Species equality

Traditionally, for humans, there is no sense of equality between us and other species. We humans are speciesist, by tradition. But not vegans, who are attempting to change all that. Vegans no longer depend on animals and therefore can respect them as individuals and see them as irreplaceable individuals. Vegans hardly dare touch them let alone dare to exploit them. Whereas non vegans see them as part of an amorphous mass of living tissue for the taking.
In our world animals are either companions and honoured friends or they’re dinner or they’re resources to be exploited or they’re pests to be eradicated. We are at our most diabolical in our treatment of them. Whereas our keeping a dog as a pet is a relatively benign activity, when we eat a cow it is NOT AT ALL a benign activity. The cow is neither a loved companion animal nor has the dignity of wildlife. Farm animals are almost man-made, purpose-built. In no sense at all do we have a true relationship with them, since we always under every circumstance think we are superior to them.