Rollingstone Feature on Animal Cruelty in Meat Industry

http://www.rollingstone.com/feature/belly-beast-meat-factory-farms-animal-activists

Yeah Limpy good point. I agree with everything you raised above. Thanks for creating this discussion.

I agree with the general message of eating less but better meat, but the way that whole article is structured is total crap. "Oh look at these sad pictures and cartoon blood! Feel bad already! Are you shocked yet?"

where does the idea that we should be nice and compassionate to the animals we are about to eat even come from?

It's not exactly natures way...

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:39 PM, Friendly Foil said:

I agree with the general message of eating less but better meat, but the way that whole article is structured is total crap. "Oh look at these sad pictures and cartoon blood! Feel bad already! Are you shocked yet?"

The point is to show what is going on in this world, so that more people know and so that eventually--hopefully--the bad things might stop happening.

Can you summarize what these bad things are that need to stop in a sentence or two?

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:44 PM, StephenG said:

where does the idea that we should be nice and compassionate to the animals we are about to eat even come from?

 

It's not exactly natures way...

Well if someone doesn't care about the well-being of animals then that's fine. People can feel however they want.

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:45 PM, LimpyLoo said:

 

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:39 PM, Friendly Foil said:

I agree with the general message of eating less but better meat, but the way that whole article is structured is total crap. "Oh look at these sad pictures and cartoon blood! Feel bad already! Are you shocked yet?"

 

The point is to show what is going on in this world, so that more people know and so that eventually--hopefully--the bad things might stop happening.

 

None of this stuff is breaking news. If a person doesn't know about crappy conditions at some of these places by now, it's because they either don't want to know or because they don't care. Super edgy sites like this won't change that.

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:47 PM, LimpyLoo said:

 

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:44 PM, StephenG said:

where does the idea that we should be nice and compassionate to the animals we are about to eat even come from?

 

It's not exactly natures way...

 

Well if someone doesn't care about the well-being of animals then that's fine. People can feel however they want.

 

I think if we cared about their well being, we probably wouldn't be breaking them down, putting them onto skewers or forming them into patties, and putting them on our bbq.

What's worse for an animals well being than being eaten?

People don't even care about the well being of a person they talk to on a daily basis, I doubt they're gonna care about animals; specially when their suffering = delicious food

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:51 PM, ThatSpanishGuy said:

People don't even care about the well being of a person they talk to on a daily basis, I doubt they're gonna care about animals; specially when their suffering = delicious food

Sad but true!

I'm not advocating anything in particular. I just think it's a strange concept to think that by giving food animals (livestock/pigs/cattle etc whatever) less cramped living conditions etc that we are suddenly better people when the end result is that we bbq them and have a couple beers while chewing on their meat out on the patio in the summer.

meh

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:51 PM, ThatSpanishGuy said:

People don't even care about the well being of a person they talk to on a daily basis, I doubt they're gonna care about animals;

That's not the impression of the world that I get. I'm surrounded by nice compassionate people. But maybe it's because I live in a smaller town.

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:53 PM, StephenG said:

 

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:51 PM, ThatSpanishGuy said:

People don't even care about the well being of a person they talk to on a daily basis, I doubt they're gonna care about animals; specially when their suffering = delicious food

 

Sad but true!

 

I'm not advocating anything in particular. I just think it's a strange concept to think that by giving food animals (livestock/pigs/cattle etc whatever) less cramped living conditions etc that we are suddenly better people when the end result is that we bbq them and have a couple beers while chewing on their meat out on the patio in the summer.

 

 

meh

 

That's a weird way to look at it. Even though the animal will be slaughtered at some point there's no reason to make it suffer in the meantime. The least these greedy meat farmer-dudes can do is to give the animals a relatively good life while it lasts.

I didn't realize everyone on here was so jaded and pessimistic.

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:57 PM, Friendly Foil said:

 

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:53 PM, StephenG said:

 

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:51 PM, ThatSpanishGuy said:

People don't even care about the well being of a person they talk to on a daily basis, I doubt they're gonna care about animals; specially when their suffering = delicious food

 

Sad but true!

 

I'm not advocating anything in particular. I just think it's a strange concept to think that by giving food animals (livestock/pigs/cattle etc whatever) less cramped living conditions etc that we are suddenly better people when the end result is that we bbq them and have a couple beers while chewing on their meat out on the patio in the summer.

 

 

meh

 

That's a weird way to look at it. Even though the animal will be slaughtered at some point there's no reason to make it suffer in the meantime. The least these greedy meat farmer-dudes can do is to give the animals a relatively good life while it lasts.

 

I agree, to a point. But the fact is a whole host of market pressures and capitalism in general make this more complex than most people (including myself) make it out to be.

I imagine if you factored in the cost passed on to the consumer for more ethical treatment etc people might have a different position. It's not just the greedy meat farmer dudes, it's the greedy consumers as well.

There's a reason places like Wal-Mart exist.

Have you ever seen the price on "fair trade" products? Life for 99% of people would be simply unaffordable if we paid "fair trade" prices for everything. The meat market (lol) is not much different. If we can't afford to pay "fair trade" prices on products like coffee; "fair trade" prices that help people in developing countries afford to live their day to day lives, what makes anyone think we would burden additional cost for mr piggy to have a happy (very very short) life?

I think it's shit that animals are treated the way they are, but it's a reality of an overcrowded planet.

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:58 PM, LimpyLoo said:

I didn't realize everyone on here was so jaded and pessimistic.

I'm just trying to be realistic.

Aren't there any farmers in watmm that can give us some first hand insight?

  On 12/11/2013 at 11:02 PM, StephenG said:

 

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:57 PM, Friendly Foil said:

 

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:53 PM, StephenG said:

 

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:51 PM, ThatSpanishGuy said:

People don't even care about the well being of a person they talk to on a daily basis, I doubt they're gonna care about animals; specially when their suffering = delicious food

 

Sad but true!

 

I'm not advocating anything in particular. I just think it's a strange concept to think that by giving food animals (livestock/pigs/cattle etc whatever) less cramped living conditions etc that we are suddenly better people when the end result is that we bbq them and have a couple beers while chewing on their meat out on the patio in the summer.

 

 

meh

 

That's a weird way to look at it. Even though the animal will be slaughtered at some point there's no reason to make it suffer in the meantime. The least these greedy meat farmer-dudes can do is to give the animals a relatively good life while it lasts.

 

 

I agree, to a point. But the fact is a whole host of market pressures and capitalism in general make this more complex than most people (including myself) make it out to be.

 

I imagine if you factored in the cost passed on to the consumer for more ethical treatment etc people might have a different position. It's not just the greedy meat farmer dudes, it's the greedy consumers as well.

 

There's a reason places like Wal-Mart exist.

 

Have you ever seen the price on "fair trade" products? Life for 99% of people would be simply unaffordable if we paid "fair trade" prices for everything. The meat market (lol) is not much different.

 

I think it's shit that animals are treated the way they are, but it's a reality of an overcrowded planet.

 

I agree with you on many points, don't get me wrong. It was just the whole "screw how we treat the animals while they're alive"-part that bothered me a bit. Not sure I wish to get any further into this discussion though, since it's not really relevant to me.

  On 12/11/2013 at 11:02 PM, StephenG said:

 

  On 12/11/2013 at 10:58 PM, LimpyLoo said:

I didn't realize everyone on here was so jaded and pessimistic.

 

I'm just trying to be realistic.

 

It sounds like you're advocating the attitude "Since things are shitty we shouldn't give a fuck about anyone or anything."

I didn't mean to come across like that, sorry

Death is neccessary to keep us alive. Be it plant death or animal death. That's the yang to the yin of being alive.

I'm all about alleviating suffering when possible, but so many humans are living in wretched conditions on this planet, it's almost a first-world privelege to defend the adorable animals. How about we worry about ending the Chinese slave labor & wars over conflict minerals that made the computers we all use to complain about animal cruelty?

  On 12/11/2013 at 11:10 PM, StephenG said:

I didn't mean to come across like that, sorry

Oh okay sorry my bad mate

I may come across as 'jaded' on the subject...that stems from me having dated a few woefully misguided vegetarians who thought their lack of flesh consumption was beneficial to the world, when in fact the environmental devastation that takes place to plant the massive fields of soybeans used to create tofurkey does way more damage to the planet.

In conclusion, grow some veggies and shoot deer with a bow & arrow.

we need to get back to a more natural way of killing

[youtubehd]DXQc_v5qjS4[/youtubehd]

What about animal on human cruelty?

I swear my cat goes out of her way to nearly rub her butthole on my face/head several times a day.

  On 12/11/2013 at 11:16 PM, autopilot said:

I may come across as 'jaded' on the subject...that stems from me having dated a few woefully misguided vegetarians who thought their lack of flesh consumption was beneficial to the world, when in fact the environmental devastation that takes place to plant the massive fields of soybeans used to create tofurkey does way more damage to the planet.

 

In conclusion, grow some veggies and shoot deer with a bow & arrow.

That's a reason to avoid soy, not to avoid vegetarianism.