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Best Interview Ever?

Written by PETA

Posted 04-02-2008

Field Cate is the 10-year-old star of ABC’s smash-hit dramedy (Wikipedia assures me that this is a real word) Pushing Daisies, and he is more knowledgeable about a wide array of animal issues than most people twice his age. Here he is, holding forth on the ethics of vegetarianism, pet care, dissection, circuses, and animal testing. Seriously, when Field’s finished with being a TV star, he should run for president.

There’s more info, and a contest for kids to win a signed T-shirt, here.

Tags:

leather, purse, huskies, of, North, White Rain Carolina, UNC, tar heels, wildcats, sparty, belt, yves st laurent, field cate, pushing daisies

Recent Comments

Lily commented:

Jun 1, 2008 2:56 PM

I've been brought up as a vegetarian. I'm from London England where there are a lot of people who use animals in the circus. My cousin Jamie who is 9 i've just turned 11 on the 18th may! always watches animals in the circus. Our fave actor is Field cate but my cousin thinks anybody including Field is crazy if they are vegetarian! I tried telling him about how they hurt animals when they turn them into food and what happens in the circus but he doesn't really care. When he stays at my house he doesn't repsect my cats and my Malamute so most of the time I keep him away from them! I don't think your crazy if your a vegitarian but everybody has their own opinion. My little brother is also a vegitarian but I had to persuade my parents first! My cousin doesn't really care about animals so I might try Emailing him some websites so at least he knows how animals get hurt.
lynda downie commented:

Apr 9, 2008 1:47 AM

Carol Why do you call it brainwashing to tell children that eating meat causes suffering to animals? Isn't it the truth? Just because eating the flesh of animals has been normalized most people do it without thinking. Isn't that what true brainwashing is?
lynda downie commented:

Apr 9, 2008 1:34 AM

Derek Chan I agree that it's far better to think for myself than blindly follow my parents' values. But some values they instilled I share and have had a lifetime to build on ie. a strong work ethic. Field Cate and Derek's children are learning a deep respect for all animals from an early age that they can build on. And that for the animals can't happen soon enough.
Derek commented:

Apr 7, 2008 5:00 PM

Carol Why is this sick? By your own implied definition any child who attends their parents church would be considered brainwashed. Would you prefer if he were spouting off racist comments or extolling the culinary delight that is veal? My wife and I are raising our children vegetarian and will raise them using our moral compass which points towards opposing the deplorable conditions in circuses animal laboratories and the meat industry to name a few. I guess in that respect we are brainwashing our childrenbut then again EVERY involved parent on the planet is guilty of this as well. As with any parent we hope to instill in our children the knowledge and confidence to make the correct ethical decision and to stand up for their beliefs. If that causes others to call me sick well I wont lose any sleep over that label.
Carol commented:

Apr 7, 2008 2:55 PM

Nothing like brainwashing them young! Poor kid! Not even allowed to learn and make up his own mind! These people are SICK and they are using our children for their pawns.
Derek commented:

Apr 7, 2008 12:19 PM

Derek Chan What you are describing is "cognitive maturity" which is a function of the frontal lobe more specifically the dorsolateral frontal cortex since you brought up strategic planning. This portion frontal lobe of the brain is not fully developed until about age 25. Despite that a child is still able to utilize the developing executive functions of the frontal lobe to decide between two options a circus with animals is "bad" while a circus with human performers only is a "better" choice. If a child reads or hears something from his parents or the PETA Kids website then I could care less if he is "regurgitating" the information the fact that he cares about these issues is much more important. Here is a shocker even children can say "no" when it comes to being told what to do...my 19 month old says that all the time. Information and discussion are the basis for encouraging free and independent thought but while that process is occurring it is still possible and admirable for a child his age to voice preferences on something other than cartoons and toys.
Stef Calkins commented:

Apr 7, 2008 7:27 AM

It's amazing how smart and COOL! this kid is. I told myself if I ever had kids I would want them to be like "Field". He is a great role model for everyone. We have to educate the people who don't want to be educated. Some people don't want to know what goes on behind closed doors. They don't want to know how their dinner got there. The suffering and torture that goes on inside slaughter houses. If people don't know about it then they think it doesn't exist....so they can keep on eating diseased and tortured meat. The people have to see pictures and videos of this torture and then maybe they would think twice. They have to "SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT."
Derek Chan commented:

Apr 4, 2008 8:47 PM

Yes that is indeed a fair amount of information. But I question whether this child is regurgitating it. There seems little reason to believe that he has been given the opportunity to make concious decisions of his own. Shouldn't we be encouraging free and independant thought while providing education and suggested moral systems in order to encourage people to make the right choices for the right reasons instead of just telling them what to think and do? I doubt his potential as president if he cannot make intelligent decisions of his own. For future such adds I would argue that it would be better if we saw our friend Field saying how HE did research to find out about cirque de soliel and how much he is looking forward to finally seeing a circus without animals. It gives an impression of forward thinking concious thought I see little reason to believe that Fields opinions in this add were not simply given to him. And in response to Lynda on the contrary I think you should be pleased in knowing that you made a concious choice against what you had grown up with rather than lamenting your roots. Good for you.
Derek commented:

Apr 4, 2008 8:41 AM

This is great! My wife and I hope that our 19 month old vegetarian animalloving activist in training gives similar speeches when he gets older. I joke that his 529 plan is his "bailfund" since we happen to have a mink farm just outside of our town and a Tyson factory about 30 minutes away!
Mike Quinoa commented:

Apr 3, 2008 10:32 AM

Very smart kid with a great namehe'll go far.

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