Why is the rights of animals considered to be something 'less' than the rights of humans?

For me animals should have the same basic rights as people. I say this, not because I belong to a 'fluffy bunny brigade' but because the way we treat our animals is a direct reflection on how we treat each other as humans. I have never once met a person who was cruel to an animal that didn't always treat people with the same cold contempt.

Secondly, as a higher minded specious we should be the caretaker of our animals - whether they are pets or wildlife. Surely as intelligent beings we can rise above barbaric and unnecessary acts of cruelty? And at the end of the day animals do have feelings - they can be hurt, feel pain, can become distressed, frightened and traumatised.

I know this for a fact after looking after rescue dogs for many years and I've witnessed the horrific physical and mental scars left by human cruelty. People who commit these acts disgust me!

Because we are greedy. We always think about ourselves, not about others.

The answer is simple. The people who decide these things should be given no rights at all, just to see how it is when you are treated badly.

I think it goes back to Darwin, where we humans consider ourselves superior and think that all lower creatures are ours to use. Pretty primitive actually. Thinking about some of the issues we have going on, I think humanity has a lot to learn before we become truly civilized.

I just read this article on yahoo news last night that over 200 girls in an Indian town were allowed to change their names... because their parents and grandparents had named them 'unwanted' due to being girls! How civilized is that?! Until we accept a life as a life, we are really not much different than what We hated him for using the gas chambers, but we are euthanizing animals via gas chambers and something as horrible sounding as 'heart-stick'!

And there are reports over reports about gassing-gone-wrong were animals weren't dead yet, when they were dumped on landfills. Quite babaric! It's sad!

Especially since the love of a 'uncivilized' creature such as a dog is unconditional and freely given!

It is because they cannot speak for themselves. They cannot talk about their experiences, fears, torment at losing a loved one, the confusion at being hurt when all they want to do is please. There is only a small percentage of people in the world who will speak up for silent - PETA, Voiceless, RSPCA, WSPA, WFF and others.

We need to keep talking about it and confront those who cannot see and when words fail to change their ideas love them still they are the ignorant among us.

Because we are on top of the food chain. It is our innate nature to take advantage of those who are below us.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.