Wednesday, May 27, 2015
"Thinking like Animals" by Temple Grandin
After reading "Thinking like Animals" I thought about how heartless some individuals can be. We go on everyday of our lives worrying only about ourselves and our problems. Most of us are so egotistical that we forget about everyone and everything else that surrounds us. For instance, we go to the market and purchase food brands without knowing the story behind the food we are about to eat. I have gone to the store many times, and when I buy chicken I just compare prices and the cleanliness of the chicken wrapped inside the plastic. Yes, many times I have stopped and looked for organic chicken, but it is not something I do all the time. I began to think that if we would take the time to learn more about the companies that we buy food from, then maybe we could contribute to the to betterment of animal welfare standards. Just like I do not always stop to think about how these animals are treated nobody else does either. "Many of the animals were scared because people were rough with them...They chased them, yelled at them, and prodded them" (Grandin, 618). Animals suffer so much because we are so greedy and demand so much. Animals have emotions just like humans and they are mistreated and harassed in order for us to have food. We have to learn to understand the emotions going through an animal when they are being raised then sent to the slaughter plant. What are some ways in which we could work together as a community to treat the animals fairly and not give them such a harsh life? Do you think that your plan would work? Why or why not.
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This is very true. Most of the time I know nothing about the food that I purchase. One idea would be to make an effort to learn about the brands that we are buying. We can learn what brands treat the animals more properly and make an effort to inform friends and family as well. We could also try to learn which brands not to buy, and make people aware. This is not an easy part of the human culture to change. This makes me think about Mc Donald's and how terrible their meat is. People are aware of this but continue to support the company. My best answer to your question is that people can do research for themselves and try to slowly spread the word.
ReplyDeleteI was actually deeply bothered by Grandin's statements and her seeming romanticization of slaughter houses in comparing them to "the harsh nature." I also always find it odd when humans fight for animal welfare but are okay with treating them as products, because thats what slaughter houses and factory farming do. As long as we continue to try to justify exploiting animals by labeling products as "humane" we will still have wide spread animal cruelty. Meat products being labeled as "humane" is kind of an oxymoron because one can't humanely kill something that doesn't want to die. I think we need to radically rethink our relationship with farmed animals and our food system. There's no way to meet the current demand for animal protein and avoid animal cruelty.
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