"You're at Free the Animal, but what kind of animal are you?
You're less strong, less fast, and less a tree prodigy than almost all other primates. And yet, you rule the Earth. Importantly.
...After all, do you have envy of wandering into the forest, trying to strike up a conversation?
Of course not, because you're so far removed evolutionarily that you can even imagine that a space alien created you, rather than that you are of some similar evolved lineage, and that they behave in mysteriously similar ways, both individually and social..."
I like this statement because it points out that, although we rule the earth, we are inferior to wild animals. We are no longer wild animals. We are all domesticated, especially in America, which isn't all bad. I do think that it's important to remember and appreciate where we came from.
On a side note, notice how the only fat animals are domesticated animals. You never see a fat deer or a fat lion in the wild. However, how many people own fat dogs and cats? There are two reasons for this. One, our pets do not need to fend for themselves anymore, aka we have removed "survival of the fittest." Two, most of our pets get fed cheap GRAINS which causes obesity and other problems. My uncles beloved dog has diabetes?!
1. we did not stray from evolution. This IS evolution. Just because it's not all "natural" causes of evolution doesn't mean that this isn't the normal process of evolution. Our primate ancestors evolved into US because of changes in environment and discovery of tools. The forces we experience today are those same influences.
ReplyDelete2. it kind of offends me to hear you say we are inferior to other animals. Yeah, we don't catch our own food or have the BMI of lions, but have you ever seen a deer read a book? Learn the history of the Civil War? Travel to see different cultures? Make a house? No. We rule the world BECAUSE we are superior. Turns out, the human mind & knowledge are more superior than strength and speed.
You say we don't have survival skills anymore and have eliminated survival of the fittest. But we haven't. What are survival skills? The ability to survive. A lion can defend its den, but we can run into our houses and lock the doors and shoot the lion with a gun. It's your opinion as to whether or not that is "right" but not evolutionary fact. And... "survival of the fittest" refers to individuals having the greatest chance of passing on their genes to their offspring. People with diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are indeed less likely to pass down their genes/have children. Also, no disease is entirely environmental. They are frequently implicated with factors that we cannot control with diet, lifestyle, etc. I guarantee you that cavemen had diabetes and heart attacks, they just didn't know it. To clarify, there are two types of diabetes (I & II). II is the type that many overweight people get because adipose tissue is extremely energy efficient (it absorbs a lot of energy but doesn't spend it), and also is more insulin-resistant than other body tissues. However, type I diabetes is genetic. It is an autoimmune attack on your pancreatic islet cells which produce insulin. Therefore, even a world-ranked body builder can have diabetes. This explains your diabetic dog.
3. All this being said, I'm not trying to say i'm totally against you. You're right that sugar and carbs are a downfall and do make people fat, but more-so it's people's tendency to overeat... and eat giant portions of those foods. Carbs are not entirely evil.. they've saved the lives of millions of people living in poverty that would've otherwise died from starvation (they're incredibly cheap). I agree that sometimes it seems that humans have entered a downward spiral recently, and it's definitely true that we have created a lot of our own problems, but don't be so fast to dis your own kind. It's important to remember how far we've come and the amazing things we have accomplished.