Crabs, crustaceans, and pain
Have you ever wondered if crabs and lobsters felt pain or fear as they were being boiled alive before making it onto your dinner plate?
It astounds me that people legitimately assume that the other animals on this planet don't feel pain. It seems incredibly obvious to me that they would, or that we should at least be assuming they would.
They assume, at various times, even other humans arent human enough therefore the same concepts (such as pain & suffering) don't really apply.
It's a standard coping mechanism that might be necessary but it's definitely misused by humans for no other reason than greed (especially in times when scarcity isn't really a notable concern).
Half the population lacks the brain functions necessary to feel empathy. We call them conservatives in the US.
No, I'm not kidding
Evolution wise. It makes sense for animals that cannot regrow limbs.
But for some animals it can actually limit their survival.
Unfortunatly human history. Has a habit of deciding based on our needs. Rather then actual evidence.
Its also worth remembering pain is a mental rather then real thing.
So while some creatures may have the signals to inform. Thjoer mind may not respond to it on the same way.
As a human(i assume ;). If you have ever needed to use opiates you may have some idea how that would work.
I hope this knowledge leads people to be more kind to animals. These discussions are pretty laughable as we enter a new period of genocide and global warfare. People are cannibalistic monsters and the idea that they would change their behavior based on human suffering (let alone animal suffering) is constantly proven wrong. So really I don't think the debate here is whether other animals feel pain, but whether people should continue existing as a species to observe them.
As much as I hate to see pain and suffering in the world, animals have no qualms about eating other animals alive.
We have the knowledge and ability to be better
But we can do so much better than that don't you think?
I once had to put down a pet goldfish that was dying, and I did it the wrong way, and it was extremely traumatizing. I still feel bad about it and it's been 8 years.
I could tell it was in pain. Or it certainly seemed like it was suffering. I think we just need to observe animals more.
The only thing I struggle with is how to handle bugs. Especially when they become pests or are a risk of carrying disease. I'm curious if we can figure out a way to navigate that one day.