• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Is it ethically wrong to eat Pokemon?

lvl 99 Pixel

lvl 99 Pixel

Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,607
Nepenthe said:
Half of these fuckin' species are not only just dangerous wild animals that would eat you at the end of the day, but they're capable of stealing your soul, kidnapping children and shit.

Eat 'em. For the sake of humanity.

Even the legendaries.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Not really, even the "scary animal" ones are just cartoon pets that children can have. The lore about how dangerous they are is rarely even part of this media outside of its mostly nonsensical encyclopedia, probably because then it quickly does become cockfighting if they did go there.
 
blame space

blame space

Resettlement Advisor
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,420
GARlock Spiral said:
Miltank?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
tenor.gif
 

Deleted member 5127

user requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,584
lvl 99 Pixel said:
I feel like this topic comes up multiple times every year. Its wrong if the lore says its wrong because its not our world and isn't very comparable. Most of them are depicted pretty much as having human expressions and emotions, if not intelligence especially in media outside the games so yeah that's fucked if you're arguing for that. Feels almost cannibalistic at that point.



introduced? they have always been a thing, as have aliens, inanimate objects, ghosts, deities etc
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah true haha, Jynx and Mr. Mine are some of the worst pokemon from gen one.
 
smurfx

smurfx

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,578
Clefargle said:
Yes if we assume they're all intelligent enough to understand commands in human languages, the concept of friendship, and some degree of self awareness, (except magikarp), then yeah it's fucked up and unethical imo
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
how fucking weird would it be to eat a pokemon like that mime one that is humanoid.
 
Nepenthe

Nepenthe

When the music hits, you feel no pain.
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
20,643
lvl 99 Pixel said:
Not really, even the "scary animal" ones are just cartoon pets that children can have. The lore about how dangerous they are is rarely even part of this media outside of its mostly nonsensical encyclopedia, probably because then it quickly does become cockfighting if they did go there.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
In the anime, I agree it seems like Pokémon are all mostly sapient to some degree. But in the earlier games, they still seem to be characterized more like regular animals who happen to have powers, although I think with the newer games the optimism and implications of the anime have bled into the games (and I kinda don't like that, but different rant for a different day!)

I still say some of these motherfuckers are dangerous. Like Giratina. Look at that piece of Hellfire and tell me it doesn't deserve to be a Monster Hunter boss.
 

Tanerian

Member
Feb 24, 2018
1,380
Pokemon: YO ALL YOU FEED ME IS PUFFINS! I NEED NOURISHMENT!! TOROS MEAT OR SOMETHING!

Human: We don't... We don't kill Pokemon..

Pokemon: WE DO! WE DO IT FOR YOU YOU FUCKING ASSHOLES!
 
Nepenthe

Nepenthe

When the music hits, you feel no pain.
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
20,643
HStallion

HStallion

Member
Oct 25, 2017
62,222
This thread just reminded me of the one about the Japanese children's book that turned fruits and vegetables into cute little animals. There was even a thread on it.

EoDRxzvUcAEbCvL

EoExTL_UUAAidgj

EoL46RKUcAApC-c


Don't you just wanna gobble them all up?
 
Zombegoast

Zombegoast

Member
Oct 30, 2017
14,218
You can cook Slowpoke tails in SS.

Why do you think Shellders clamp on their tails and consume their entire body in mega evolution?
 
DemyxC

DemyxC

Member
Dec 3, 2020
701
Pokemon should have wiped out humans long ago. It's not like being captured forces them to obey you. There is no way humans would even have made civilization with those monsters running around. Some Pokemon are supposed to be even smarter than humans. The fuck you going to do against a psychic type or an actual fucking dragon. Die is what.
 
Sanka

Sanka

Banned
Feb 17, 2019
5,778
I mean is it ethically wrong to eat dogs, dolphins and elephants? Lots of Pokemon don't seem much more intelligent than them.
 
lvl 99 Pixel

lvl 99 Pixel

Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,607
DemyxC said:
Pokemon should have wiped out humans long ago. It's not like being captured forces them to obey you. There is no way humans would even have made civilization with those monsters running around. Some Pokemon are supposed to be even smarter than humans. The fuck you going to do against a psychic type or an actual fucking dragon. Die is what.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

People were pokemon though, like literally. Bonobo's don't exist in that world, and there's lore talking about it.
Scary creatures existing didn't prevent real humans from creating civilizations either.
 
Denamitea

Denamitea

Member
Nov 1, 2017
2,709
Isn't it ethically wrong to eat animals in reality, also? Why would it be any worse to eat pokemon? Because they're really cute?
 
lvl 99 Pixel

lvl 99 Pixel

Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,607
Denamitea said:
Isn't it ethically wrong to eat animals in reality, also? Why would it be any worse to eat pokemon? Because they're really cute?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Its ethically wrong to eat certain animals in reality, yes. that was never in contention lmao. Would be exponentially more so if they were as rare, intelligent and human-like as some of the Pokemon. Id like to think we're a lot more than amoebas consuming anything we can, but some people make me wonder. People just saying yes are likely just being edgy, as that world seems to be a technological Utopia and wouldn't rely on meat farming.
 
Last edited:
excelsiorlef

excelsiorlef

Bad Praxis
Member
Oct 25, 2017
73,315
It's not only ethical it is healthy and encouraged

Just look at the theme song
I want to eat the very best!
Pokémon gotta eat them all
 
Mezentine

Mezentine

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,965


Bruno Dias
@NotBrunoAgain

In the Pokémon world, there is no hunger. All you have to do is take a lifelong friend, a beautiful beast, and hold it, firmly but not very much so. The spoon slides easily into the flesh. It does not yelp at it. It does not react much at all.

What does Eevee's flesh taste like? Nothing; everything. You have never tasted otherwise. You have never tasted anything at all. You scoop up another spoonful. Inside he is the same grey, homogeneous mass as every other one.

It doesn't crunch, or melt, or crumble in your mouth. Perhaps one could say that it slithers down your throat, leaving behind a shadow of a greasy film. You swallow. Another spoonful. Did it twitch, on your lap? No, no. All is well.
 
Denamitea

Denamitea

Member
Nov 1, 2017
2,709
lvl 99 Pixel said:
Its ethically wrong to eat certain animals in reality, yes. that was never in contention lmao. Would be exponentially more so if they were as rare, intelligent and human-like as some of the Pokemon. Id like to think we're a lot more than amoebas consuming anything we can, but some people make me wonder. People just saying yes are likely just being edgy, as that world seems to be a technological Utopia and wouldn't rely on meat farming.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I wasn't arguing for "certain" animals, I was arguing for all of them. I'm saying killing any animal life (needlessly of course. I get some meat eating is out of necessity) is wrong.

You're still killing an animal that doesn't want or need to be killed (in many cases, again, obviously some people need to eat meat to survive). I don't get the reasoning that only rare, precious intelligent life is more worthy of not being eaten than others.
 
Viale

Viale

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,614
Pokémon seem notably more intelligent than our version of animals with, at least the anime, implying they can have full on conversations and existential/personal thoughts. Hell, alakazam is canonically supposed to be pretty strictly smarter than like.. Everyone presumably.

Considering I don't consider us eating animals as ethical, eating pokemon in that world feels like it should be an outright taboo.


Granted, capturing and forcing them to fight is pretty damn unethical as well lol.
 
Last edited:
lvl 99 Pixel

lvl 99 Pixel

Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,607
Denamitea said:
I don't get the reasoning that only rare, precious intelligent life is more worthy of not being eaten than others.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Fish don't feel pain, are plentiful and not intelligent so its easier to justify fishing compared to say, pig farming which is more questionable not only because they're mammals but because the meat industry itself is morally bankrupt while simultaneously fucking the world up.
Fish Pokemon on the other hand.... I dunno, still weirds me out after seeing them with personalities for so many years.
 
Denamitea

Denamitea

Member
Nov 1, 2017
2,709
lvl 99 Pixel said:
Fish don't feel pain, are plentiful and not intelligent so its easier to justify fishing compared to say, pig farming which is more questionable not only because they're mammals but because the meat industry itself is morally bankrupt while simultaneously fucking the world up.
Fish Pokemon on the other hand.... I dunno, still weirds me out after seeing them with personalities for so many years.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I looked it up and apparently scientists are now saying that fish do actually feel pain, only in a different way to how humans feel it. Also, who the fuck are we to decide which species are "intelligent" enough to be justifiably eaten?

Of course, factory meat farming is worse than humanly raising animals to be eaten but it's not like that's the optimal option for the animal being eaten, either. We could raise them and still, you know, not eat them. That would be even better for the pigs and cows, etc.

Also, you feeling weird about eating fish Pokémon is kinda my point. One big reason people are grossed out by eating Pokémon is because they see they have personalities and have emotional attachments to them. Plenty of people raise pigs, cows, chickens that also have personalities and have emotional bonds to them, too.
 
KushalaDaora

KushalaDaora

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,838
It always bugs me how in the anime the human can't understand pokemon language but the pokemon understand human language.
 
RochHoch

RochHoch

One Winged Slayer
Member
May 22, 2018
18,865
You have to answer the question: Are all Pokemon created equal?

This is a Pokemon:
250px-128Tauros.png


This is also a Pokemon:
250px-539Sawk.png


If Tauros is allowed to be eaten, does that mean that Sawk would also be on the menu? Or are you going to discriminate based on your own preconceived notions regarding which ones are ethical to consume?

Or in other words: just don't think about it. Gamefreak sure doesn't.
 
Last edited:
That1GoodHunter

That1GoodHunter

My ass legally belongs to Ted Price
Member
Oct 17, 2019
10,854
There are literally ice cream and cake themed pokemon, I'm sorry but that argument has long been resolved XD
 
lvl 99 Pixel

lvl 99 Pixel

Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,607
Denamitea said:
I looked it up and apparently scientists are now saying that fish do actually feel pain, only in a different way to how humans feel it. Also, who the fuck are we to decide which species are "intelligent" enough to be justifiably eaten?

Of course, factory meat farming is worse than humanly raising animals to be eaten but it's not like that's the optimal option for the animal being eaten, either. We could raise them and still, you know, not eat them. That would be even better for the pigs and cows, etc.

Also, you feeling weird about eating fish Pokémon is kinda my point. One big reason people are grossed out by eating Pokémon is because they see they have personalities and have emotional attachments to them. Plenty of people raise pigs, cows, chickens that also have personalities and have emotional bonds to them, too.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Its not unlike everyone just accepting how most of our electronics are produced, as in out of sight out of mind. Humans aren't great at caring about shit unless they're in the thick of it affecting them personally and constantly, which is why people like myself suffer through life via mental illness while not much is done to help and most people think its 'just a way of thinking'.

Where you draw the line for intelligence and ethical consumption is largely your own decision to come to, but there is at least some consensus on animals like Whales and Apes.
 

Deleted member 59109

User requested account closure
Banned
Aug 8, 2019
7,877
Denamitea said:
I wasn't arguing for "certain" animals, I was arguing for all of them. I'm saying killing any animal life (needlessly of course. I get some meat eating is out of necessity) is wrong.

You're still killing an animal that doesn't want or need to be killed (in many cases, again, obviously some people need to eat meat to survive). I don't get the reasoning that only rare, precious intelligent life is more worthy of not being eaten than others.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah, when it comes down to it all animals are thinking/feeling, just to different degrees. And a lot of the ones killed by humans do have emotions, feelings to a pretty high degree.
 
Denamitea

Denamitea

Member
Nov 1, 2017
2,709
lvl 99 Pixel said:
Its not unlike everyone just accepting how most of our electronics are produced, as in out of sight out of mind. Humans aren't great at caring about shit unless they're in the thick of it affecting them personally and constantly, which is why people like myself suffer through life via mental illness while not much is done to help and most people think its 'just a way of thinking'.

Where you draw the line for intelligence and ethical consumption is largely your own decision to come to, but there is at least some consensus on animals like Whales and Apes.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Ya, I agree with you there. I'm not trying to shame people for eating meat (or Pokémon) but I always find arguments for the ethicality of eating meat kinda reliant on the assumption that humans get to "decide" what is right or wrong when it comes to another creatures life. I just personally don't like making that decision.

Especially nowadays when many people (in rich countries, or utopias like in Pokémon) don't really need to do it.
 
lvl 99 Pixel

lvl 99 Pixel

Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,607
Denamitea said:
Ya, I agree with you there. I'm not trying to shame people for eating meat (or Pokémon) but I always find arguments for the ethicality of eating meat kinda reliant on the assumption that humans get to "decide" what is right or wrong when it comes to another creatures life. I just personally don't like making that decision.

Especially nowadays when many people (in rich countries, or utopias like in Pokémon) don't really need to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

lol well yea, Pokemon world would absolutely have impossible meat figured out and subsidized
 
You must log in or register to reply here.