I don’t hold animals superior or even equal to humans. The whole case for behaving decently to animals rests on the fact that we are the superior species. We are the species uniquely capable of imagination, rationality, and moral choice – and that is precisely why we are under an obligation to recognize and respect the rights of animals.
—Brigid Brophy
As I've been going on this vegan journey, I've made it a point to seek out more information. More studies. More recipes. More documentaries.
And yesterday, I stumbled upon an interview with Ellen Degeneres, who said she had flirted with being a vegetarian for years, but went completely vegan after seeing 'Earthlings.' The interviewer then asked if she'd also seen Food Inc. Ellen responded, "Yes... Yes, but Food Inc. looks like a Disney movie compared to Earthlings."
I knew I had to watch it.. and I knew it was going to be rough.
I was expecting to have to buy it or rent it.. but I lucked out and found the full film was posted on YouTube. It's not the greatest quality.. but being on YouTube means there are no excuses. It's convenient and free to watch.
Earthlings, is so named, because it is trying to put us all; all living creatures, on equal ground for the context of the issue. The issue, being pain and suffering. It's something we all know, we've all felt, and we should all want to prevent for any living being.
The documentary covers all aspects of our animal use.. from companionship/pets, to food, to clothing, to entertainment, and finally.. to research.
In honesty, I didn't make it 5 minutes in without bawling my eyes out. I even had to take a break in the middle to compose myself.
That might surprise some people that know me. I'm generally not one to shed tears. In fact, when I was telling my mother about the film, after the fact.. I told her that I cried through the whole thing. She looked at me puzzled. "Really? You? The one that doesn't even cry at funerals?"
For a brief moment, I was taken aback. Why was I so sensitive to this, when human death generally doesn't bother me much?
Then it hit me, like a ton of bricks. I don't cry at funerals, because those people generally lived full lives, typically dying of natural causes, and none of them had been tortured to death.
The reason I cry for these animals, is because they are innocent victims. These are not natural deaths.. or full lives. It is pain, it is suffering.. and it is inexcusable. It would go against every sense of decency and humanity, to not ache with sympathy and compassion for them.
I already know the basic rebuttals.
First: "These documentaries just pick the worst footage and make it look worse than it is."
Well, I don't believe that's entirely true. I take documentaries at face value. I know every filmmaker comes in trying to make a point. But the fact that it's so simple to find this footage, means it's happening far more than it should. And if it's happening at all.. that's too much.
Second: "They're just animals. This is the natural order of things."
We're just animals. Yes, we have the benefit of technology, speech, and thumbs. But we all feel pain just the same. We all have the same desire to live.. to avoid death. And even if you believe that nature gave us the upper hand.. there is nothing natural about how we treat these animals.
Is it natural to cut off their tails, trim their ears, cut out their teeth, electrocute them, crush their skulls, shoot bolts into them, brand their faces, separate them from their offspring, hang them upside down, slit their throats, and dip them into boiling water... all before they're actually dead? Because that's what we're doing.
Third: "But they don't do that where I get my meat from."
Okay. I give you credit for knowing where your meat comes from. Problem is, there's no way for you to absolutely know what an animal has been through, unless you were there every day. Secondly, it still had to die. Death is no trivial thing. A life was taken, from an innocent and loving creature, to feed you. To feed you something you didn't need. And any death, from unnatural causes, is going to involve pain.
I also hear a lot about how it used to be. "Well.. no it doesn't bother me, cause I grew up on a farm.. and it was nothing like that."
Perhaps you're not aware of how much things have changed in the recent decades. Demand has increased a lot since the day of the small family farms. Now it's about speed and profits. Neither of which are complimentary to the well-being of the animals.
Here's a fun statistic for you. Americans now consume as much chicken, in one day, as we used to in an entire year in the 1930s. Think about that for a second.. and what it must mean for how the industry has changed.
Whenever people say “We mustn’t be sentimental,” you can take it they are about to do something cruel. And if they add “We must be realistic,” they mean they are going to make money out of it.
—Brigid Brophy
You can use the biology/nature argument all you want. Perhaps it is natural to hunt and scavenge. But this. What we're doing now. Is as unnatural as it comes.
And it's just plain cruel.
I know this can all start sounding a bit preachy. Though honestly, I hate that comparison. Veganism and vegetarianism aren't religions. Nothing has to suffer and die because I'm an atheist. But billions of animals are dying each year.. because of our actions. Our tastes. And our greediness.
We pride ourselves on being human. But where is our humanity?
So my challenge.. or rather my plea.. is this. A simple request. Watch the Earthlings. Give it 30 minutes. If one moment doesn't at least give you pause, then you can go on your merry way...
But if it makes you cringe. If it makes you feel defensive. If it makes you cry. If it makes you angry.. Then you now know better.. and it's on you to change it.
Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.
—Albert Schweitzer
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