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Now, I am not a vegetarian by any means. I am an evolutionist and appreciate the role we all have in the food chain. However, I believe that the animals we eat should be treated with respect and compassion. After all, they are giving us protein and keeping us alive.
Chick-Fil-A
Now, if I were a Christian, and thank God I am not, I would see my compassion for animals as a natural extension of my compassion to fellow humans. You can't have compassion for one group and not the other without having a major disconnect and moral lapse. So, in the case of Chick-Fil-A, here is a Christian company that is so upset about those kissy, smooching guys marrying one another, but they don't seem so worried about the savagery of industrialized chicken farming.
Millions of chickens destined for one of the more than 1,600 Chick-fil-A outlets [Cathy] controls will spend the day packed wing-to-wing in dark, stifling warehouses, wallowing in their own excrement and bred to grow so fast that some of them can’t even support their own weight. — Christopher MoraffNow, respectfully shoving Christianity aside, I do not see how you can be a complete, balanced, and moral human being without giving compassion to both your planet and fellow animals, in addition to fellow humans.
And do conservative Christians really give compassion to fellow humans anyway? Well, not if you are a Palestinian, gay, immigrant, food stamp user, environmentalist, Democrat, liberal, etc... And when compassion is given, it is often because "God likes it" instead of "it's the right thing to do." Or maybe people just want a three-car garage in their heavenly mansion instead of a two-car garage.
Turkey Day
Our culture is full of traditions that we practice regularly and rarely question. As for Thanksgiving, it is one of those WTF holidays. Even Christmas makes more sense than Thanksgiving. So, here we are in 1621 enjoying the first Thanksgiving with the native Americans, and soon afterwards we are killing them, giving them diseases, stealing their land, swindling them, giving them firewater, and then shoving the survivors in an unwanted territory called Oklahoma. Let's be thankful for the few Indians who survived, for they provide us with something to name our sports teams after.
Oh, and why do Americans need a feast once a year when we feast every day? For the most part, Americans are disgustingly fat and feast regularly thanks to drive-thru windows. The medical industry has MUCH to be thankful for because they make millions treating all the diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity related illnesses.
Last but not least, am I the only one who finds the president's annual pardoning of a turkey just totally fucked up? I mean, hello, is just everyone gone crazy in this country? What about the millions of turkeys who are raised in brutal conditions, like the poor chickens mentioned above? Is anyone going to pardon them? No, we just run into the grocery store two days before the holiday and expect one to be in the open freezer. And sure enough, there they are, all shrink wrapped in plastic, and ready for the gravy and stuffing. If you want a turkey, go hunt it or buy a free range animal. And when you are at the dinner table saying grace, don't thank God for the meal. Thank the turkey. He's the one who gave his life for you — not some imaginary, mythological deity.
4 comments:
Todd- we also are aware of the conditions in many animal farming operations. We try to limit our intake of meat and set aside a few meals a week to be meatless.
I retire in a little over a year and am looking forward to returning to hunting.
An activist friend argues the vegetarian cause by offering three appeals: do it for your health, for the animals or/and for the environment. She then had many bullet points under each category to convince us of the wisdom of quitting meat. also the alliance of concerned scientists(?) listed the top ten most effective things you can do for the environment, driving less and quitting meat being the top two.
tom ferguson
Gene, I didn't know you are about to retire. Great news. And great on the hunting. I think that if just a small percentage of the population goes for alternative protein options that will be enough to get the industrial meat industry to change.
Tom, I certainly agree with you, but then again I have no problem with sustainable and socially responsible agriculture. This will mean we will have to pay way more for our food (closer to true cost). This type of agriculture can only support a smaller population, so hopefully global population will humanely adjust. This will happen when parents are discouraged from having large families because of the high cost of food. Nature and capitalism have natural checks and balances and the system works when we don't subsidize or borrow from the future.
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