Wow. That was gross.

Ok I’ll admit it. When I first saw what this topic was I honestly thought it wouldn’t affect me in any way. I love meat. Always have. And I didn’t think anything could change my mind. I was definitely one of those “cling to a vague belief that conditions cannot be too bad, or else the government or the animal welfare societies would have done something about it.”[1] However, after reading through Earthlings, as well as watching several clips of it on Youtube.com, I think I may have to reconsider my previous opinions.

            I never thought of killing animals for food as a way of domination or specieism. I always just felt that we aren’t very different from other animals. We kill for our food just as any other carnivore; we just happen to do so in a much more sophisticated (at least I thought) way. We can’t help the fact that we are on top of the food chain. Yet, now I realize that “it is the human earthling (us) who tends to dominate the earth, often times treating other fellow earthlings and living beings as mere objects.”[2] I simply could not believe some of the things I read and saw over the past hour. How did it come to this? The truth of the matter is “change is inevitable. Either we make it ourselves, or we will be forced to make it by Nature itself.”[3] Unfortunately, I am pretty sure our society is at a point of stubbornness.

            There are many reasons that this method of slaughter, however wrong, will continue. For one, when it comes down to it, these processes are efficient. As with nearly every other industry in the world today, the food business is about making money. I don’t think business owners particularly enjoy the fact that they inhumanely kill animals, but they certainly have no problem turning a blind eye if it nets them a greater profit. They will always choose the least expensive way to produce their product, regardless of how that end is reached.

          SADLY, THE DOLLAR IS VALUED MORESO THAN AN ANIMALS COMFORT OR LIFE, AT LEAST BY THOSE WHO CONTROL THEIR FATE.

  Another reason is that consumers flat out “don’t really want to know”.[4] I certainly didn’t. It is too easy, and burgers are too tasty, for most people to concern themselves with how that piece of meat came to be on their plate. There is an overwhelming attitude of “don’t tell me, you’ll spoil my dinner.” [5] We ignore for our own convenience, just as we kill for our own convenience. This is why “the architecture of slaughter is opaque, designed in the interest of denial, to insure that we will not see even if we wanted to look (which we don’t).”[6]

          AND TASTY, APPARENTLY.

  One final encompassing way of thinking that is the cause of such cruelty is that animals are often viewed as objects—things. To so many, they aren’t much different from a rock or any other part of nature. When people think of equality, they tend to think in terms of only our species, rather than us with other “earthlings.” We hunt them, nowadays more for “game” and wall decorations than for actual food. Growing up where I did, hunting was a very popular hobby among my peers, and one that I really despise. I just don’t get how murdering a defenseless animal with a fucking high tech rifle that practically does all the work can amount to any sense of accomplishment, pride, or satisfaction. In all honesty, it is not only inhumane, but the deck is stacked beyond belief as well. While these “hunters” try and defend their idea of fun, “there is no denying it, if hunting is a sport, it is a bloodsport.”[7]

IN MY OPINION, HUNTING ONLY PROVES THAT ONE HAS A LONGING TO FEEL BADASS OR DOMINANT, WHICH DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE DEATH OF AN ANIMAL.

 Also, when you truly look at it, owning a pet is not too far off from owning a slave. Granted the animal is cared for, and not meat to do work, but it is meant to serve a purpose, and not given a choice about whether it wants to fulfill that purpose. They are obtained in to provide one with companionship and entertainment. It’s like buying a friend, or a DVD. Thus, the question must be asked: “Is our keeping companion animals in their best interest, or are we exploiting them.” [8]I believe this stems from our difficulty to empathize with animals, particularly those that we eat. Personally, I can’t read a cow. I don’t know what indications it gives for how it feels, nor do I know what it would be like to walk a day in its hooves. Can you blame our inability for not empathizing with these animals though? Do people even want to? Understanding a creature is very difficult, especially when we can’t really communicate with them. Our world is no Wonderland. Our animals don’t ask us self-discovery questions such as “who are you?”[9], they don’t tell us “dry stories”, they don’t say a word.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmiH27KDpzE&feature=related    

        THIS SCENE FROM NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN PUTS A HUMAN IN THE SHOES OF A COW THAT IS ABOUT TO BE SLAUGHTERED. 

As long as these feelings continue to be that of the majority, these conditions will not change. “These supremacist notions take a long time to erode.”[10] It is a sad truth, but the truth no less. As for me, I am going to go eat a salad now.

---

[1] Earthlings, by Shaun Monson, X729

[2] Earthlings, by Shaun Monson, X701

[3] Earthlings, by Shaun Monson, X730

[4] Earthlings, by Shaun Monson, X707

[5] Earthlings, by Shaun Monson, X729

[6] Earthlings, by Shaun Monson, X714

[7] Earthlings, by Shaun Monson, X722

[8] Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, 48.

[9] Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, 30.

[10] “When Human Rights Extend to Nonhumans,” by Donald G. Mcneil Jr., X732