The Bellevue Times Op-Ed Page

…by way of the Los Angeles Times ~!

Here is an editorial about animals written by Jeremy Rifkin. After you have read it, peruse these letters to the editor that were written in response. Also, watch this space for articles about Five Nights at Freddy's and other articles on the relative merits of video games written by our Room 3 Writers!

Letters
4/15/15

Dear Editor,

Rifkin’s article convinces us, by giving several good examples, that animals have emotions and abilities similar to humans. People may think that animals don’t have feelings, but Rifkin shows that they do with the example of how elephants will often stand next to their dead kin for days. Wouldn’t you feel the same way if somebody you love died? Rifkin also shoes that animals have abilities by the example of Koko, the gorilla who has been taught sign language and understands several thousand English words. This relates to us because sometimes we have to learn new languages, and can imagine an animal learning to communicate by signing. These animals deserve our respect and kindness. We should stop abusing and mistreating animals because they truly are “more like us than we ever imagined.”

~Ruby A.

Dear Editor,

In one of the paragraphs of Rifkin's article, he says animals "feel pain, suffer, and experience stress, affection, excitement, and even love." With this statement I think Rifkin's point is that he wants us to care more about the animals because they have abilities and emotions like us.

I think Jeremy Rifkin is right and we should treat animals better and not beat or torture them. We do not need to be vegan or vegetarian, but we should treat animals better.

~Sujey S.

Dear Editor,

Re: “A Change of Heart About Animals”

“What these researchers are finding is that many of our fellow creatures are more like us than we ever imagined.” I agree with Rifkin wholeheartedly. Animals and human share many of the same qualities and abilities, but should they be dismissed, just because they aren’t of the human race? No. Jeremy Rifkin proves in his article that animals are as intelligent as we are.

Rifkin makes a good case as to this. He includes short examples of Koko (the gorilla) Betty and Abel (two Caledonian Crows) and Chantek (an Organgutan). His points on these are supported well, and stand strong on their own. However, while these points stand strong, some other points by Rifkin don’t. Let me show you an example.

“Should we discourage the sale and purchase of fur coats? What about fox hunting in the English countryside, bullfighting in Spain? Should wild lions be caged in zoos?” Now, with built-up points about Koko, Chantek, and Betty and Abel, were these lines necessary? No. In order for Rifkin to make these lines work, he would have to give examples of about how bulls, lions, and foxes are like us humans. Rifkin was simply using the rhetorical element of pathos to get to the reader.

Jeremy Rifkin wrote a well-crafted article about the intelligence of animals. Should smart animals or animals in general be subjected to become that next chicken nugget you eat? This article proves animals are not as dumb as we perceive them to be, and deserve a little more consideration. 

~John T.

Dear Editor,


Rifkin does a good job of persuading us that we should change our ways of understanding animals.  He used several examples, based on scientific studies, of animals showing their intelligence and emotions.  Even though these experiments were all scientific, some of them were emotional and heart –warming (aka pathos!) I have to admit, the thought of little baby pigs being depressed really got to me.

                 

Nobody likes to see a baby cry. Why should animal babies be allowed to have no attention? If animals have emotions and feelings as we do, and if we humans don’t like being hurt emotionally or physically, why should we treat animals differently than how we want to be treated?

Rudy A.

5-20-15

Dear Editor:

            Rifkin stated that, “ many of our fellow creatures are more like us than we had ever imagined.” It is true that researchers have conducted more studies to see that animals are starting to be more like us than we had ever seen. Rifkin had many valid points that showed how animals showed emotion, demonstrated abilities, and how the grieve with pain.  

 Other articles say to stop eating animals, stop wearing animal fur and to stop treating them bad. Rifkin was different because he simply stated why he wanted us to change our heart about animals. He didn’t make us feel guilty about eating foods like hamburgers or hot dogs. He used a more gentle approach, which was more effective than demanding radical changes in our daily life.

Yours Truly,

Raquel Haro