Not sure this is the best place to belabor ethics, but the reason it may seem someone has more empathy for animals is because animals are fully helpless to understand what's being imposed upon them, and they are always in an enslaved relationship with us.

Free human adults may be the victim of a circumstance that has them shambling up coconut trees, but they have an end to end understanding of why they're doing it, and they still have a domain of choice that's always broader than that of any animal and the enslaved.

I don't think too many people who are against animal labor are for human slavery. Free humans who get to tacitly choose which crappy job to do in their squalor still much more power than the enslaved. We can even reach self-actualization as long as we are given the illusion of free choice among bad options. Rescuing lower sentience from slavery comes before rescuing free humans from crappy choices, imo.

It seems like you're answering on behalf of a large group of people with differing views that your comment doesn't at all reflect. I, for one, oppose this monkey labor and I would argue I don't have more empathy for "animals than for humans." I try to be equal in many respects and would oppose humans being coerced into doing this as well. It's why I oppose slavery, for instance.

Why would you have an issue with monkey labour when bulls et are routinely used for farming and transportation in India?

Why would you think they don't have an issue with both?

If I understand your point correctly that monkey labor in Thailand is fine because bulls are used for labor in India, I don't follow. Why are using bulls in India justified for you, and why does that justify monkeys in Thailand?

As the other commenter said, why would you assume I even have an opinion on Indian bulls, let alone supporting their labor?

I don't have a problem with bulls/bullocks being used for labour and neither do I have a problem with monkeys being used. We use animals for a range of functions - donkeys, horses, goats, dogs, cows, camels, chickens, ducks, geese, pigs.. even elephants.. why not monkeys?

I didn't say you -- I said many people.

Normally I would agree, but you answered a question asking what the problem would be with this approach, and I think it's reasonable to then read "many people" as referring to "those that oppose monkey labor." Maybe you didn't mean that, however, so I'll of course allow for the benefit of the doubt.

Isn’t it selective empathy for animals. Just look at the popularity of animal food-products.

Done right, it's the opposite for me. Those monkeys can live a happy life in the same way as an ox that pulls a tiller.

An ox is forcibly neutered, then forced, often with a torturing device (whips, nose rings etc), to toil in the burning sun for days. Untill his joints give up, and he is killed.

I know I'm excaggerating. But it annoys me to no end that we came to think this is 'a happy life' in any remote sense. An ox, to me, is on the furthest part of the spectrum of forced labor.

I found Harari's Book 'Sapien' very enlightening on the parts about the history of human abuse to animals. Oxen get a honorary mention.

How often do oxen work longer days than the farmer himself?

When an Ox is a community asset and not owned by a single farmer.

Which, I imagine, is or was quite often the case. I'm no historian nor a farming-expert, so I'm really just guessing.

> Those monkeys can live a happy life in the same way as an ox that pulls a tiller.

Those are very strong implications you are making. What makes you think an ox that pulls a tiller is _happy_?

Generally enslaving an animal to do something is considered unethical. How we much of "unethical" we accept as a society is a completely different matter though.

> Generally enslaving an animal to do something is considered unethical.

This is about as far from the truth as it's possible to be.

These are wild animals who are abducted and then chained to do forced labour. It doesn't sound like a happy life and if they had a choice in the matter, I doubt they would volunteer

All of the pets in your home wouldn't choose to live with you if they weren't conditioned to already. You would need to abduct them one way or another. They wouldn't volunteer to become food, either. Getting caught by another animal mean becoming food is the alternative to forced labor.

Ox, horses, nowadays service dogs, animals have been used for a long time as workers in the West. I find the double standard incredible here, especially since it’s impacting very negatively the economy of a developing country. Making a label and the related checks about monkey abuse would be enough to solve the problem without banning their use.