I chose the second article in appendix B which focuses on the different key players in response to the Yulin Dog Meat Festival.
The act of torturing dogs before eating them during the Yulin Dog Meat Festival is one that is harshly criticised by animal lovers, activists and the general public all over the globe. No doubt, the Western perception of dogs and pets as companions and deserving of animal rights justifies their protest and condemnation of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival. However, that is also reflective of the heart of ethnocentrism, because people outside the cultural boundaries of China are passing judgements about the Yulin Dog Meat Festival by using their own culture as the basis of comparison. Critiques of the festival have their…show more content… Harsh critics of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival would view dogs as man’s best friend, a companion and sometimes even a family member. They believe that dogs are meant to be treated as one would treat another human being. These people would never comprehend and come to terms with the slaughtering of dogs for food. The manifest function of dogs to them is a pet to be domestically bred, to play with and sometimes to curb loneliness. On the flip side, the Yulin people see dogs as stray animals, or any other animal one would rear for food. The consumption of dogs would be perfectly normal to them because eating dog meat is congruent with their diet, just like how non-vegetarians would consume chicken meat or any other forms of “normal” meat. From their point of view, all who are against their festival and dog eating diet are people who encroach on their culture’s norms. Perhaps the latent function associated with dogs in China, or Yulin specifically, is of it being a source of food. Dogs there might be bred specifically to add another dish to the Chinese menu. However, one must note that this is not the case for all of Yulin and China because there are oppositions within the geographical boundary as well. Since the article claims that the Yulin festival was only invented in recent