Argumentative Essay On Dog Food

774 Words4 Pages
It is evident throughout the article that both Halkon and the main subjects which she argues for, Humane Society International (HSI) and Ricky Gervais, have taken an ethnocentric stance in voicing out their opposition against Yulin dog meat eating practices. By imposing their idiosyncratic opinion and understanding of justifiability of actions on that of Yulin culture, their ability to acknowledge and develop a sociological understanding of cultural practices apart from their own is thus impaired. Highly biased and even hyperbolic accounts are therefore being laid out by Halkon and her sources throughout the article.

While the Yulin Dog Meat Festival may seem savagely cruel and may have enraged many, the Yulin locals view their culture of consuming dog meat in a very different perspective. To them, dog meat carries an abundance of health benefits and is of high nutritional value. In fact, doctors may even prescribe dog meat to treat health ailments such as impotence and to improve circulation (Arnold, 2015). Yulin locals also believe that the consumption of dog meat during the annual summer solstice (day of festival) will bring about good luck and health (LinShi, 2014). Apart from the social functions of dog meat consumption in Yulin, many locals are also dependent on the income from the sale of dog meat for a livelihood. Ethnocentric critics will come to a judgement hastily without making impartial observations and secondary considerations of the functions that the dog