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| Talkin' loud, but sayin' nothin' |
For me and many others, animals
under the care of people (i.e., pets and zoo animals) deserve as high a quality
of life as possible. This extends to livestock (cows, pigs, chicken, etc.) destined
for dining room tables.
Recently, I watched a Facebook
video clip that secretly exposed the inhumane manner in which most livestock are
raised. It was disgusting and offended every fiber of my being. In less than a
minute, a hidden camera fast-forwarded through the birth-and-slaughter cycle of
a “factory farm” calf. The mini-documentary was a call to action to cease foul
treatment of God’s creatures.
Yet in the end, like most folks,
I’m probably not going to do anything about it – even though I believe the treatment
livestock suffer in those places is wrong.
More than 90 percent of farm
animals raised in the United States are funneled through factory farms. These
farms are large, industrial operations that raise massive numbers of animals for
food. Like most large scale businesses, factory farms focus on productivity and
efficiency for the sake of profit. Animal welfare is secondary.
As coordinator of Good Food
Battle Creek (GFBC), I consider myself a journeyman foodie. GFBC is a local group
of agencies and individuals working to address our broken food system by
providing information and education to residents. We are currently in the
process of developing plans to take a more proactive role that supplements our
whole information/education shtick.
That half-minute “life of a
calf” documentary affected me. Considering my level of distaste (to put it
mildly) of the way calves and cows are treated, it would seem a simple matter to
remove beef from my diet. I rarely eat it and my wife rarely serves it.
Here’s the disappointing
truth: despite knowing what I know, I’m still eating beef. Even though it’s not
a regular home menu item or a staple when dining out. Even though I know it’s
contributing to a system of mistreatment of animals, which is contrary to my stated
values, I’m going to order it.
I like a juicy, medium-well burger
with all the works now and then. Same with steak. Mom never should have turned
me on the Porterhouse cut; I’m hooked and need my fix every couple of months.
Levity aside, a burning question
sears my conscience. If a self-described social justice advocate like me can be
overlook the callous treatment of calves and other animals in the name of nutrition
that can be achieved by alternative food choices, how can I hold other human
beings accountable with respect to other social issues? I’m talking racism,
classism, sexism, heterosexism and all the other –isms plaguing society.
Some argue there’s a
difference between human beings and animals. Does that legitimize the pain and
mistreatment imposed on them? Frankly when you think about it, the whole “there’s
a difference between them and us” argument has historically justified the oppression
and mistreatment of entire races and classes of people by dominant groups.
This week on the Senate floor,
U.S. Senator Harry Reid stated he was “stunned” that National Football League
officials are more concerned about how much air is in a football than with a
racist franchise name that denigrates Native Americans across the country. He
is, of course, referring to the NFL team in Washington, DC.
In many respects, my love of beef
and the Washington, DC, team owner’s desire to keep his team’s racist name share
something in common: lack of moral conviction.
It’s easy to armchair
quarterback your values. It’s all-together different when it comes to transforming
values into action. It takes getting down off your high horse and practicing
what you say you believe.
A lotta times that ain’t
easy. Not because of the effort involved but because of your ego. That and giving
up a way of being that’s comfortable and familiar. In the end it’s worth it.
Follow J.R. on Twitter @4humansbeing or
contact him at 4humansbeing@gmail.com.
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