I remember when I was still a kid, I saw this ad on television where a woman was sitting in her lounge thinking about what to eat. Outside her house, a cow was peacefully grazing. Upon seeing the animal, the woman had this brilliant idea? she was going to open a tin of corned beef for lunch! Totally unaware of what her human friend was thinking, the cow kept grazing on? .

While this ad had for purpose of getting people to buy corned beef, it gave me guilty feelings about eating the bloody thing (literally!) My reaction was the complete opposite? never again did I eat corned beef without that guilt ridden image of the cow peacefully grazing. But that?s me. I suppose those people who spent so much money on creating the ad believed in its effectiveness. It did not work for me but I?m sure it worked for others. Me personally, I like cow, I think they are kind of cool and I don?t like to see them cry?

But why the hell would a cow cry? In my mind, it would be because it is about to get slaughtered or that its offspring is being taken away from it. I suppose also when it gets scared. No, I have not lost my mind, I really think animals feel the vibrations around them and know when they?re about to be sent to the butchery.

So when I heard yet another ad on the radio, this time about this cow crying because it would not be let in a butchery, because apparently it was so desperate to get killed and eaten by us humans that it kept disguising as a chicken, I thought there was definitely something wrong somewhere. But, I have to admit, my first reaction was to laugh. Because I do have a sense of humour and like other people, jokes also tickle me even when they are of the worse taste ever.

When I heard the ad again, my laughter turned to ill ease. Thinking about it again made me cringe. I am now a vegetarian (thanks to the first mentioned ad), I do not go to fast foods that sell chicken burgers or chicken breasts but that?s my problem. I do not see how people should be bothered by my eating habits. Hence I do not see any reasons why what other people eat should bother me. I am all for free will and free choice.

The thought occurred to me to write to the chicken selling people to tell them that I personally thought their ?funny ad? was of bad taste and that maybe it would have the opposite effect on people who tend to think too much, like myself. But then I remembered my motto ? to live and let live. Most people, to whom I mentioned the ad, thought it was hilariously funny. So who was I to judge? But my mind kept saying that this kind of thoughtless ads would never have been allowed in politically correct Britain.

Why? Because I think the ad was rude and offensive. Not to vegetarians but to those poor animals. As if they didn?t have it hard enough. As far as vegetarians are concerned, they need to learn to deal with their choice and live with it. Why should ISKCON complain about the offensive ad and ask for it to be removed? Maybe they need to be reminded that the freedom of a person ends where that of another person begins?