Factory Farming

[Guest guest]

With all due respect, I think it is a grave error to equate consumption of soy and corn with "factory farming". Meat-eaters will latch on to that expansive definition of factory farming to justify meat-eating. The definition of factory farming involves the use of animals (see below). While consuming non-organic corn and soy hurts the environment as well as people's health, it is a HUGE exponential improvement over consuming tortured animals. The animals are fed 3 to 9 times as much corn or soy as humans would eat directly for the same amount of protein. So if humans eat corn or soy directly through a boca burger, they are doing a huge service to the environment and to preventing the torture of animals. If people bought ingredients in bulk and soaked, sprouted and prepared everything unprocessed, obviously

that we be the most helpful for the environment. However; most people do not have the time to do that regularly, so the veggie burger helps make veganism practicable and prevents the consumption of tortured animals (there are organic non-soy veggie burgers available such as Bahama Burgers also). Soy and corn per se are not the problem since they can be produced organically; chemical-free and even in backyards. It is the massive amounts needed to feed animal agriculture that primarily leads to agribusiness, GMO's and overuse of chemicals.

 

"System of modern animal farming designed to yield the most meat, milk, and eggs in the least amount of time and space possible...."

For more information on factory farming, visit Britannica.com.

 

-Beth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--- On Tue, 8/25/09, The Garden Artisan <Jillian wrote:

The Garden Artisan <Jilliananother view RE: PETA and fat shaming Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2009, 1:04 PM

Hate me, but as a woman, and as one who has dealt with weight issues, Ithink Ingrid is right. It's too bad that it's geared toward women instead ofeverybody, but even that does not bother me (not sure why) and I have beenstaunchly feminist for 20+ years.Other voices should be heard on this topic, even if they are maligned, ergomy participation.Even vegetarians and many vegans use food for comfort, entertainment, eat intheir cars and in front of the TV, etc., and most Americans (even slimpeople) have food addictions. Even veg people over-consume in this culture,alot. Most of us still support factory farming (soy and corn -- boca burgeranyone?) and we are part of the problem, too.I'd refer interested people to a book called Raw Emotions by Angela Stokes,who addresses this from a raw vegan perspective, and there's a lot of truthin it.Why shouldn't we have these truths foisted in

our faces? PETA is the onlyloud voice I can think of on the topic. Plus the McDonald's add was great.It even amused people like my partner, who has large amounts of meat at mostmeals. These ads are A LOT less obnoxious to me than the ads I am forced to takeinto my consciousness daily from fast food joints with pictures of greasyhamburgers and cheese, with a tiny veg. garnish. I feel like I'm subjectedto this crap every day, and THAT makes me furious and that is the norm in myculture, not the PETA ads.Mmmm... There was an avant-garde movement in Europe, starting in France,through much of the 20th century... What were they called... They used hugePR stunts to waken up consciousness from a controversial perspective. Theyoffended many people in the process of making radical points about society.They were awesome.I forgive PETA. I'd like to see them take power and put up more

billboards-- which do not cause the backlash from the gender and fat-shamingcontroversy.Who else is grabbing public attention besides PETA on veg issues, eh?Precisely no one. And who cares what the non-veg people think. Minimalchange is happening despite films like Food Inc. Jillian Steinberger@ .com [@ .com] On Behalf OfVictor TsouMonday, August 24, 2009 11:33 AMSFBAVEG PETA and fat shamingI thought people might be interested in learning that PETA is taking down their fat

shaming billboard. I've included below some more of the thoughtful coverage on the topic. The first relates the experience of protestors confronting the head of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, about the billboard.Victor------------ --------- --http://whatswritten onmybody. blogspot. com/2009/ 08/standing- up-to-fat- phobia-peta-style_22. htmlWhen a fellow protester spoke about his concern that shaming fat women is oppressive and alienating, and prevents him from supporting PETA, though he'd like to, Ms. Newkirk said that shaming fat women would be a good thing because it would wake them up to vegetarianism and veganism. No joke. I'm not making this up. Ms. Newkirk represented PETA as saying that shaming fat women is, at least partly, their intention with the whale

billboard.------------ --------- --http://likeawhisper .wordpress. com/2009/ 08/19/peta- fail-again/PETA's fatphobic sexism, much likes its previous oppression laden campaigns, are doing nothing for the cause. They mobilize a particular supremacist narrative about bodies, gender, and people that demean people with the least amount of power for the actions of the people with the most, motivating neither to question animal abuse.Most people I know have quit giving money to PETA because of one or more of these ad campaigns. People discussing this latest incident on both twitter and the blogosphere are critiquing PETA's investment in sexism and decrying how little relevance the organization has to their own activism around healthy eating, veganism, or animal rights. Essentially, they are saying

PETA has lost all relevance in its investment in offense or education and vegan principles that supposedly uphold the rights of all creatures (human and animal).------------ --------- --http://animalrights .change.org/ blog/view/ offensive_ billboard_ coming_down_ but_did_peta_learn_ anythingThis is a tactic both PETA and other mainstream, in-the-spotlight animal advocacy organizations use. They outright refuse to ever acknowledge that any criticism of them might be valid. They instead marginalize and/or silence their critics, conveniently ignore or gloss over the actual criticisms in their responses (if they respond at all), and paint those critics as clueless fools who miss the point and just want to bring the all-good and all-powerful group down. I'm getting tired of it. /Many of

us /are tiring of it. It's time for the big and moneyed organizations to stop seeing themselves as infallible titans and start /listening/ to what animal advocates outside (and sometimes even /on/)/ /their payroll and their immediate circle have to say. They desperately need some perspective- -and, frankly, to be brought down a notch.-- The Vegan Ideal: http://veganideal. org/Veganism as Anti-Oppression: http://loveallbeing s.org/------------ --------- --------- ------............ ......... ......... ......... ......... ..................... ......... ......... ......... ......... .........: BAY AREA VEGETARIANS BayAreaVeg.org : : Charter/Post Guidelines http://bayareaveg. org/charter ::

Events Calendar - http://bayareaveg. org/events :: Newsletter - http://bayareaveg. org/news :: Ultimate Guide - http://bayareaveg. org/ug :: Veg Food Finder - http://bayareaveg. org/finder :: Volunteer - http://bayareaveg. org/volunteer. htm :............ ......... ......... ......... ......... ..................... ......... ......... ......... ......... .........