Domestication of a Nation

[Plasma Snake[D]]

I think the lions domesticated zebras, which is why they have those dumb looking colors on them. Just like the way we domesticated animals like chickens, cows, pigs, cats, dogs... I'm interested in this process. Like I'm sure the cow was not colored black and white in the wild, and neither were the chickens colored white. It is a (somewhat) sick and sadistic symbiotic relationship between humans and farm animals. The only reason we feed them at all is because they will ultimately feed us(and turned to feces in the end). Am I the only one who sees this process? Those nice subordinate and obedient animals will end up being shit. Their proteins broken down into simpler components... all that nurturing each individual animal's mother put into their offspring for nothing; but if one looked at it in another way one could say it is beneficial to them, since it is because they feed us that they have survived. Bananas thrive in huge numbers in plantations simply because they are useful to us, but that is the catch... Another thing is that maybe the process of domestication degrades the animal itself, making it too dependent on us. Does anyone think that eating a wild animal is somehow more nutritious than eating one that is dometicated, even if only slightly? I once knew a guy who pampered his dogs a bit too much(he had a german sheperd and a huge black dog). I took the huge black dog out for a walk, and for some reason he backed down tremendously when a really small dog the size of a chihuahua started to confront it. I nearly kicked that coward ass black dog! This brings me to my main point, and that is that comfort atrophies any sense of readiness... The wild has a wonderful mechanism of checks and balances that eliminates anything that likes too much comfort. It's like the thing we love so much and pamper, we think we are doing it much good, but in the end they end up getting their pride cut off(testicles), ultimately corrupting its integrity. The rich are pampered by the poor(the small number of rich are domesticated by the massive amount of less fortunate). I think this is why most Americans are so unhappy. I've been to other countries that don't have it as good, but for some reason they live like they have exactly what they need. It's all relative of course, meaning that if the whole world lived like Americans, then only the most pampered would be in our situation. Society always has safety nets in place... would the acrobat's performance be a bit more impressive if they had no safety net? These risks are what sets things apart. Now excuse me while I go eat some chickens(in the end we are all hypocrites).

[Jack]

Kind of all over the place, aren't you there, bro? :)
As I understand it, we first domesticated wolves and bred them into dogs for companionship, protection and to take advantage of their hunting and tracking skills.
Cats domesticated themselves.
We domesticated cattle to eliminate the need to go on long hunting parties. Having the food supply close to home was a major advancement in civilization. Of course we bred them to be mellow as we didn't want a herd of wild cattle in the stockade. Too dangerous.
Except in zoos, lions and zebras aren't domesticated. "Lions domesticated zebras"? News to me. Actually the patterns on zebras play an important role. When in a herd, the stripes make individual animals difficult to distinguish. This no doubt seriously pisses off the lions.

[Plasma Snake[D]]

I know I am all over the place but I cant find a format through which this has been discussed before. Many of the subjects discussed here have been discussed time and time and time again, millions of times before(like "There is no God, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!")I guess I don't know the right way of approaching this concept. The question is: why is it that the colors change so? Why is it that the physiology is changed so drastically? I know it has to do with the fact that they have no need to hunt for their own food or worry so much about predators, and they also become desensitized to the presence of humans. But why black and white? Just like I dont think there are poodles or white lab mice in the wild... perhaps through selective breeding we weeded out the strong independant ones, sort of the reverse of natural selection. This reminded me of killer whales in captivity whose top fins dont stand straight up.

[Samildanach]

And through domesticating animals for food we eventually domesticate ourselves...for example Americans were domesticated when they first encountered Mcdonalds. :)

[brien]

And through domesticating animals for food we eventually domesticate ourselves...for example Americans were domesticated when they first encountered Mcdonalds. :)

\\

I must be the WIld Man from Borneo because I won't go near a McDonalds. Some call that food? I'd rather kill and eat one of the wild turkeys that strut through the back woods here everyday. Trouble is, they "ain't" domesticated!

I guess my wife wonders, at times, if I am domesticated as well.

[Plasma Snake[D]]

I wonder what is the most fundamental difference in a domesticated animal and a "wild" one. Is it submission and dependance?

I'm sometimes confused by McDonalds food. I have been a huge fan of their food in the past, but now I am disgusted by it. I mean, just look at their food! It's way far off from resembling anything natural. It's like plastic food to me. The lettuce and tomatoes are like applying a band aid to a gunshot wound to those that think it adds "nutritional value". I must admit that I do sometimes buy food from there.

[brien]

I wonder what is the most fundamental difference in a domesticated animal and a "wild" one. Is it submission and dependance?

I'm sometimes confused by McDonalds food. I have been a huge fan of their food in the past, but now I am disgusted by it. I mean, just look at their food! It's way far off from resembling anything natural. It's like plastic food to me. The lettuce and tomatoes are like applying a band aid to a gunshot wound to those that think it adds "nutritional value". I must admit that I do sometimes buy food from there.

I think the main difference is the following. Let's say I shoot one of those 28 wild turkeys that strut through my back yard almost every morning. Then I pluck it, eviscerate it, and cook it up for dinner. That is a meal provided by a wild animal.

Now. If I go out an find where these trukeys lay their eggs, steal them, bring them back home, incubate them to hatch, raise them until they are adults, and kill them to eat them, I have domesticated that turkey. So your theory of dependence is somewhat correct. but I have captured them, and forced them to be depndent upon me. Then, if the offspring from the wild eggs lay eggs and I raise them, they too will become dependent and forced to live by my means. They are domesticated as well.

As far as McDonalds, I haven't eaten there since I was about 15, almost 40 years ago. Back then they were strictly take out and burgers were 15 cents, fries 17 cents and shakes were 20 cents. I got change back from a dollar.

You see, their food doesn't resemble anything I am familiar with anymore. I use Buffalo for hamburgers, and in just about anyting that requires ground beef. It is 97% lean. I can't speak to the taste of their meals because I don't consume them. I eat organic fruits, potatoes and vegatables because, according to Consumer Reports last month, the average fruit and vegetable has 10 different pesticides on it when you buy it. YUM....

[Plasma Snake[D]]

Ouch. No wonder tomatoes in the supermarket look huge and bloated (as does the average american... double ouch!)

[another day]

If you buy a hamburger from macdonalds and leave it in the wrapper it will never visibly rot...they have done tests where burgers were stores like that in a closet or such for a year and they look exactly the same...of course it's probably not still good to eat, but it wasnt really in the first place either. Of course the fries never go bad either...it's just fake food really, I don't know how people eat that crap.

[SteveA]

In and of itself, being domesticated isn't necessarily bad and might actually be beneficial at times. You just don't want to be domesticated to the extent that you walk into the meat grinder. You can usually tell when this is coming because of the guys with cattle prods.

[Jack]

And the reason, as I understand it, that most dairy cows are black and white is because that coloration/hide pattern is common to the breed of cow that is most often used for dairy herds. Different breeds have different coats and produce various amounts and quality of milk. Guernseys, the most common milk cow, usually has brown and white or black and white coloration.
From the more than you ever wanted to know about dairy cows file:

The Guernsey cow is known for producing high-butterfat, high-protein milk with a high concentration of betacarotene. Being of intermediate size, Guernseys produce their high quality milk while consuming 20 to 30 percent less feed per pound of milk produced than larger dairy breeds. They are also known for having a lower projected calving interval and have a younger average age of first calf heifers than the larger breeds. Other attractive characteristics of Guernseys are their lack of any known undesirable genetic recessives and their adaptability to warmer climates.

[RickSp]

I think the lions domesticated zebras, which is why they have those dumb looking colors on them.

I think that you have no idea what the word domesticted means. Zebras are not domesticated.