Is your moral outrage about eating cats and dogs rooted in racial bias?

Meat, Morality & Marginalisation: The intersection of racism and speciesism and how cultural bias shapes our view of animals and each other.

The practice of eating cats and dogs, whilst uncommon in many parts of the world, is culturally significant in certain countries. Western criticism of eating cats and dogs is often presented in the form of moral outrage. But beneath this seemingly ethical stance is a deep history of racism and speciesism which have shaped how non-Western nations are perceived and treated.

Food as a marker of cultural superiority

Food traditions are deeply tied to identity and culture, but they are also frequently used as a means of asserting superiority. For example, in the colonial era, European colonisers often used the dietary habits of the people they conquered as justification for their supposed "civilizing missions". Non-European diets were labeled "savage" or "unclean," reinforcing the narrative of Western cultural dominance.

This bias persists today when Western media sensationalises the consumption of animals like cats and dogs, for example in China, where the well known Yulin festival takes place. It is estimated that around 10 million dogs are killed for food in China each year, yet 10 million turkeys are killed for Christmas alone in the UK! Yulin festival is portrayed not as a cultural tradition but as evidence of backwardness, cruelty, or moral inferiority. This framing reflects a long-standing Western tendency to view non-European cultural practices through a lens of condescension.

The hypocrisy of this moral outrage

The moral outrage directed at nations that eat cats and dogs is often riddled with hypocrisy. Western diets, after all, include practices that others might find equally disturbing. Factory farming, for example, is a widely criticised industry for its treatment of animals, including pigs—an animal considered highly intelligent. However, these practices are normalised in Western societies and rarely subjected to the same level of moral scrutiny.

The selective outrage becomes even more apparent when considering the cultural significance of certain animals. In India, for example, cows are sacred, and eating beef is taboo. Yet, Westerners who consume beef are rarely, if ever, accused of barbarism by the same critics who criticise Asian nations for consuming dogs.

Criticisms are not as widely directed at European nations with controversial food customs, such as the consumption of horse meat in France or foie gras, which involves force-feeding ducks or geese.

The disparity underscores how racism shapes whose dietary practices are deemed acceptable and whose are vilified. This double standard reveals how cultural norms around food are often weaponised to assert dominance rather than foster understanding. The Western world eats animals too... just different animals...

So how do we move forward?

In Western society, cats and dogs are elevated as companions and often granted a moral status akin to family members. Meanwhile, animals like cows, pigs, and chickens are routinely farmed and slaughtered without comparable moral concern.

The Western judgment of nations that consume cats and dogs is not just a matter of animal rights or ethics but also a reflection of a long history of racism and cultural superiority.

Cultural bias shapes our view of animals and each other. We need to challenge the biases rooted in the intersection of racism and speciesism. Why do you eat pigs but not dogs? Why do you judge those who eat cats whilst you tuck into a turkey who loved cuddles just as much? What do you need to "unlearn"?

Each and every one of us can do better. We have removed all references on our website and socials to the countries where our dogs arrived from, as it bears no relevance. We don't want to perpetuate subconscious bias - most of our animals were saved from the meat trade and sadly meat is eaten all over the world.