meat

I have been contested about eating meat for quite some time now. My stance is that I don't approve of the act of killing another being to feed me some flesh. I think we can further evolve to not eat meat, and still be "healthy". However, I have lately been tempted by my boyfriend and circumstances to have a burger or two, eat some chicken, or grill up bratwurst's. I am glad that this class has addressed this issue. I am not advocating that everyone goes out and becomes vegan, although that'd be neat, but I am hoping for a realization of the lives and practices that go into making a Dollar Menu® burger.

One big issue that the short film, The Meatrix as well as Pollan's book highlights about factory farming is the extreme pollution that it causes. This is a major problem since it is preventable. That is what really gets my blood boiling the most, is that the small family farm was perfectly sustainable as long as it worked within the energy feedback loops that nature provides. However, factory farming has tainted those feedback loops and choked out any possibility of sustaining their madness. I say madness because they really must be insane.

Another reason I like The Meatrix is because it starts with the hog having to leave the "image" or "false reality" of the family farm myth. Since the majority of meat comes from factory farms, it is hard to see past the strong and persuasive marketing that goes into upholding that myth. I believe that this image is deeply embedded in the American psyche, which is why the corporations are getting away with it so easily. I am glad that people like Pollan and animal right's groups have ceased to show fear in the midst of this gastronomical genocide.

I hope that more people in the class walk away with a greater sense of responsibility and value for the meat and milk products that they consume and also begin to be aware of how saturated our society has become with industry and it's (by)products. If profit is what fuels the madness, it is reassuring to know that you CAN make a choice away from living in ignorance by educating yourself on the sources, cycles, and system that controls your food.

* photo source: http://www.plan59.com/images/JPGs/meat47hands01.jpg