FOOD, Inc.

[Guest guest]

Hello Elaine!

 

Thank you for sharing your experience at the movie showing. One lesson I

learned from speaking daily with the public during my time working for

an animal welfare corporation is that when I chose to focus on /how/

non-human animals are raised and slaughtered for our food, those I spoke

with inevitably turned to solutions such as the smaller farm presented

at the movie showing. Even if I offered vegetarianism as a solution,

they always found a non-vegetarian way to address every argument about

animal cruelty. Here's a conversation I had countless times:

 

Me: " You can help stop this cruelty! "

Public: " I agree the way these animals are treated is terrible! That's

why I only eat local, free range, grass-fed! It tastes better, too! "

Me: " Transport and slaughter is the same. It's very cruel! "

Public: " I agree! That's why I buy it from a farm where they kill the

animals humanely themselves. Thanks for letting other people know about

this issue. Keep up the good work! "

 

It was so frustrating! I've spoken with many vegetarian advocates who

have also had this experience. I think this is a natural, inevitable

result of how we've chosen to present vegetarianism as a means to reduce

suffering. In a sense, this is good because we can solve this problem by

rethinking our advocacy!

 

I found that if I focus on the /exploitation/ of other animals, rather

than the suffering that results from that exploitation, then people

naturally turn to veganism as the solution. There's no way around the

fact that non-human animals must be exploited for us to eat dairy, eggs

and meat, and so the " humane " animal products are no longer considered

alternatives. This approach resonates strongly with many of the

non-vegetarians I speak with. And it resonates with many vegetarians, too!

 

This point may seem subtle, but in my experience it makes a big

difference in advocacy. And it helps me understand why, at the movie

showing, vegetarianism and veganism might have gotten the short shrift

at the expense of those who kill animals for a living.

 

Victor

 

Elaine wrote:

 

We went to see the movie on Saturday night. Eric Schlosser spoke to the

audience afterwards. I thought the movie was well done and informative,

especially for those who are not familiar with how animals are

slaughtered, what they are fed or how our food is produced. I was

disappointed that they did not promote a more vegetarian/vegan diet,

however. They spent quite a bit of time interviewing a small farmer who

raised his animals and slaughtered them himself.

 

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Veganism as Anti-Oppression: http://loveallbeings.org/