Our Selfishness

One day my German teacher brought up a topic for us to discuss in class: if you had the money, would you buy a fur coat and why. My immediate response was a resounding no. Think of those poor animals being slaughtered just for human vanity. To my shock, my classmates do not think likewise. For your info, our class consists of me, a Turkish lady and the rest are Russians. The Turkish lady would very much like a fur coat but she would rather not wear it out on the streets for fear of receiving unwelcome stares or even attacks. The Russians have no qualms about having one and wearing it out. It is utterly normal to them. I was incensed! I argued fur coats are merely a luxury and not a necessity. Animals do not need to die because of our want for luxury. During my 'speech', I felt so upright and righteous to have stood up for the poor animals. I looked at my classmates with different eyes and couldn't stop shaking my head, thinking, 'You cruel Russians!'

On the other hand, I was lucky no one broached the subject on shark's fins. Since young till now, I love shark's fin soup to death. How would my classmates look at me if they knew I eat shark's fins? I would be called a 'heartless Chinese!', that's for sure. Abruptly, my uprightness and righteousness vanished into thin air. I am such a half-fucked animal rights activist.

The conclusion of my teacher at the end of the discussion: 'This is all due to our different cultures.' It is not the answer to everything but at least it consoles me a little.

The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?