Reflection on "Eating Animals"

Jonathan Safran Foer's nonfiction work Eating Animals offers a shocking and brutally honest look into the repulsive world of modern livestock-raising. He notes horrifying details such as the massively disproportionate ratios of actual animals killed to edible food product (such as how many cows go into a single burger), as well as many disgusting truths regarding the treatment of factory farm animals, telling how they can be treated beyond inhumanely by means of harming them by mutilating and skinning them alive with no methods to dull their pain. In addition, Foer notes the regrettable side-effects of the genetic modification of animals to get more meat off of them, like the animals' extreme lack of fitness and recurring pain. While the book was often painful to read (I will never be able to eat McDonald's, etc., again without thinking of it),  and told me things that I simply didn't really want to know, it did give me a greater awareness of the evils of factory farms, and a greater appreciation for humane and organic farming.

-Conor

Thoughts on "Eating Animals"

I found this book to be written in a very interesting way. Jonathan Safran Foer is a vegan, but in this book, he does not try to convince the reader to become a vegan, as I had previously expected. He merely points out all the ethical wrongdoings of factory farms. He points out the brutality with which the animals are treated and gives the reader interesting facts that would make anyone feel sick about what is being done. For instance, some chickens have been genetically modefied so much, that they are constantly born with chronic pains. Reading this made me really angry. However, he also points out how some farms treat their animals humanely and with respect. There is even a turkey farmer who apologizes to his turkies for slaughtering them. This book was great and opened my eyes to the evils of factory farms. I highly recommend it for people who want to know how their food is REALLY made.

-David

Taco Bull...again.

I'm sure many of you have seen Taco Bell's many attempts to fix all that is left over of their damaged image as the result of the lawsuit over their "beef" (For more information, see our previous blog post called "Taco Bull"). Recently many people have been talking about their new commercial in which their workers insist that their beef is indeed real and delicious. If you haven't seen it, watch it below:

Also, here is an article from AOL news of different people's reactions to the commercial: http://www.thatsfit.com/2011/03/18/do-you-believe-taco-bell-is-real-meat/?icid=maing%7Cmain5%7Cdl10%7Csec3_lnk2%7C50647 Some of them don't seem that convinced...I don't blame them. But what do you think? Is this good enough to convince their customers that the meat is okay? Does it convince you? I don't know about you, but I still have my doubts....only 35% beef. Come on, people. That's disgusting.

-KW

If slaughterhouses had glass walls...

If slaughterhouses had glass walls...would the meat industry be thriving as it does? Would the American people continue to ignore the gruesome and inhumane treatment of the animals that occur behinds those walls?

It's disgusting how these animals are treated in these slaughterhouses. Sure, they are about to die anyway, but that's like saying that it's okay to strangle someone as they are bleeding to death. These animals know what's happening as they approach their deaths, they can hear and smell their fellow victims. Another misconception is that the animals are technically dead or unconcious before they are actually slaughtered and sliced to bits. This is often not true. Many animals survive the stunning or electrocution and deal with horrible pain as their body is sliced to bits. Gail Eisnitz describes these horrors in her book, Slaughterhouse.



Pigs hangon on a bleed rail



It was a plant where squealing hogs were left straddling the restrainer and dangling live by one leg when workers left the stick pit for their half-hour lunch breaks; where stunners were shocking hogs three and four times; where inadequately stunned hogs were jumping from the shackling table into the blood pit below, smashing into metal pipes on the trip down and fracturing legs and backs; where, whether broken or not, thousands of squealing hogs were immersed in the plant’s scalding tank alive.

Another issue in the slaughterhouse is that workers are well aware of the pain they are causing the animals. As a matter of fact, they are often the person who is inducing pain. They are often rushed to keep the level of production up to scratch and therefore take their frustrations out on these suffering animals.

And the worst part is, USDA FSIS, who is responsible for upholding the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, rarely does anything. They often send out inspectors and vets to the slaughterhouses but violations are rarely reported. Instead, we find out about these violations and abuses in undercover videos or books.

Here is a link for more information: http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/slaughterhouses.html

-KW

The Jungle: Weekly Excerpt

Week of March 14, 2011
"When people are starving and they have anything with a price, I guess you ought to sell it, I say. I guess you realize it now when it's too late."

This quote really helps to explain how the meat-packing industry has arrived at its current state. People were starving, and they would sell and buy anything if they were desperate enough. This desperation drove big food industries to advance the production of meat and lead to the success of the meat-packing industries. This evolution of the industry lead to a change in the times, the survival of the people; however, now people look at the meat packing industry as a cruel, negative business due to the poor treatment of the animals. This is where the second part of the quote comes in. Sinclaire claims that it's too late to change things, but it's never too late. People can change things; it's just a matter of how. Sound off in the comments.

-DR

Farm Sanctuary! Great Site

Hey everyone, great site that everyone has to check out! It's called Farm Sanctuary and it provides a virtual experience that everyone can enjoy, especially those interested in animal welfare. The simulation allows one to get detailed descriptions of various, individual animals, including their biographies and what they have gone through in their lives. This site provides an engrossing experience that helps one understand the current animal welfare situation just a little bit better. Both the Factory Farm and the Sanctuary can be viewed in the interactive activity. But be warned: there are graphic images and videos that you may not want to observe if you are faint of heart.

Make Love, Not Chemically Processed Meat wants to give a HUGE shoutout and thank you to Alison Denzer-King, who was generous enough to let us know about this site. Everybody who sees her give her a super thank you, even if you are not part of this blog. She was a super great help!

Also, here is the link: http://action.farmsanctuary.org/site/PageServer?pagename=VirtualExperience

-DR

Animal Abuse in Fatory Farming

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. MAY DISTURB SOME VIEWERS
http://www.animalfreedom.org/english/information/abuses.html  

This website shows how terribly some animals are treated by the meat packing industry. It is truly shocking how inhumane these animals are treated. It is important that people are shown these horrors so they can stand up to them.

-David