The "stupid vs. evil" question is one that pundits will muse upon sometimes. Are politics they consider wrong inspired by deliberate malice or innocent foolishness. Occasionally some wag will reject this question and point out that stupid or evil is a false dichotomy. Put me in the latter camp.
A movement in Nebraska and other states to castrate animal-rights sting operations on suspect farms is inspired by both the evil of greed, a willingness to make feeling creatures suffer beyond what eating them necessarily entails in the name of efficiently saving money, an evil willingness to poison our food supply with disease-riddled animals in order to make more money; and also inspired by a stupid mythology that places farmers and ranchers on a higher moral plane from us city boys and beyond our legitimate scrutiny; a sanctification of property that is both stupid and evil, being more of matter of making every White male 'head of household' an unchallengeable Lord than some pure Adam Smith ideal; and finally a childishly stupid fixation with status; so ravenous and insecure that it cannot abide the slightest hint of a challenge to human dominion over other creatures; so that any committed advocate for animal well-being must be formally labeled as a deranged radical out to destroy the true godly way of doing things.
I believe myself that humans are superior to other animals. I can hardly watch my mothers' dog howl at her voice-mail when she's trapped in the phone again and believe otherwise. But this isn't as horrifically important to my self-esteem as it appears to be for some others. Call me the Last Man I suppose. There are some who tried to raise me to a proper American manhood. To be obsessed with being a master living outside and above everyone and everything around me but it didn't take. So no, animal rights activists do not frighten me or offend my moral sensibilities. Not even if they're 'radical', not even if they do claim traditional meat animals to be equal to humans. What of it?
As for you, Mr. Farmer, (or agricorporate consolidated conglomerate, as the case may be) I respectfully ask of you to please not be so proud as this claptrap. It's beyond obvious that food is necessary, but only as necessary as the teaming hordes who eat it. We are not divinely mandated to eat any particular thing, only to eat; and our stomachs are human and flexible. We can have and will find 'something' to eat from anywhere on this earth and need not bend the knee to your specific product. Please do not think for a minute that you have any moral leverage over society or even Nebraska. You don't.
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