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As a vegetarian / supporter of animal rights, it might surprise you to hear that I am pleased to be reading about the CrustaStun, British entrepreneur Simon Buckhaven's alternative to boiling lobsters alive.
I think that a lot of activists (not just for animal rights, but for anything) make the mistake of taking on too extreme of an approach. While I believe it is perfectly acceptable to maintain an extreme personal perspective, I think it is crucial to realize that the best way to reach out to the public is to tone it down and focus on more realistic issues. For example, animal rights activists who try to convince everyone to stop eating meat are taking the focus off of smaller issues that are arguably just as important and easier to fix. It's irrational to think that everyone in the world is going to stop eating meat. If animal rights activists took a more moderate approach, and came forth with the idea that, "Hey, we know not everyone is going to give up eating meat. But we can all get together and work toward these goals to ensure that the meat you're eating came from a healthy animal who was raised well and humanely slaughtered."
So many activism groups wind up alienating everyone but the select few who agree with their extreme opinions. In doing so, they are hurting their cause more than they are helping it.
Simon Buckhaven took on a realistic approach to the allegedly painful method of boiling lobsters alive. I'm sure it will be a lot easier to convince chefs to use the CrustaStun than to stop serving lobster - a consumer favorite - at their restaurants.
I think animal rights activism needs more creative and reasonable minds like Buckhaven's to work toward a more adoptable way to end animal suffering.
(I also want to note that I'm impressed that PETA, an organization I tend to avoid, was in support of the CrustaStun)
