Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
T, 5:40pm
28 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Simone Miranda Mueller Factory farming is not ethical. I love animals and that is why I stopped eating meat and fish exactly 20 years ago. I don't want any animal to suffer because of me. Everybody who eats "non-organic" meat or fish acts unethical. I wish, but I dont expect from people to live vegan or vegetarien, but I do expect compassion and sympathy for animals. Very often I see that humans completly lost their sense for animals and dont care about animal cruelty, animal extinction etc. People say:'It doesnt make a difference if I eat that Burger, the cow is alreay dead". I don't know if that is a joke or if some people really dont know that the higher the damand the more animals are "produced". Problems are 1. Many people are not well informed about the cruel keeping of factory animals. 2. Ignore and shut their eyes to the facts 3. Don't care 4. Still think that animals have no feelings. Animals have sensations and can think, even though their brain is not as developed as the human brain. If you concern yourself with animals and their behavior, you will notice that they do think and feel. If that is not enough, think about that the earth can exist without humans, but cannot exist without animals. Go to peta.com and watch videos about the keeping of sheeps or chickens or other factory animals and hopefully it will open your eyes. Go to Whole foods market once a week and enjoy a nice, healthy steak instead of eating at Burger King three times a week. You can make a difference!!! Care about animals and fight for their rights. If we don't do it, who else does it? They need our help.
Nature is morally considerable and I believe has intrinsic value. Animals and nature in general, is in existents for reason beyond the attitude that plenty people hold. Some among us assume is that nature has worth only because humanity places value on it, that nature has worth only because it brings humanity pleasure in some form or another, or meets certain needs we have. Naturalistic Ethics outlines that nature (and everything in it) is significant in its own right, not only the ones that humanity assigns it. Champions or this specific philosophical point of view contend humanities obligation to preserve species from the tragedy of extension. Animals, I strongly believe, have at the least rudimentary cognitive awareness. Animals feel pain, and because they feel pain they suffer, I also believe that higher forms of animal are sentient. Just as humans have a moral right to not suffer, so do all animals. Therefore, I will argue, animals that suffer can feel pleasure, similar to how we do. To feel joy and pleasure is a fundamental and primitive part of all our genetic make-up. Feeding and breading is what nurtures us and gives all of us the ability to reproduce and maintain adequate health, both of which, mostly brings us pleasure. Without this ability to feel pleasure most species would just fade away from existence. For this very observation I am inclined to insist that most animals can reason. To make a decision to seek pleasure, to feel satisfied, to reproduce & peruse preservation of your particular species is to reason. I also believe that reasoning falls in a continuum of awareness: from the most primitive levels, through having the ability to make choices from various options, to ultimately formulating new paradigm in logic. This is a primary reason why some among us make an admiral ethical decision; to adapt to a MORAL VEGITARIAN life style. Honestly, I have no problem eating meat; however I will admit that I admire the strong conviction of moral vegetarians, people who reject eating meat based on a moral belief system. They insist that, fundamentally the brief enjoyment people get from eating a steak etc… does not justify the suffering and sacrifice an animal experiences when there slaughtered. Farm raised animals unknowingly have an advocate in the organizations that animal right activist, plenty of whom are moral vegetarians, fashion and utilize to challenge & change legislation. To-date there are states in our union (Florida, for example) that have amended there constitution to take on greater responsibility when handling treatment of farm animals and their moral rights, mostly by removing their pain and suffering. In conclusion my sentiment is nature and everything in it has intrinsic value. Nature has worth far beyond the ones that humanity places on it, its aesthetic beauty is breathtaking. Nature and all in it is all of our moral responsibility to preserve for future generations to come. My respect to all those who respect themselves and the planet we all share. BB Hernandez.
I last time I had any desire to eat meat was during a trip to a meat and dairy farm in the Okeechobee area. The awful sights and stench that I was subjected to were horrendous. The cows were spewing diarrhea everywhere as machines pumped milk out of their udders for hours. The chicken pen was so nasty and littered with chicken feces that looked to be about 6 inches deep. Chicken carcasses were everywhere. Once the chickens were dead, they were dunked into a vat of boiling water and their feathers were pulled off. These chickens had blisters and bruises all over their bodies. I will NEVER forget the smell of those boiling chickens! This farm specialized in selling whole butchered cows to families that stored the cow meat in freezers to eat throughout the year. There was an order, so one of the cows was butchered. To put it mildly, one of the workers held the cow by the head while another stabbed him in the neck. The cows struggled as blood poured out of its neck and mouth until it finally collapsed on the ground. I understand that we have to kill these animals for food, and we should be grateful that we have the opportunity to eat meat, but if some of you meat eaters visited one of these farms, I am sure most of you would be disgusted. I am not a member of Peta or call myself a vegetarian, but I do not eat meat or drink milk because of my experience. This was a small family owned farm, I am sure these "factory" farms are worse.
The argument that animals don't have language therefor do not feel pain isn't valid because there are other forms of communication that reveal their emotional and or physical state. I am not a vegetarian however I am very particular to the meat and fish that I consume. I do not agree with the manor in which these factory farms house the animals. The conditions are highly unsanitary which can't be healthy for us to consume in any way. Another reason to only eat organic meats that I identify with, is the concept that the animals negative energy from the mistreatment and abuse can transfer into the meat that is later packaged, sold, and consumed. In theory the negative energy that spills over from these violent acts combined with the disposition of the animal before it is killed is somehow absorbed into the meat which is later absorbed into the body. I would want to eat a happy healthy frolicking cow over a malnourished shell of a cow any day. Factory farming is a horrible industry that is fueled by American need for "cheap, fast, and now" type of food. The problem is a lot of Americans do not care about this issue of abuse and or mistreatment because they live by the out of sight out of mind type of mind frame. They pretend they care as they empathize with articles that they might read about concerning these topics, however when they are in the meat isle all of those ethics go out the window. This is the double standard that a lot of people live by and they justify it with the obvious price difference. I think if organic meats were more economical, then more people would opt for a healthier meat and they would care more for the animals. Sad but true....
David Acosta Although factory farming in my view is not ethical it appears to be necessary to feed the human population. Like in many other cases money appears to be more important than then being ethical. These animals should be treated better but unfortunately this cuts into corporate profits. The lack of public knowledge hampers the progress being made to help these animals; however, I believe that corporations will ultimately have the final say.
I was raised to eat all sorts of meat from cows, chickens, pork, etc. And I wont sit here and say that I don't still consume animal products. But as i got older, I started to realize what it was I was really eating. Not only is it disgusting when you really think about eating another living creature, but it is just wrong and unfair. These animals are part of this world just like the rest of us. They deserve to be cared for and respected. Believe it or not, they have minds and feelings. They are not dummies! Many people don't really sit down and think about what the animals are put through to give you that piece of steak you eat at night. These animals are confined in factories in spaces that so small they can barely move. Given all sorts of hormones and artificial supplements to speed up the growing process. But then we want to think that these animal products are great for us? How could they be? These animals are surrounded by antibiotics and pesticides to keep the diseases away.. Yummy!! Factory farming is yet another way to make money.(More bang for our buck!) Unfortunately, It will never be stopped. It is a huge part of many cultures and many just wont ever see the wrong in it. Again, i am not 100% vegetarian, but my meat consumption has slowed down immensely. If I just as much slightly think about what I am eating at that moment, I completely lose my appetite! Its just gross..
Thank you A.T. for helping me circulate my cerebral juices & “jump starting” my personal affirmation. My response is not only for people who choose to commit to a moral vegetarian life style, but who commit to anything. I gave it some thought and here is my response:
What separates people who only think, day dreamers, from those of us who “walk the talk” is elementary. Once an individual makes a declaration they should stick to their guns and stay committed. There will B days when you feel energized by your oath, and other days when temptations may attempt to knock you off your personal manifesto. The days you are charged up, move with your flow. And the days that you get knocked down, well brush yourself off and get back up. This is where courage comes into the plan. There is no success without the occasional “set-backs”, if you never get dirty how will you recognize the times when you shine. Ultimately, when you make a choice to live your life in a certain manner it’s an autonomous decision you make; a personal creed if you will. And if you are true to yourself, you’ll honor your commitment with courage.
Critical thinking and ethics (PHI2604) further explores this ethical issue. It is because of PHI2604 that I am a vegetarian; I plan on going vegan, but not just yet. The reason why people cling to factory farming is because they like how meat tastes and want it at an inexpensive price. A classmate of mine stated that although it can be discerned as unethical, we must maintain the status quo to feed our populous. This is wrong, for these animals are fed 75% of our crops, typically corn though, because it’s an inexpensive and swift way of fattening them up for slaughter and then sale. These crops can be resources can be reallocated to feed people instead. Nevertheless, arguing with some meat eaters is futile; no matter how valid and sound your argument is, some of them just refuse to agree, even if it makes them look like an immoral, unjust person. As a result they continue living their lives, eating their meat complacently and further contributing to all the detrimental effects factory farming has on the world.
I don't think it is unethical to eat animals or animal products. I think that if the animals are here and they can be eaten, so be it. If we were the weak ones, the animals would eat us. Human beings need to surive and should do anything to survie. I think it is unethical to abuse the animals, but we need to eat one way or another. It isn't enough just to live off veggies. Our bodies were made to break down mean and use it to make protiens. I think that people that don't eat me are not thinking about what their bodies need and only think about the animal. Even though it is noble to think highly of animals, we must also think of what our bodies need first. From being a memeber of P.E.T.A, I can understand that some people might only see the abuse. We should be as ethical as possible, but imagine the life these people have, when they go home from a long day of killing animals. Take a walk in their shoes before you judge them. Yes, sometimes their work looks cruel, but what if they have no other way of life? Don't judge what you don't understand. -Sara Estopinan
Factory farming is animal cruelty at its worst. I understand we breed and kill animals for our nutrition but animals should not be tortured this way or in any other way. De-beaking chickens so they wont attack one another? Of course they will attack one another, they are being kept in a closed space and their only option is survival of the fittest. Or veal calves raised in crates with little attention from their mothers until they reach the adequate weight to be slaughtered, for what? Just people can have the most tender meat? Its sickening, as a society I think we take things to a whole new level, its always about who can produce more and make it in the fastest time. Do we have to make animals suffer for it? because we overpower animals and consume them, that gives us the right to do as we please? Animals don’t deserve to suffer when they are already bread to be killed anyways, its unnecessary. I believe the UK, Farm Animal Welfare Council has it right, animals should be free “from hunger & thirst; from discomfort; from pain, injury or disease; to express normal behavior; from fear and distress”
I don't think eating animals is unethical. That being said, I am a vegetarian. However, factory farming is not the right way to go about harvesting our food supply. Not only do factory farms mistreat (understatement) the animals they raise, they emit massive amounts of pollution- whether it be from exhaust from the machinery used to run the farm, or animal waste filtering through the ground into our water supply. The goal of these enormous farms is to produce the most product for the least amount of money- which is why the conditions are the way they are. Eating organic or "free-range" or "Wild-caught" animal products is a better alternative, albeit more expensive, and it is hard to really know exactly where those kinds of products are coming from- how "free" are the chickens? How happy and contented are the cows?
Unfairness, as defined by the dictionary is not conforming to approved standards, as of justice, honesty or ethics. Throughout the world many, unfair practices take place from day to day without anything being done about them. For instance unfairness is present in the case of animal rights which are not given any importance. There are philosophical arguments about them. Descartes maintained that animals were nothing more than unconscious machines. He felt “that an animal’s cry was akin to the squeaking of a clock that needed oiling.” According to Descartes he states that “animals lack a soul, if you do not have a soul you do not feel pain or pleasure, therefore they do not have rights.” The use of animals in food, medicine, clothes, and sports are a few examples of violated animal rights all around the world. Factory farming is the practice of raising farm animals in confinement at high stocking density, where a farm operates as a factory. Almost 10 billion animals are killed for food every year in the USA. Ninety-five percent of these animals are factory farmed. According to a scale provided by Wikipedia Agricultural, production across the world doubled four times between 1820 and 1975 to feed a global population of one million human beings in 1800 and six and a half billion in 2002. Animal cruelty might be one of the main reasons there is obesity and other health issues in America. A solution to this matter could be a greening in our diets, or just farming as most of the farms in Latin America where food is 100% naturally made.
C. Igarzabal I agree that the condition for those animals is horrendous and there are no justifications for what we do. Governmental agencies should apply stronger regulations to factory farming and maybe someday they will. But unfortunately it is in our nature. We take what we need from nature no matter what. Even when we have become better and more conscious, I think we are too many; our life spam is longer... everyone of us generates a cost to nature. And even if we stop eating meat I don't think that that is going to make much of a difference to our planet. Many things we do influences negatively the natural course of our planet. We measure our intelligence and compare it to the rest of the animal kingdom and consider ourselves superior, among other reasons, because of our fast adaptation to nature... but aren't we also the ones that are taking nature to the limit? to the point of extinction? to the point of our own extinction? I sometimes really question our intelligence... and imagine our world without us.
We all know that polar bears are on the brink of extinction, due to global warming and the melting ice caps, this species is having increasingly difficulty hunting for food, swimming long distance and drowning. Scientists say just that alone will bring them to extinction in 50 years, if we don’t act now and reverse the damages. And now in the Arctic Circle, hundreds and thousands of hunters come to hunt for polar bears for $35,000 a head, and they come from all over the world- Mexico, Europe, the U.S, and even Canada’s “Inuit” communities, many of whom hunt their quotas and legally sell them onto outsiders wiling to part with cash. For some countries, they allow hunters to take polar bear hides back, as long as they have the paperwork. According to the Independent, last year the U.S. banned the importation of polar bear hides but most countries, including Britain, place no restrictions on the skins.
This is more than an unfortunate thing – with these practices still legal, this magnificent species will soon be no more. Without them, seal populations will explode, calling for an excuse for more seal slaughter. Arctic animals will have nothing to scavenge on, with less to eat they too will barely survive. People don’t realize that what we do have an impact on everything, down to very tiny insects on earth, causing a domino effect. what does it mean to believe that animals have feelings? "It means they are not just objects with which we can do what we please," Bekoff says. But the broader implications of viewing animals with more sensitivity could mean dramatic societal changes, like stopping the factory production of meat for humans, or granting animals more rights.
It is unethical how factory farming use cruel methods on poor animals. People should imagine being hung upside down, having their throat cut then drowned in hot water, shocked into paralysis, while the are conscious. Well that is how cows, pigs, chickens, horses, etc die. It seems like a nightmare with no end. These animals have the worst slaughter abuses. Stupid people do not realize that animals have feelings too and how animals are being injected with antibiotics. Farm animals who are reared can cause adverse health reactions in farm workers, such as acute and chronic lung disease, musculoskeletal injuries, and may catch infections that transmit from animals to human beings.
Animals should be treated with respect, because compared to us humans they don’t have vote in the way of expressing what they’re feeling or what they are passing through… we should become aware of this situation and in certain way speak for them. We should educated futures generations and try stopping this cruel and atrocious reality. Natasha Urvina PHI 2010 8:25am
Why blame the farms if the government allows it? I don't think the people running these factories engaged in these activities because they care about feeding the population. It is simply a business. As for all businesses, making money is the primary concern. Developing techniques that will cut down production costs and maximize profits is what every business is doing or trying to do. Otherwise, they will eventually cease to exist. The only things that can help are laws and regulations set by the government against unethical behavior. Everyone is saying that these animals have rights and should not be treated in a bad manner. If that is so true, why do we kill and eat them? Shouldn’t these animals have a right to live too? It seems like some kind of hypocrite game we are playing. Some claim that animals can’t express their pain only because they don’t have a language, but they do feel pain. I’m pretty sure if they did have a language they would also ask not to be killed and eaten. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a vegetarian.
Human beings have been manipulating the earth and animals in it for thousands of years. We think that everything was placed on this earth for us to enjoy, and since it is ours, we can do whatever we want with it. We kill trees, plants, and anything on our ways in order to build our homes. We place islands where there was water and water where there was land. I could keep going and going, but the point is, we treat animals as if they are things. These factories do not care about the animals, nor do they care for our safety, they simply want to be as wealthy as possible in the least amount of time. Unfortunately, the population of humans is growing faster than the population of pigs, cows, chickens, etc. I am an animal lover, and to me what these companies do I find to be disgusting and cruel, and maybe we can make a change as far as treating the animals with a little more respect, but I have a feeling that this problem is only going to get bigger as our population grows.
Factory Farming is not ethical, fair, or right to animals. I like animals and I also eat meat and many other animal products. But I don't think it's fair that we as watchers over the animals kingdom period should let this happened. Even if we don't understand thier langauge to the pont where we ask ourselves do they really feel pain. Dumbass's PAIN is universal we all feel pain and to think that by confining or imprisonating cow, pigs, etc. That they're just okay with it your just an asshole. I wouldn't like it personally being confined from birth neither would any other human being it's kind of like that movie the Island. Watch it
Just because technically we are considered superior than animals does it mean that it is right to treat them so cruelly. Factory farming is unethical, I understand that they have to produce a big quantity of meat in order to be sold to us but it does not mean that they have to treat them so poorly while doing so. Unfortunately not many of us care, are well informed or able to do something about it.
Just because the animals need to be killed in order to feed the population does it mean that they must be treated so poorly. I remember the first time I went with my grandparents to get the new year meal which would be roasted pork was the last time I ever thought meat as just meat. I remember the piggy looking into my eyes hoping for me to save him. Unfortunately I couldn't, and it's been 10 years after that and every time I see meat I can picture that animal. Sadly not many of us can make a huge impact on these factory farming, it isn't ethical or fair even if the animal can't speak our language.
when they go home from a long day of killing animals. Take a walk in their shoes before you judge them. Yes, sometimes their work looks cruel, but what if they have no other way of life? Don't judge what you don't understand.
Sara, I can understand the life of a factory farm worker, 8 hours surrounded with death and suffering. But the discussion is about the animals they kill, and the unnecessary suffering of those animals.
I beleive that everything we does has a consequence, that even sounds a lot like common sense. However, I feel that issues like this are only part of the food chain and life cylce. If we don't raise pigs this way how are we supposed to feed all of America. The further this problem keeps going the harder it will be to stop it. Supermarkets do however offer organic meats but they can be more expensive and not so readily available to the public. This is only one of the examples the government and companies have been forced to resort to in order to keep making money and the public happy. I don't agree with the manner this is resolved but so far no adequate substitutions have been able to have the same result.
Sadly, in America we had to come to this. There are millions of people that need feeding.Factory farming is looked at as an easy, cheap, and more effective way to to grow our food. Unfortunately many of the animals in these farms are mistreated, this is something that could be controlled by closer supervision. yes, i believe this farming could behave more ethically by allowing more freedom to them if possible. unfortunately in the end, they are dead animals walking. What can we do? we are at the top of the food chain.
I am a little torn in this issue. It is cringing to watch a PETA documentary on factory farming, but of course it will only show the extremity. What we American carnivores have to accept is that we are a generation of accessibility. We like meat fast and ready to go. We do not respect WHERE our meat comes from, therefore we just buy whatever is on sale. I grew up in the Philippines with my grandparents sometimes occasionally raising a a couple of pigs or chickens in the backyard. Even though I knew that they were going to be slaughtered, I remember everyone loving these animals. They were fed, washed, and cared for really well. And when it came time to slaughter them, as sad as I was, I understood. KNOWING that the food I was about to enjoy used to be living, allowed me dehumanize the animal but at the same time RESPECT the chain of life! We do not raise and slaughter our food and that is why we feel an overwhelming sense of sympathy and compassion. It is the recent culture. When was was the last time you hunted your own food? Although the corporations will most likely win, it is true that there is a lack of information out there available to the public that is not extreme. Education has to start early. Parents and schools need to show their kids where meat comes from and teach them to choose wisely. Instead of eating meat everyday, how about making it every other night? What bothers me most though is that the FDA allows this type of meat to be sold. Overall, there has to be a push for stronger regulations against this type of farming and more encouragement towards ORGANIC AND FREE RANGE farming.
I believe that unless we take dramatics steps to better produce sustainable food sources, and make serious changes to our national diet, we have to live with the dark history of meat production. It is never going to be "humane" to eat another animal and allow for a corporation to mass produce that meat (which is necessary to feed over 200 million Americans). What youre asking for cant be done without exploiting more rare resources such as land and feed. So the question remains do we spend more land and corn to feed animals or change to an all vegan world? If you ask me, I like my bacon, there is a reason I buy real bacon instead of "fake" bacon. I know where its coming from, and I accept it as part of the food cycle we have all come to enjoy.
28 comments:
Simone Miranda Mueller
Factory farming is not ethical. I love animals and that is why I stopped eating meat and fish exactly 20 years ago. I don't want any animal to suffer because of me. Everybody who eats "non-organic" meat or fish acts unethical. I wish, but I dont expect from people to live vegan or vegetarien, but I do expect compassion and sympathy for animals. Very often I see that humans completly lost their sense for animals and dont care about animal cruelty, animal extinction etc. People say:'It doesnt make a difference if I eat that Burger, the cow is alreay dead". I don't know if that is a joke or if some people really dont know that the higher the damand the more animals are "produced". Problems are 1. Many people are not well informed about the cruel keeping of factory animals. 2. Ignore and shut their eyes to the facts 3. Don't care 4. Still think that animals have no feelings.
Animals have sensations and can think, even though their brain is not as developed as the human brain. If you concern yourself with animals and their behavior, you will notice that they do think and feel. If that is not enough, think about that the earth can exist without humans, but cannot exist without animals. Go to peta.com and watch videos about the keeping of sheeps or chickens or other factory animals and hopefully it will open your eyes. Go to Whole foods market once a week and enjoy a nice, healthy steak instead of eating at Burger King three times a week. You can make a difference!!! Care about animals and fight for their rights. If we don't do it, who else does it? They need our help.
Nature is morally considerable and I believe has intrinsic value. Animals and nature in general, is in existents for reason beyond the attitude that plenty people hold. Some among us assume is that nature has worth only because humanity places value on it, that nature has worth only because it brings humanity pleasure in some form or another, or meets certain needs we have. Naturalistic Ethics outlines that nature (and everything in it) is significant in its own right, not only the ones that humanity assigns it. Champions or this specific philosophical point of view contend humanities obligation to preserve species from the tragedy of extension.
Animals, I strongly believe, have at the least rudimentary cognitive awareness. Animals feel pain, and because they feel pain they suffer, I also believe that higher forms of animal are sentient. Just as humans have a moral right to not suffer, so do all animals. Therefore, I will argue, animals that suffer can feel pleasure, similar to how we do. To feel joy and pleasure is a fundamental and primitive part of all our genetic make-up. Feeding and breading is what nurtures us and gives all of us the ability to reproduce and maintain adequate health, both of which, mostly brings us pleasure. Without this ability to feel pleasure most species would just fade away from existence. For this very observation I am inclined to insist that most animals can reason. To make a decision to seek pleasure, to feel satisfied, to reproduce & peruse preservation of your particular species is to reason. I also believe that reasoning falls in a continuum of awareness: from the most primitive levels, through having the ability to make choices from various options, to ultimately formulating new paradigm in logic.
This is a primary reason why some among us make an admiral ethical decision; to adapt to a MORAL VEGITARIAN life style. Honestly, I have no problem eating meat; however I will admit that I admire the strong conviction of moral vegetarians, people who reject eating meat based on a moral belief system. They insist that, fundamentally the brief enjoyment people get from eating a steak etc… does not justify the suffering and sacrifice an animal experiences when there slaughtered. Farm raised animals unknowingly have an advocate in the organizations that animal right activist, plenty of whom are moral vegetarians, fashion and utilize to challenge & change legislation. To-date there are states in our union (Florida, for example) that have amended there constitution to take on greater responsibility when handling treatment of farm animals and their moral rights, mostly by removing their pain and suffering.
In conclusion my sentiment is nature and everything in it has intrinsic value. Nature has worth far beyond the ones that humanity places on it, its aesthetic beauty is breathtaking. Nature and all in it is all of our moral responsibility to preserve for future generations to come.
My respect to all those who respect themselves and the planet we all share.
BB Hernandez.
I last time I had any desire to eat meat was during a trip to a meat and dairy farm in the Okeechobee area. The awful sights and stench that I was subjected to were horrendous. The cows were spewing diarrhea everywhere as machines pumped milk out of their udders for hours. The chicken pen was so nasty and littered with chicken feces that looked to be about 6 inches deep. Chicken carcasses were everywhere. Once the chickens were dead, they were dunked into a vat of boiling water and their feathers were pulled off. These chickens had blisters and bruises all over their bodies. I will NEVER forget the smell of those boiling chickens! This farm specialized in selling whole butchered cows to families that stored the cow meat in freezers to eat throughout the year. There was an order, so one of the cows was butchered. To put it mildly, one of the workers held the cow by the head while another stabbed him in the neck. The cows struggled as blood poured out of its neck and mouth until it finally collapsed on the ground.
I understand that we have to kill these animals for food, and we should be grateful that we have the opportunity to eat meat, but if some of you meat eaters visited one of these farms, I am sure most of you would be disgusted.
I am not a member of Peta or call myself a vegetarian, but I do not eat meat or drink milk because of my experience. This was a small family owned farm, I am sure these "factory" farms are worse.
I will admit that I admire the strong conviction of moral vegetarians, people who reject eating meat based on a moral belief system.
Good point. So, the point now is what separates one who thinks that way from someone ready to make that decision?
The argument that animals don't have language therefor do not feel pain isn't valid because there are other forms of communication that reveal their emotional and or physical state. I am not a vegetarian however I am very particular to the meat and fish that I consume. I do not agree with the manor in which these factory farms house the animals. The conditions are highly unsanitary which can't be healthy for us to consume in any way. Another reason to only eat organic meats that I identify with, is the concept that the animals negative energy from the mistreatment and abuse can transfer into the meat that is later packaged, sold, and consumed. In theory the negative energy that spills over from these violent acts combined with the disposition of the animal before it is killed is somehow absorbed into the meat which is later absorbed into the body. I would want to eat a happy healthy frolicking cow over a malnourished shell of a cow any day. Factory farming is a horrible industry that is fueled by American need for "cheap, fast, and now" type of food. The problem is a lot of Americans do not care about this issue of abuse and or mistreatment because they live by the out of sight out of mind type of mind frame. They pretend they care as they empathize with articles that they might read about concerning these topics, however when they are in the meat isle all of those ethics go out the window. This is the double standard that a lot of people live by and they justify it with the obvious price difference. I think if organic meats were more economical, then more people would opt for a healthier meat and they would care more for the animals. Sad but true....
David Acosta
Although factory farming in my view is not ethical it appears to be necessary to feed the human population. Like in many other cases money appears to be more important than then being ethical. These animals should be treated better but unfortunately this cuts into corporate profits. The lack of public knowledge hampers the progress being made to help these animals; however, I believe that corporations will ultimately have the final say.
I was raised to eat all sorts of meat from cows, chickens, pork, etc. And I wont sit here and say that I don't still consume animal products. But as i got older, I started to realize what it was I was really eating. Not only is it disgusting when you really think about eating another living creature, but it is just wrong and unfair. These animals are part of this world just like the rest of us. They deserve to be cared for and respected. Believe it or not, they have minds and feelings. They are not dummies! Many people don't really sit down and think about what the animals are put through to give you that piece of steak you eat at night. These animals are confined in factories in spaces that so small they can barely move. Given all sorts of hormones and artificial supplements to speed up the growing process. But then we want to think that these animal products are great for us? How could they be? These animals are surrounded by antibiotics and pesticides to keep the diseases away.. Yummy!! Factory farming is yet another way to make money.(More bang for our buck!) Unfortunately, It will never be stopped. It is a huge part of many cultures and many just wont ever see the wrong in it. Again, i am not 100% vegetarian, but my meat consumption has slowed down immensely. If I just as much slightly think about what I am eating at that moment, I completely lose my appetite! Its just gross..
Thank you A.T. for helping me circulate my cerebral juices & “jump starting” my personal affirmation. My response is not only for people who choose to commit to a moral vegetarian life style, but who commit to anything. I gave it some thought and here is my response:
What separates people who only think, day dreamers, from those of us who “walk the talk” is elementary. Once an individual makes a declaration they should stick to their guns and stay committed. There will B days when you feel energized by your oath, and other days when temptations may attempt to knock you off your personal manifesto. The days you are charged up, move with your flow. And the days that you get knocked down, well brush yourself off and get back up. This is where courage comes into the plan. There is no success without the occasional “set-backs”, if you never get dirty how will you recognize the times when you shine. Ultimately, when you make a choice to live your life in a certain manner it’s an autonomous decision you make; a personal creed if you will. And if you are true to yourself, you’ll honor your commitment with courage.
Critical thinking and ethics (PHI2604) further explores this ethical issue. It is because of PHI2604 that I am a vegetarian; I plan on going vegan, but not just yet. The reason why people cling to factory farming is because they like how meat tastes and want it at an inexpensive price. A classmate of mine stated that although it can be discerned as unethical, we must maintain the status quo to feed our populous. This is wrong, for these animals are fed 75% of our crops, typically corn though, because it’s an inexpensive and swift way of fattening them up for slaughter and then sale. These crops can be resources can be reallocated to feed people instead. Nevertheless, arguing with some meat eaters is futile; no matter how valid and sound your argument is, some of them just refuse to agree, even if it makes them look like an immoral, unjust person. As a result they continue living their lives, eating their meat complacently and further contributing to all the detrimental effects factory farming has on the world.
I don't think it is unethical to eat animals or animal products. I think that if the animals are here and they can be eaten, so be it. If we were the weak ones, the animals would eat us. Human beings need to surive and should do anything to survie. I think it is unethical to abuse the animals, but we need to eat one way or another. It isn't enough just to live off veggies. Our bodies were made to break down mean and use it to make protiens. I think that people that don't eat me are not thinking about what their bodies need and only think about the animal. Even though it is noble to think highly of animals, we must also think of what our bodies need first. From being a memeber of P.E.T.A, I can understand that some people might only see the abuse. We should be as ethical as possible, but imagine the life these people have, when they go home from a long day of killing animals. Take a walk in their shoes before you judge them. Yes, sometimes their work looks cruel, but what if they have no other way of life? Don't judge what you don't understand.
-Sara Estopinan
Factory farming is animal cruelty at its worst. I understand we breed and kill animals for our nutrition but animals should not be tortured this way or in any other way. De-beaking chickens so they wont attack one another? Of course they will attack one another, they are being kept in a closed space and their only option is survival of the fittest. Or veal calves raised in crates with little attention from their mothers until they reach the adequate weight to be slaughtered, for what? Just people can have the most tender meat? Its sickening, as a society I think we take things to a whole new level, its always about who can produce more and make it in the fastest time. Do we have to make animals suffer for it? because we overpower animals and consume them, that gives us the right to do as we please? Animals don’t deserve to suffer when they are already bread to be killed anyways, its unnecessary. I believe the UK, Farm Animal Welfare Council has it right, animals should be free “from hunger & thirst; from discomfort; from pain, injury or disease; to express normal behavior; from fear and distress”
I don't think eating animals is unethical. That being said, I am a vegetarian. However, factory farming is not the right way to go about harvesting our food supply. Not only do factory farms mistreat (understatement) the animals they raise, they emit massive amounts of pollution- whether it be from exhaust from the machinery used to run the farm, or animal waste filtering through the ground into our water supply. The goal of these enormous farms is to produce the most product for the least amount of money- which is why the conditions are the way they are. Eating organic or "free-range" or "Wild-caught" animal products is a better alternative, albeit more expensive, and it is hard to really know exactly where those kinds of products are coming from- how "free" are the chickens? How happy and contented are the cows?
Unfairness, as defined by the dictionary is not conforming to approved standards, as of justice, honesty or ethics. Throughout the world many, unfair practices take place from day to day without anything being done about them. For instance unfairness is present in the case of animal rights which are not given any importance. There are philosophical arguments about them. Descartes maintained that animals were nothing more than unconscious machines. He felt “that an animal’s cry was akin to the squeaking of a clock that needed oiling.” According to Descartes he states that “animals lack a soul, if you do not have a soul you do not feel pain or pleasure, therefore they do not have rights.” The use of animals in food, medicine, clothes, and sports are a few examples of violated animal rights all around the world.
Factory farming is the practice of raising farm animals in confinement at high stocking density, where a farm operates as a factory. Almost 10 billion animals are killed for food every year in the USA. Ninety-five percent of these animals are factory farmed. According to a scale provided by Wikipedia Agricultural, production across the world doubled four times between 1820 and 1975 to feed a global population of one million human beings in 1800 and six and a half billion in 2002. Animal cruelty might be one of the main reasons there is obesity and other health issues in America. A solution to this matter could be a greening in our diets, or just farming as most of the farms in Latin America where food is 100% naturally made.
-Tatiana Camargo
C. Igarzabal
I agree that the condition for those animals is horrendous and there are no justifications for what we do. Governmental agencies should apply stronger regulations to factory farming and maybe someday they will. But unfortunately it is in our nature. We take what we need from nature no matter what. Even when we have become better and more conscious, I think we are too many; our life spam is longer... everyone of us generates a cost to nature. And even if we stop eating meat I don't think that that is going to make much of a difference to our planet. Many things we do influences negatively the natural course of our planet. We measure our intelligence and compare it to the rest of the animal kingdom and consider ourselves superior, among other reasons, because of our fast adaptation to nature... but aren't we also the ones that are taking nature to the limit? to the point of extinction? to the point of our own extinction? I sometimes really question our intelligence... and imagine our world without us.
We all know that polar bears are on the brink of extinction, due to global warming and the melting ice caps, this species is having increasingly difficulty hunting for food, swimming long distance and drowning. Scientists say just that alone will bring them to extinction in 50 years, if we don’t act now and reverse the damages. And now in the Arctic Circle, hundreds and thousands of hunters come to hunt for polar bears for $35,000 a head, and they come from all over the world- Mexico, Europe, the U.S, and even Canada’s “Inuit” communities, many of whom hunt their quotas and legally sell them onto outsiders wiling to part with cash. For some countries, they allow hunters to take polar bear hides back, as long as they have the paperwork. According to the Independent, last year the U.S. banned the importation of polar bear hides but most countries, including Britain, place no restrictions on the skins.
This is more than an unfortunate thing – with these practices still legal, this magnificent species will soon be no more. Without them, seal populations will explode, calling for an excuse for more seal slaughter. Arctic animals will have nothing to scavenge on, with less to eat they too will barely survive. People don’t realize that what we do have an impact on everything, down to very tiny insects on earth, causing a domino effect.
what does it mean to believe that animals have feelings? "It means they are not just objects with which we can do what we please," Bekoff says. But the broader implications of viewing animals with more sensitivity could mean dramatic societal changes, like stopping the factory production of meat for humans, or granting animals more rights.
It is unethical how factory farming use cruel methods on poor animals. People should imagine being hung upside down, having their throat cut then drowned in hot water, shocked into paralysis, while the are conscious. Well that is how cows, pigs, chickens, horses, etc die. It seems like a nightmare with no end. These animals have the worst slaughter abuses. Stupid people do not realize that animals have feelings too and how animals are being injected with antibiotics. Farm animals who are reared can cause adverse health reactions in farm workers, such as acute and chronic lung disease, musculoskeletal injuries, and may catch infections that transmit from animals to human beings.
Animals should be treated with respect, because compared to us humans they don’t have vote in the way of expressing what they’re feeling or what they are passing through… we should become aware of this situation and in certain way speak for them. We should educated futures generations and try stopping this cruel and atrocious reality.
Natasha Urvina PHI 2010
8:25am
Why blame the farms if the government allows it? I don't think the people running these factories engaged in these activities because they care about feeding the population. It is simply a business. As for all businesses, making money is the primary concern. Developing techniques that will cut down production costs and maximize profits is what every business is doing or trying to do. Otherwise, they will eventually cease to exist. The only things that can help are laws and regulations set by the government against unethical behavior. Everyone is saying that these animals have rights and should not be treated in a bad manner. If that is so true, why do we kill and eat them? Shouldn’t these animals have a right to live too? It seems like some kind of hypocrite game we are playing. Some claim that animals can’t express their pain only because they don’t have a language, but they do feel pain. I’m pretty sure if they did have a language they would also ask not to be killed and eaten. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a vegetarian.
Human beings have been manipulating the earth and animals in it for thousands of years. We think that everything was placed on this earth for us to enjoy, and since it is ours, we can do whatever we want with it. We kill trees, plants, and anything on our ways in order to build our homes. We place islands where there was water and water where there was land. I could keep going and going, but the point is, we treat animals as if they are things. These factories do not care about the animals, nor do they care for our safety, they simply want to be as wealthy as possible in the least amount of time.
Unfortunately, the population of humans is growing faster than the population of pigs, cows, chickens, etc. I am an animal lover, and to me what these companies do I find to be disgusting and cruel, and maybe we can make a change as far as treating the animals with a little more respect, but I have a feeling that this problem is only going to get bigger as our population grows.
Factory Farming is not ethical, fair, or right to animals. I like animals and I also eat meat and many other animal products. But I don't think it's fair that we as watchers over the animals kingdom period should let this happened. Even if we don't understand thier langauge to the pont where we ask ourselves do they really feel pain. Dumbass's PAIN is universal we all feel pain and to think that by confining or imprisonating cow, pigs, etc. That they're just okay with it your just an asshole. I wouldn't like it personally being confined from birth neither would any other human being it's kind of like that movie the Island. Watch it
Just because technically we are considered superior than animals does it mean that it is right to treat them so cruelly. Factory farming is unethical, I understand that they have to produce a big quantity of meat in order to be sold to us but it does not mean that they have to treat them so poorly while doing so. Unfortunately not many of us care, are well informed or able to do something about it.
-Idania G
Just because the animals need to be killed in order to feed the population does it mean that they must be treated so poorly. I remember the first time I went with my grandparents to get the new year meal which would be roasted pork was the last time I ever thought meat as just meat. I remember the piggy looking into my eyes hoping for me to save him. Unfortunately I couldn't, and it's been 10 years after that and every time I see meat I can picture that animal. Sadly not many of us can make a huge impact on these factory farming, it isn't ethical or fair even if the animal can't speak our language.
-Vanessa S
when they go home from a long day of killing animals. Take a walk in their shoes before you judge them. Yes, sometimes their work looks cruel, but what if they have no other way of life? Don't judge what you don't understand.
Sara, I can understand the life of a factory farm worker, 8 hours surrounded with death and suffering. But the discussion is about the animals they kill, and the unnecessary suffering of those animals.
I beleive that everything we does has a consequence, that even sounds a lot like common sense. However, I feel that issues like this are only part of the food chain and life cylce. If we don't raise pigs this way how are we supposed to feed all of America. The further this problem keeps going the harder it will be to stop it. Supermarkets do however offer organic meats but they can be more expensive and not so readily available to the public. This is only one of the examples the government and companies have been forced to resort to in order to keep making money and the public happy. I don't agree with the manner this is resolved but so far no adequate substitutions have been able to have the same result.
Erick Tinoco
Sadly, in America we had to come to this. There are millions of people that need feeding.Factory farming is looked at as an easy, cheap, and more effective way to to grow our food. Unfortunately many of the animals in these farms are mistreated, this is something that could be controlled by closer supervision. yes, i believe this farming could behave more ethically by allowing more freedom to them if possible. unfortunately in the end, they are dead animals walking. What can we do? we are at the top of the food chain.
I am a little torn in this issue. It is cringing to watch a PETA documentary on factory farming, but of course it will only show the extremity.
What we American carnivores have to accept is that we are a generation of accessibility. We like meat fast and ready to go. We do not respect WHERE our meat comes from, therefore we just buy whatever is on sale. I grew up in the Philippines with my grandparents sometimes occasionally raising a a couple of pigs or chickens in the backyard. Even though I knew that they were going to be slaughtered, I remember everyone loving these animals. They were fed, washed, and cared for really well. And when it came time to slaughter them, as sad as I was, I understood. KNOWING that the food I was about to enjoy used to be living, allowed me dehumanize the animal but at the same time RESPECT the chain of life! We do not raise and slaughter our food and that is why we feel an overwhelming sense of sympathy and compassion. It is the recent culture. When was was the last time you hunted your own food?
Although the corporations will most likely win,
it is true that there is a lack of information out there available to the public that is not extreme. Education has to start early. Parents and schools need to show their kids where meat comes from and teach them to choose wisely. Instead of eating meat everyday, how about making it every other night? What bothers me most though is that the FDA allows this type of meat to be sold. Overall, there has to be a push for stronger regulations against this type of farming and more encouragement towards ORGANIC AND FREE RANGE farming.
I believe that unless we take dramatics steps to better produce sustainable food sources, and make serious changes to our national diet, we have to live with the dark history of meat production. It is never going to be "humane" to eat another animal and allow for a corporation to mass produce that meat (which is necessary to feed over 200 million Americans). What youre asking for cant be done without exploiting more rare resources such as land and feed. So the question remains do we spend more land and corn to feed animals or change to an all vegan world? If you ask me, I like my bacon, there is a reason I buy real bacon instead of "fake" bacon. I know where its coming from, and I accept it as part of the food cycle we have all come to enjoy.
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