On Graphic Images We DON’T See
In the discussion regarding my ambivalence about graphic images, Emily recently commented:
I think it would help the public debate if people were fully and totally aware of what average farms look like and do. Then they could really choose whether that is something they support rather than just looking at the full color packaging and assuming all is well.
In all of the information regarding the "compassionate," award-winning treatment of animals discussed in Compassion in World Farming’s (CIWF) supermarket survey that I wrote about yesterday, there is not one photo of a farm where any of the food is sourced. There are photos of the "end products," but not of the, shall we say, beginning products, or of how they got from beginning to end (and yes, I’m deliberately referring to them as products, as that’s what they are to the farmers: units).
I’ve always agreed that if slaughterhouses had glass walls, there’d be a lot more vegetarians. And if these supermarkets, and CIWF are so proud of what they’re now doing–and charging a premium for–shouldn’t we be seeing a lot more images of the blissful new farming practices in the UK? There are some in the video, but we have no idea where they’re from. It’s like our commercials that have an old-time family farm in them that creates the illusion that all dairy cows in California are roaming around, noshing on grass, under a clear blue sky.
What we have is a mainstream public so attached to the way they eat, and so unwilling to change, that they’re willing to be snowed–and pay extra. I hear people in Whole Foods frequently, talking about the label the Whole Foods meat has (yes, I actually wander to that section just to eavesdrop. Try it sometime–it’s fascinating). They’re not even sure what the exact name is, or apparently what it means, but it says compassionate, so it must be compassionate.
Here’s what I’d like to see, as Emily suggested. No verbiage, no list of what’s in it or not, but a brochure that shows how the animal was bred, and every step along the way, including slaughter. That’s a use of graphic images I think would be helpful because it would not only drive home what the product is and allow consumers to make informed decisions, but it would drive home that the label is meaningless.
Graphic images do it for me! Having watched 'compassion in world farming' video…
I am absolutely stunned that in this day and age we are feeding our greed for profit by using these obscene farming methods.
As you know, I am neither a vegan nor even a vegetarian. I have never knowingly eaten veal or pate de foie gras as I am aware of the cruelty used to procure these so called delicacies. However, I grew up in farming communities, I now live in the midst of one…those pictures do not show farms, they show factories, cruel, disgusting, flesh factories.
I feel bitterness and remorse, if I have in any way encouraged this factory farming by my purchasing choices.
I see nothing wrong with eating, meat, eggs, dairy produce.I would not wish to eat an animal I loved, I would not wish to slaughter an animal myself… however, I expect I would find myself capable if I was starving.
I do not believe that the majority of the world's population will ever cease eating meat. But, if these images were broadcast day after day, if the guilty parties were named and shamed…I believe your average meat eater would avoid their products like the plague.
In future, I will find a local farm which allows me to view their chickens and their farming methods and I will pay however much extra is needed to ensure that these birds at least lead a more or less natural life.
As to the red meat market, I am definitely going to do some research. I need to know exactly who is producing in this obscene manner. Let's face it, we meat eaters are ignorant and we would prefer to remain ignorant, but, your average human being is seldom cruel and callous, make them aware and they will cry halt.
I know that you do not approve of happy meat and I respect your mission to fight the carnivorous habits of the world. Surely though, we should not tolerate this cruelty, this insanity to bring cheap meat to our tables and profit to the barbarians who administer these animal gulags. Take the bastards out!
Mary, I came across this excerpt from a 2005 Satya Magazine interview with Bruce Friedrich of PETA:
Q: Are you aware of any initiatives of Whole Foods market that would advocate a plant-based diet?
BF: John Mackey has gone vegan, speaks eloquently about his veganism, and Whole Foods will be producing a vegetarian brochure with an introduction by John Mackey advocating the diet and offering recipes. Also and equally impressive, Whole Foods will be producing a video that documents its raising and slaughter methods, compared to standard methods. Once people are confronted even with animals treated very well on a video, we are sure that huge numbers will choose to switch their diets—as they start to realize just what meat is. Whole Foods is clearly putting its money and clout where its mouth is.
Source: http://www.satyamag.com/mar05/whole.html
I'm just wondering if you've seen any brochure or video like that in the meat section of Whole Foods. I don't go there, and our town doesn't have one, so I don't know. But it would be good to know, since this seems to be one of the selling points that got the animal movement leaders to get behind Mackey, endorse Whole Foods, and participate in developing and marketing his "compassionate" meat/dairy/egg products. (see http://www.tribeofheart.org/pdf/wholefoodsletter.pdf)
Also, I'm curious why the people are talking about "compassion" on the labels. According to their web site, Whole Foods has two standards for animal products. One they call their "Benchmark Standards", the other they call "Animal Compassionate" standards. The "compassion" standard is the one that's received so much press coverage and endorsements by the large animal groups, about which Whole Foods now says, nearly three years later: "Although no producers have met these standards yet, many are exploring the opportunity." So I'm wondering about the comments you've been hearing in the Whole Foods meat section. Has Whole Foods finally released their long-anticipated "compassionate" animal product line, or are people just assuming that the same old Whole Foods meat is the new gold standard meat they've been hearing so much about in the media?
Jenny,
There's a prominent display from the Animal Compassionate Foundation (I think that's the name, and now I'm so annoyed that I'm going to Whole Foods after my afternoon appointments and I shall return with a full report of what's going on, from the consumer's side, at WF (at least in Palm Beach Gardens, FL).
Eryll,
You certainly are a brave one for commenting. I don't know what it's like in Scotland, where you are, but here in the US, every brutal image from Earthlings, and from the video you saw, happens as a matter of course. It is not considered cruel to debeak, de-toe, confine, chain to a crate, cage in a tiny area, pump with hormones, feed feces or blood or rendered flesh of others of the same species.
This is all simply done as part of the institutional use of animals. Foie gras and veal are arguably identical to chicken and milk in cruelty.
Here's what stumps me. You write, "I see nothing wrong with eating, meat, eggs, dairy produce.I would not wish to eat an animal I loved, I would not wish to slaughter an animal myself . . ."
Do you see how troubling that is? If you know the animal, you don't want to eat her. But what's the difference between the cow next door to you whom you know, and the cow from down the street whom you've never met? Why don't you see anything wrong with taking the life of a sentient being when you don't need to? (You certainly don't need to eat animals.) And as far as what the rest of the world does, why does that affect your decision to participate in the violence and domination or to opt out?
Your comments are very helpful and I'm sure a great many people would agree with them. But not many comment on this blog. Would you be kind enough to educate us about how you have come to decide that there's nothing wrong with eating animals? Is it because maybe God says that's the way things should be?
Thanks.
Hiya Mary
Yep reckon I am commenting "in the lion's den' as it were. Bit of a bloody cheek, but I have been reading your blog for yonks now and I have learned from you…
I had never heard of de-beaking, de-toeing etc etc. I would not have believed that such cruelty would be countenanced in a supposedly civilized society. In fact until I met you I was of the opinion that vegans were more than a little strange.
I guess blaming a god would be the easy way out. But quite frankly, I believe man has made god in his image and not the other way around. The vengeful, jealous and quite frankly… biased god of the old testament is not a god I personally care to believe in.
I'm afraid my views are my own, arrived at through my own mental exercise, contemplation and sense of wonder.
I believe (I am not stating this as a fact, it is my belief) that the earth and all which make her whole are equal. The soil, the stones, the water, the birds, the fish, the insects, the animals(includes us), the plants. I do not believe I am of any more importance to this planet than a blade of grass, or the soil which nourishes the blade of grass or the caterpillar which feeds on the self same blade of grass.
The difference between us human animals and the rest of our planet is that we were rather more successful than most at clawing our way up to the very pinnacle of the food chain. We all take something from the planet in order to live. Plants draw from the soil and the sun, certain insects feed the soil, the herbivore finds nourishment in munching on the green which finds nourishment in the soil, which finds nourishment in the rotting vegetation and the feces of herbivore, carnivore and omnivore.We humans are part of the chain of life, we are fortunate to be at the top of the ladder. Were it not us , it would be another and we would simply be an item on their menu.If I walk out into the veld and a lion or a leopard decides I look like lunch…that is their natural right, personally I would much prefer to be eaten than to be cremated. Of course were I buried my body would sustain the life colony which lives within me for a while longer. Around here I begin to wonder if cremation is not a selfish way to dispose of our bodies…sorry I digress.
You often speak of sentient beings, I believe we do not have the right to favour sentience, we know so little and understand even less. Simply because plants do not appear to experience in the same way as the animal kingdom…is this necessarily true. Do we actually know that the soil feels nothing as the plants thrust their growing roots through it, drawing up nourishment. Being eaten alive is surely a most unpleasant experience, I imagine once a being is dead, it could care less whether it is eaten or not.
What am I suggesting… Earth and her inhabitants are ONE, we all feed off one another in an endless circle. In my belief system it is no worse to eat flesh than it is to eat the green.It is the way our world works, it is how we survive.
But..and this is a big BUT, humankind grows greedier and greedier, we take more than we need, we take more than our share…we have moved so far from our natural lives that we have lost our sense of decency and balance. We insist on having the right to eat out of season fruit and vegetables, these are flown from all over the world to service our need. We want to send roses in our winter…same story. We are taking too much of everything and too much flesh is only part of our problem. We have lost our earth connection and we pollute our source.
We no longer respect the lives which we take in order to eat, we feel no gratitude, we offer no thanks. We believe we have the right to do as we wish, we are the most arrogant animal…the 'god said is ok' story is just a cop out!
I do believe "what goes around, comes around", our world has balance, cruelty to any animal or insect has a price and in time we will pay it. Greed is our weakness, our illness, our flaw.
Perhaps I should mention that since reading your blog, I do eat a lot less meat, which means of course that I eat more vegetables. In my world that does not make me a better human being, but I will defend to the bitter end your right to believe what you believe. Spiritually speaking I think we all have a path to follow, you are strongly drawn to the animal rights mission, this is your path…walk it with pride, you are doing a great job. I am nearly sixty and have as yet found no cause which stirs me as you are stirred. I envy you your mission Mary Martin PhD., I do not envy the frustration and pain you must feel as you strive to protect the helpless.
Eryll,
Thanks for your thoughtful post. I admire your openness to these issues and respect the journey you are on. I do have a few questions.
You've said that you don't think you'd be able to slaughter an animal yourself, unless you were starving. Why then would you ask another person to do something on your behalf that you yourself couldn't do (presumably because you would find it too distressing)? Just because others are doing it for you, does that make it morally acceptable? Do you have no obligations to that animal, or to the person whose hands her blood will be on, so long as she is killed out of your sight? If you had to slaughter, or watch the slaughter of, all the animals you eat, would you eat as much meat as you do?
You bring up plants and soil as possibly having sentience. If you truly consider that possibility, then wouldn't you agree that eating lower on the food chain still creates less violence than eating higher on the food chain? I mean, you're right, we've gotta eat something, but getting your calories from an animal who got her calories from plants means that a whole lot more plants will have to die for you to live, not to mention the animal herself.
If you had a field of vegetables and some lambs living on your property, which would you choose to eat first? Can you truly believe that picking a carrot is as violent as slicing open the throat of an animal, scooping out her guts, skinning and dismembering her? If so, are you saying that, as with the animal, you probably couldn't pick a carrot unless you were starving?
If we are at the top of the food chain, it's because our large, creative brains have put us there. These same brains can make creative choices about what we eat, unlike many other fellow beings who share the web of life with us. Not all our choices are the same — some are more violent than others. Don't we owe it to ourselves, our fellow beings, and the planet itself to live as peacefully as we are able to? What might our world look like if everyone sought to live a less violent life, beginning with what they put into their own bodies?