In a message dated 7/29/98 8:12:55 AM Eastern Daylight Time, owner-extropians- digest@extropy.org writes:
<< The point is that the 'Cute' factor is what sells animal rightism and
vegetarianism
(which is why many more women than men are one or the other). Engineering
ugliness into
any improved meat producing organism will reduce the amount of public
aversion to it
being slaughtered for McNuggets. Though there may also be a bit of an uck
factor, as in
"EEEEWWWW! You're gonna eat THAT???!!!
>>
Indeed. I for one seriously doubt that, if the situation had arose sooner, there would be massive campaigns to "Save The Sloth". Also, this is the very reason the nature has provided us with newborn children (as well as young toddlers), who are just too cute and adorable to even imagine hurting or devouring (Why don't we eat our young?). Nature has instigated the "Cute Factor" to protect us from iradicating our own species out of sheer frustration and indifference.
Killing the butterflies to stop the tornadoes, Reverend S. Michael Wilson