Interesting how David Cohen admonished Stewart and Terri David in his letter [“Humor With That?”, Feb. 28] for lacking a sense of humor when it comes to the subject of the unspeakable suffering of innocent animals. The Davids, as many of us are aware, remain tireless in their commitment to expose to a largely misinformed public how billions of animals are needlessly and mercilessly tortured each year by the meat, dairy and egg industries, by the bloody fur trade, in horrific laboratories and enslaved at circuses, to name a few.
I wonder if Mr. Cohen thinks we should all be laughing and joking about the tragic subject of child abuse as well? And why stop there? Maybe we ought to share a round of giggles about all those who suffered so horrendously during the Jewish Holocaust. I think not! Most compassionate people would not stand for such cruel and thoughtless behavior, and rightly so.
How sadly disturbing that Cohen’s insensitive, inconsistent, all-too-common brand of biting criticism so often is reserved for those of us who make ours a voice for the truly voiceless ones, the animals. Furthermore, how pathetic that such insensitive attacks are routinely condoned, even encouraged, by a society largely unwilling to take an honest look at its own insidious, hurtful speciesist attitudes. Truly, speciesism remains the last bastion of ugly prejudice.
I leave you with this quote from distinguished Jewish author Isaac Bashevis Singer: “As often as Herman had witnessed the slaughter of animals and fish, he always had the same thought: In their behaviour toward creatures, all men were Nazis. The smugness with which man could do with other species as he pleased exemplified the most extreme racist theories, the principle that might is right.”
Do these words make you laugh as well, Mr. Cohen?
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