You Say "Blood" - I Say "Au Jus"

I just read an article about how the heat in California is causing "animal farmers" to suffer. Oh no - don't worry. They're not suffering from the heat. They have air conditioners to keep themselves nice and cool. They're suffering because their "livestock" is dying - from the 100-degree temperatures we've been experiencing. Most "beef cattle" aren't given shelter from the blazing hot sun, and with California being the #1 dairy state (Sorry Wisconsin!), thousands of cows are falling over (also without shelter), "creating a backlog of rotting carcasses," according to the authorities. There is a "backlog" because they don't have enough places to "properly dispose of dead animals." It makes sense when you think about it, because the vessels into which they would normally dispose of the "carcasses" (how come they can use that word??) are our own tummies! So, I have a solution for everyone!

Since some people insist that we must eat animals in order to survive (I wonder if that makes me some kind of miracle!), I figure they can have breakfast, lunch, and dinner - with a few meals in between - if they brought a fork and knife to these dairy farms. It would solve the farmer's problems (you can pay them a small fee for your meal), the abundant carcass problem, and the hunger problem all at the same time. I guess the only problem is we'll have to change the name from rotting carcass to something else, like cow flambe or specialdu jour . I mean - when it's a cow that dropped dead from the heat or an unfortunate squirrel who happened to run into a car, it's a "carcass," but if it's something we desire to put in our mouths, it's called "dinner." We're such funny little birds, we humans. It tickles me to no end.

All sarcasm aside, my heart goes out to every life that's ended for our appetites (and I'm responsible for many myself). The annual body count of animals killed for human consumption is, according to the USDA, over 10 billion in the U.S. alone. That number doesn't even include the fatalities I mentioned above or those who die en route to slaughter and on factory farms. Each and every one of those individuals was denied dignity in life and dignity in death. Any of us who live with animals do everything we can to keep them safe. In terms of their ability to feel pain and suffering, there is no difference between "beef cattle," "dairy cows," and my own cats. The only difference is our perception of these animals. We split our hearts by valuing one animal for his or her own sake and another for the taste of her flesh or milk or the profit he/she brings.

Whether it's a natural disaster or a humanmade war, whenever deaths are reported, the animals are virtually ignored. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the treatment of displaced animals during a crisis is being taken seriously, but sadly, if you listen to the rhetoric, it's still not for the animals' sake. It's for the humans. Yes, I suppose that's better than nothing at all, but I truly believe that until we change our perception of animals, absolutely nothing will change in our treatment of them. Where our minds are prejuiced, so will our behavior reflect that bias.
For every person who eschews eating animals, lives are literally saved. If we are saddened by the death of an animal on the side of the road or from a natural catastrophe, then we can offset that misery by changing our eating habits. Eating vegetarian is a powerful way to live. It means we can look animals - and ourselves - right in the eye. No guilt, no shame, no blood. Did I say blood? I'm sorry - I meant au jus. Ah, the language of denial. Ya gotta love it.

Hypothetical Hype

Those of you familiar with my regular essays and podcasts know that one of my favorite pastimes is to respond to the myths about animals rights and vegetarianism. We create so many justifications to continue eating animals that we don't even notice that most of them don't even reflect reality; they're just hypothetical scenarios that enable us to hold fast to a particular perception of ourselves. I remember creating one or two myself before I thought long and hard about what I was contributing to. When I got really honest with myself about how lame my excuses were, I stopped - eating animals and making excuses. That decision was the best one I ever made, and it has filled my life with meaning and purpose.

So here is one of my favorites. I'll feature more in the coming weeks.

-"I don't have a problem with animals being killed for food, but I don't want to support the torture and abuse that take place on factory farms. In fact, I think I could even humanely kill my own animals to cause the least amount of suffering." I realize there are people who feel this way, and though I disagree with the premise (because I, personally, do have a problem with animals being killed for human consumption), that's not my issue with this statement. My problem has to do with the fact that it rests on hypotheticals:

1. This person isn't raising and killing her own animals, and by virtue of that, she is, unfortunately, contributing to the abuse and torture of animals.

2. What people don't realize is that even on the most idealized farms, animals are not lovingly and "humanely euthanized" when they're fat enough for the dinner table. They are sent to the same dirty slaughterhouses as "conventionally raised" animals. It's not legal for ranchers to kill their own animals (unless they're going to eat them themselves) and sell them to the public. The transportation alone is incredibly stressful (and often fatal) for the animals, and the slaughterhouse itself is a place of fear, pain, blood, and death.

3. I have seen what would be considered "humane slaughter," all I saw was an animal struggling to fight for her life. She did not want to die. She did not want her head removed. She did not want the blade to touch her body. As the blood drained from her, all I could remember was that line in Tim Robbins' film Dead Man Walking, when Sister Prejean lamented at how "calculated" the killing [of the deathrow inmate] was. The systematic execution of human beings is no different than that of animals - even in the most "idealized" situation, it is still messy, bloody, deliberate, painful, and unnecessary.

When we rely on hypotheticals to justify real-life situations, it is only because we want to hold onto a perception of ourselves that may or may not be true. I don't believe any of us want to consciously and willingly contribute to abuse or torture. But, there just isn't any way of getting around it when we eat meat. If we can't tell ourselves the truth about what we're supporting, then we need to ask ourselves what we're avoiding. Until then, we're not living in Truth - neither our own or that of the real world.

Those of us who have stopped eating animals aren't off the hook, either. Every time we hear someone justifying eating animals, we have an opportunity to reflect the truth. There are gentle, respectful ways of doing this, but there is no question that we must do it. The animals need us as their voice. If not you, then who?