Glass walls
>> Tuesday, February 2, 2010
"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, then everyone would be a vegetarian."
-Sir Paul McCartney
One of my favorite students from BuddySchool named Sergei sent me a video posted on BBC from PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) that seriously made me rethink my everyday life. See it for yourself here.
If you don't have time to see the video (it's about 13 minutes), I'll give you the main idea, even though I insist that you attempt to make the time to see it for yourself. Then you will see with your own eyes how animals are brutally handled so that we can eat them. Brutally handled. They squeal, they bleed and they are conscious of what is happening--sometimes even when their throat is slit and always in the uncomfortable months before their deaths. The thing that is so strange and doesn't quite make sense is that we absolutely do not need meat to survive. So why do we eat it?
I have never seriously thought about being a vegetarian until now. I never knew much about PETA besides what I learned from the headlines about them throwing paint on fur coats. Obviously I was ignorant, not only to what PETA is all about, but also to what is really going on to get that chicken breast into my local grocery store. Of course this is not the first time I have heard about animal abuse within the dairy and meat industries but maybe this is the first time I have really let it sink in.
I was going to make spaghetti for dinner but now I am not so sure...Are any of you vegetarians? Ever tried being one?
It's amazing how much I learn when I teach.
10 comments:
I rarely eat beef, although I know other animals suffer also...I eat a lot of chicken and fish, but perhaps they are treated badly also? I don't know- I thought about becoming a semi vegetarian once..eating no red meat but everything else was open..obviously didn't go far with that...
There is so much crap in the world, I don't mean to live with blinders on, but if I was to stop up and notice it all I'd probably just want to end my entire life..sometimes it's a good thing to live in blissful unawareness...even tough you're fully aware that things happen out there in the big bad ugly world...
In answer to your question- we have six dogs right now, but old mamma heidi will be going to live with Mr. Jesus when Stig gets back...no pups right now but if all goes well, we'll be having puppies with Birdy in June..we're importing semen from France in April I think...so cross your fingers for us..I'll be co-owning a female and keeping a male myself. I know it's crazy with six dogs, but my goal is actually to get down to like two males..but I want to eventually combine the dogs I have now into one or two dogs..so I have to keep some for the future and hope I can eventually get the two males I dream of..see...another nutty way to look at the world...wanna borrow my rose coloured glasses??? ;-)) hehehe..
I think we should eat meat sparingly. It is sad how industrialized the food industry has become. I am totally for eating the basics. That's one reason I am making all my own bread products... I like the fact that I can control the ingredients. Now if only I could have a farm and raise my own cows and chickens and get fresh milk and eggs and such!
I don't know if you remember that I was a pretty much a vegetarian when I first got to PLU. I very occasionally ate chicken or turkey, but very rarely, and never beef or pork. Until Sara and I went out to dinner at that Italian place down the street and I accidentally ordered spaghetti with meat sauce, and I was so hungry that I ate it anyways...and red meat is like crack, so I've been eating it ever since.
Really though, when I first stopped eating meat, after about a month, I didn't miss it at all.
Also, there is a local grocery store that mostly sells meat that comes from cows kids in FFA have raised locally. We usually buy our meat there, which makes me feel a little better because the animals are handled in a much more humane manner.
I haven't eaten meat since 6th grade. It was one of my crazy new year's resolutions. You should read "Skinny Bitch." Made me consider being a Vegan...(but then I remembered how milk and cheese are basically in everything.)
Personally I doubt I will ever eat meat again (every once in a while I do think about it though...) But it is all about choosing wisely. Local farms, grass fed, hormone free, free range, etc.
I've heard that the movie Food Inc. is life changing.
As for your comment that being a vegetarian helps to prevent greenhouse gases, I also read something that said the opposite. Because soy beans demand has gone up so much they are clear cutting more of the forests in South America to plant it and something about all the roads and trucks that it all equals out. Those aren't exact facts, just something I heard, possibly made up from a meat eater who hates vegetarians. HA!
Anyways I think you should do it! Give it a try! I used to get such bad stomach aches that all went away when I stopped eating meat! How are the veggie options in Norway? I've been some places where it was more difficult to find things to eat. Italy was good, but Germany was more difficult.
PS I'm technically a Pescatarian (seafood eater) I figure if I'm willing to kill it myself it is ok to eat it. I'm not going to go out and kill a cow...
As you can tell I have a lot of opinions on this subject!!! Miss you!!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/health/02brod.html?src=tptw
This book could be interesting... How is it finding books in english? I might have to start sending you all the ones I want you to read!
Do you know that PETA kills 70% of the animals it takes in (e.g. cats and dogs that people bring in because they can't take care of them anymore)?!
Not that I'm opposed to being a vegetarian because the way aniamls treated, but I just wanted to let you know...
my Englis teacher is big into this kind of stuff, and so far this school year we have watched two movies about it, they are really good.
Food Inc.
and
King Corn
i suggest both, they are interesting, also made me think about becoming vegitarian
love emily
Actually reducing the amount of meat that we eat is not just about saving the animals or our planet for the future generations, but also about helping other people right now. Growing plant-based foods is much more energy-efficient than growing meat. For example, if you use land to grow potatoes, grains and vegetables you'll be able to feed about 10 times more people than by using this land as a grazing ground for cattle. So, to put it simply, thre is a choice: either we grow meat for your families or we bake bread and share it with other people. Of course the problem is that we don't see those people living in the third-world countires.
I can honestly say that I can't imagine not eating meat..lol Im a big animal lover but the thought of never having it is something I don't believe will ever go away and I want the choice as to what I eat and don't. I do however think the treatment of the animals needs to improve greatly and making it easier to buy from a small local farmers needs to be easier. Like the other poster said it's sad how industrialized the food industry as become.
I agree with what Elisa and others said but it definitely merits more research. Food Inc. is fantastic, it made me become a vegetarian for about a month, I truly respect those who can stick with it. Also any book by Michael Pollan, especially Omnivores (SP?) Dilemma. Food rules is really short practical advice, which is also very nice
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