do so just because they're "annoying". Hell, I've called the RSPCA to deal with brown snakes instead of killing them, and they will kill you ten times over if they decide to. /Shrugs If it's not going to be eaten, and you're not about to die from it, then why kill any animal at all?
- jlgreco 13y ago
  > brown snakes ... they will kill you ten times over if they decide to. You had me concerned there for a moment until I figured out that you weren't talking about the "brown snakes" that are in North America.
  - girvo 13y ago
    Australia, mate ;) Shrimp on the barbie, and all that. As a digression -- they're prawns. Not shrimps. Never got that.

cko 13y ago

I, too, consistently test as a "Feeler" when taking Myers-Briggs. Sometimes after it rains I go out side and scoop earthworms back into the grass so they don't dry up and die later. Then I wonder if I should be going to everyone's driveway and doing the same thing. Then again, I'm not strictly a vegetarian (I eat meat rarely). It's interesting to see how people reason these things - like, for example, at my job there are lots of dog-lovers, but they won't hesitate to kill an ant or spider.

tehwalrus 13y ago
It's much more reasonable to kill a very very simple organism like an ant or spider than a mammal or cephalopod. You're right that the individual choices people make are interesting!

girvo 13y ago

I'm not a vegetarian, not in the slightest. But I don't kill "pests", I too remove them. I grew up on a farm, and have killed plenty of animals for food... But I don't see a reason to do so just because they're "annoying". Hell, I've called the RSPCA to deal with brown snakes instead of killing them, and they will kill you ten times over if they decide to. /Shrugs If it's not going to be eaten, and you're not about to die from it, then why kill any animal at all?

jlgreco 13y ago
> brown snakes ... they will kill you ten times over if they decide to. You had me concerned there for a moment until I figured out that you weren't talking about the "brown snakes" that are in North America.
- girvo 13y ago
  Australia, mate ;) Shrimp on the barbie, and all that. As a digression -- they're prawns. Not shrimps. Never got that.