Saturday, February 16, 2013

I Don't Fell Their Pain

Another one of those "studies" confirms some others that say that crabs, shrimp and lobsters feel pain. I'm not kidding. They pay scientists to study pain thresholds in crabs. The various pain in shellfish studies now claim that crabs, shrimp and lobsters don't have a simple nervous system after all, but rather a complex human like one that responds the same way to pain that we humans do. When testing for pain reaction they found that shell fish sea creatures always avoid stimuli that gives them pain (in this case, an electric shock the scientists administered) in favor the stimuli that does not. The theory is that shellfish must feel the pain if they always avoid it when given a choice between a painful outcome and a non painful one.

I am not sure this is correct. As proof that pain is sometimes sought by creatures, remember that humans prefer the painful and wholly stupid reality TV to more enlightening TV shows. I don't know if those crustaceans feel pain, but the studies done about them and about most others give me a pain in the butt sometimes. Shouldn't they instead study finding a cure for cancer? As to this study about the crabs, I can only wonder what are we supposed to do about it. The studies now claim that shellfish are crying when harvested by pain inflicting fisherman. Hmmm I guess the seafood boats should have pleasure lounges for the crabs to induce their capture by luring them on board with pole dancing crabettes (I think I made up that word) or crab girls drink free nights.

Might we be too sensitive if we worry about the pain that shellfish feel when catching and cooking them? I am sure that other food products we eat, both animal and plant, also feel "pain" as well. If we want to avoid inflicting that kind of pain on our food sources it will be rather difficult to find anything to eat (Ok forget that line. It "pains me" to say it but there will always be a McDonald's or KFC somewhere) maybe humans are micro managing what they eat instead of macro managing their food sources. What is better is for us to reflect upon is to not intentionally harm anyone or anything in our lives beyond what is unavoidable (But I refuse to stop calling cell phone addicts "idiots"!) and to not become obsessed with that which doesn't greatly matter. Do I sound a little crabby today?

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