Guest guest Posted August 12, 2008 Report Share Posted August 12, 2008 Compassionate Cooks " Food for Thought " Newsletter - August 11, 2008 info Essay - This I Know COMPASSION ON A PLATE I am thrilled to have had another radio editorial air on National Public Radio's KQED show Perspectives. The transcript is below, but I think the audio version has more emotional resonance. Listen here, and pass it on. KQED PERSPECTIVE I have yet to meet a non-vegetarian who doesn’t care about the treatment of animals raised and killed for human consumption. Even people who eat meat, aware on some level that the experience is unpleasant for the animals, will tell you that they object to “unnecessary” abuse and cruelty. They declare that they buy only “humane” meat, “free-range” eggs and “organic” milk, perceiving themselves as ethical consumers and these products as the final frontier in the fight against animal cruelty. Though modern animal factories look nothing like what’s idealized in children’s books and advertisements, there are also many misconceptions about “humane farms,” where animals are ostensibly raised as pampered pets. Pampered pets who are killed. The unappetizing process of turning live animals into isolated body parts begins at birth and ends in youth, as the animals are all young when they’re sent to slaughter, whether they’re raised for their flesh, eggs, or milk, raised conventionally, or in operations labeled “sustainable,” “natural,” “free-range,” “cage-free,” “grass-fed” or “organic.” The movement toward “humanely raised animals” simply assuages our guilt more than it actually helps the animals. If we truly want our actions to reflect the compassion we say we have, then it’s very simple. We can stop eating them. How can this possibly be considered anything but a rational and merciful response to a violent and vacuous ritual? Every animal born into this world has the same desire for maternal comfort and protection, the same ability to feel pain, and the same impulse to live as our beloved dogs and cats. The slaughtering of an animal is an ugly and bloody act, and death does not come easy for those who want to live. Clearly we can survive—and in fact, thrive—on a plant-based diet. What does it say about us that when given the opportunity to prevent violence, we choose to turn away—because of tradition, habit, convenience or pleasure? However much we romanticize it and no matter how we package it, killing animals unnecessarily is anything but humane. Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is the author of The Joy of Vegan Baking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2008 Report Share Posted August 12, 2008 Can you kill any animal gently...as you take away its desire to live and enjoy. This essay made me tear up!--- On Mon, 8/11/08, yarrow <yarrow wrote: yarrow <yarrow "humanely" raised livestock Date: Monday, August 11, 2008, 6:20 PM Compassionate Cooks "Food for Thought" Newsletter - August 11, 2008 info@compassionatec ooks.com Essay - This I Know COMPASSION ON A PLATE I am thrilled to have had another radio editorial air on National Public Radio's KQED show Perspectives. The transcript is below, but I think the audio version has more emotional resonance. Listen here, and pass it on. KQED PERSPECTIVE I have yet to meet a non-vegetarian who doesn’t care about the treatment of animals raised and killed for human consumption. Even people who eat meat, aware on some level that the experience is unpleasant for the animals, will tell you that they object to “unnecessary” abuse and cruelty. They declare that they buy only “humane” meat, “free-range” eggs and “organic” milk, perceiving themselves as ethical consumers and these products as the final frontier in the fight against animal cruelty. Though modern animal factories look nothing like what’s idealized in children’s books and advertisements, there are also many misconceptions about “humane farms,” where animals are ostensibly raised as pampered pets. Pampered pets who are killed. The unappetizing process of turning live animals into isolated body parts begins at birth and ends in youth, as the animals are all young when they’re sent to slaughter, whether they’re raised for their flesh, eggs, or milk, raised conventionally, or in operations labeled “sustainable,” “natural,” “free-range,” “cage-free,” “grass-fed” or “organic.” The movement toward “humanely raised animals” simply assuages our guilt more than it actually helps the animals. If we truly want our actions to reflect the compassion we say we have, then it’s very simple. We can stop eating them. How can this possibly be considered anything but a rational and merciful response to a violent and vacuous ritual? Every animal born into this world has the same desire for maternal comfort and protection, the same ability to feel pain, and the same impulse to live as our beloved dogs and cats. The slaughtering of an animal is an ugly and bloody act, and death does not come easy for those who want to live. Clearly we can survive—and in fact, thrive—on a plant-based diet. What does it say about us that when given the opportunity to prevent violence, we choose to turn away—because of tradition, habit, convenience or pleasure? However much we romanticize it and no matter how we package it, killing animals unnecessarily is anything but humane. Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is the author of The Joy of Vegan Baking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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