Gin no Saji

[Buffalobiian]

The thing that made it flow was that Butadon ended up walking up the ramp on its own. Now imagine if it tugged at Hachiken's pants, which meant Hachiken had to send him off instead of just watching him go.

That would have been interesting to watch.

Reading shinta's quote closely, this problem could be looked at in two ways:

Whether Hachiken could eat Butadon, or whether Hachiken should eat Butadon. Guess Hachiken himself settled with could and managed to do it.

[Kraco]

Whether Hachiken could eat Butadon, or whether Hachiken should eat Butadon. Guess Hachiken himself settled with could and managed to do it.

I disagree. He went for should. Otherwise he wouldn't have bought the meat. If it was just could, he would have gotten away with just watching Pork Bowl go and disappear, with slim chances of ever seeing a trace of its meat. However, by buying the meat, he doomed himself to facing all aspects of the reality of raising farm animals, from the beginning till the end. In other words he manned up, toughened himself, and above all didn't run. After all, he has decided he's done with running. Becoming a vegetarian or other shit like that would be fleeing the reality for him, considering the school he's attending.

It's hard to say how much the farm-born students ever individually considered this whole issue, but it's possible Hachiken has taken responsibility on a much deeper level than most of those who just grew up to that style of life.

[Buffalobiian]

I disagree. He went for should. Otherwise he wouldn't have bought the meat. If it was just could, he would have gotten away with just watching Pork Bowl go and disappear, with slim chances of ever seeing a trace of its meat. However, by buying the meat, he doomed himself to facing all aspects of the reality of raising farm animals, from the beginning till the end. In other words he manned up, toughened himself, and above all didn't run. After all, he has decided he's done with running. Becoming a vegetarian or other shit like that would be fleeing the reality for him, considering the school he's attending.

Whether or not he bought the meat doesn't differentiate between could/should. It just gives him the opportunity to test it out instead of avoiding the issue and never finding an answer to it. Whether he could eat Butadon tests whether or not he could physically withstand eating the meat (either by disconnecting his feelings while he eats, or somehow being able to hold both values equally yet consciously), while the question of whether he should tests whether he thinks eating Butadon is right or wrong.

I suppose from the beginning it never was a question of should for him, since I can only remember him thinking "I can't eat that".

As for Hachiken vs other students, the other kids never considered (or at least no longer consider) animals as beings that deserved some sort of consideration beyond their market value. They consider livestock property that were raised for the purpose of being sold for profit and therefore should be nothing more. Like slaves.

Hachiken sees them as fellow living beings and was thus confronted with the dilemma of killing/destroying them.