Why?

There is a long history of animals as gifts/prizes such as for dowrys in marriages.

The antiquity argument has its problems. There has been a long history of many things that we don't do anymore.

A better argument would be that the animal doesn't care (because it is an animal).

I'm sure the animal doesn't care about specifically being a prize. I'm sure he/she cares about the care that follows being treated as an object.

Have you thought about the average factory-farmed animal gracing the average piece of pepperoni or sausage pizza at most hackathons? I don't see how this is worse. If anything, it forces people to think about how meat comes from animals far more than the kind of meat usually served at hackathons, which really doesn't even resemble an animal.

It most certainly isn't treated like an object, but as an animal. Probably better than most animals.

And indeed, an entire charitable organization dedicated to giving animals as gifts to developing communities.

http://www.heifer.org/

There is also a long history of parents arranging those marriages - doesn't make any of it a good idea.

You didn't provide any reasons for your position. I don't want to put words in your mouth, but the reasons I can think of are:

1. You don't support domesticated animals and/or the farming of animals

2. You dislike the idea of living things being transferrable goods

3. You fear for the welfare of the animal after being given away

Is it one of these or is there another reason? I think it's an interesting conversation to have.

zevyoura, you actually did a great job of summarizing my positions (especially for someone I assume does not fully share them). This is just such an unnecessary combination of something I happen to love and something I happen to hate.

You do realize that nobody's going to be keeping a live cow or pig in their apartment, right? It's most likely that they're going to give away a butchered cow.

Not that it makes it better if you don't support raising animals for slaughter at all, but you shouldn't worry that it's going to be more cruel to the animal.

But I am wondering why you are unhappy with it being given away as prizes?

I can see maybe it marginalizes the value of an animal's life and thus the prize is in bad taste (but then again this is Iowa and these are farmers).

> (but then again this is Iowa and these are farmers).

It might be surprising to learn but Des Moines is actually a fairly populous city with office buildings and fast food restaurants and everything! Few of its citizens are farmers.

For a far less contentious example, how about winning a goldfish at the fair?

FYI: Dwolla says it will allow winners to accept their awards in the following formats: alive, meat, or cash equivalent.