pride and prejudice

Ok I'll admit it.

I'm prejudice.

I don't like monkeys and pigs.

I think monkeys are ill mannered, x-rated and scary aggressive. I've seen them bend over and shoot shit out with precise accuracy at people at zoos. They have no problem exposing themselves either.

Being called a pig , I feel, is the worst insult.

I'd rather be called the "C" word than being called a pig. The"C" word is just one thing: a dirty private part whereas being called a pig is a plethora of insults.

Being called a pig is saying that you are: fat, smelly, dirty, sloppy, greedy, slutty, rude, gluttonous, and nasty.

I've driven by restaurants with signs depicting pigs with chef hats on it as if this is to somewhat entice you into into the restaurant. To me, you are either a pig to eat in this restaurant because of the abundance of food and calories, or the chef serving you is a dirty sloppy pig, or the main dish is pork and for some twisted reasoning a picture of a pig is portrayed to stimulate your appetite.

Disgusting.

About 15 years or so, I went to to Amish country on a motorcycle tour. One of the stops was at a Amish family's working farm. It was a hot humid day and the smells were overwhelming. In one barn there was this absolutely enormous sow with a bunch of little piglets nursing. It was like an obscene train wreck. I couldn't stop staring. This pig needed to wear at least five (or six) size DD bras. There was pig poop everywhere and the pigs were laying in it. The stench of urine burnt your eyes.

I'll never forget it.

According the the Chinese horoscope, my in-laws told me cheerfully that I was born the year of the pig. They said this was" a good year to be born" and that "pigs" are gentle and nice.

I cringed.

I felt completely put off and insulted.

My husband tried to explain (or convince me) that this was something "good". I calmly looked him in the eye and said otherwise. Oddly, he was born the year of the monkey, the other dirty animal.

My friend who lives up in Maine gives me animal story books for Christmas and my birthday. We both love books about animals. This is one common bond we have with our love for nature and reading.

Last Christmas she gave me one of Sy Montgomery's books. I've already read "Birdology" and "The great Kakapoo rescue" from this author. This year, she gave me the book "the good good Pig". I was hoping by reading this book I would lose my prejudice against pigs.

I did enjoy reading this book. Sy Montgomery is a wonderful writer. "Chris" (the name of the pig in the book ) was very cute as a runt piglet in the photos. However, I was still grossed out by the sheer size of this creature as it grew to maturity (He weighed over 700 LBS.) And how much and what he ate.

With this all said and done, I am completely horrified at how these creatures are used as food and how horribly mistreated they are in factory farms.

No creature, what so ever, should be mistreated EVER!