It's Been a While

          I realize I haven't posted on here recently (save for my previous post). It is in part because nothing has really jarred me to the point of blogging about it. It is also in part that I've decided to take a more "Socratic" approach to addressing these issues, by sitting down and engaging in dialogues with my friends on these subjects.
          Rest assured, I will have more blogs soon. People have a right to know what I think...right?

Earthlings: A Hidden Agenda

There has been an outstanding debate and growth in awareness when it comes to the treatment of animals (primarily before being processed for food). This really isn’t news to anyone, and sure doesn’t need to be shoved down anyone’s throat in a "snake oil salesmen" manner.

I recently watched a documentary agenda film titled “Earthlings.” I was somewhat intrigued by the description, and I wanted to see how Joaquin Phoenix did in presenting it as the narrator. Long story short, I wanted to stop watching about 10 minutes. Was it due to the fact that whole film was one interchangeable shot of animal cruelty? No. Was it due to the fact that there was a hidden, biased, and warped agenda to the film? Yes. That being said, the graphic images are unsettling at times, but we’ve seen those images before. I was disgusted at the fact that the film doesn’t use logic to address the issues needed. Essentially, the film is as follows: a 95 minute film of various shots of animal cruelty, while stating that humankind is at fault for eating meat and doing animal testing to increase our scientific knowledge. That’s it in a nutshell. I began to realize that something was up when I continued to check out the members behind the film. They are all, more or less, vegans of some kind. That’s where the hidden agenda from P.E.T.A. comes into play (Joaquin, Moby, Maggie Q etc. are all members of animal rights groups).

            The film tries to use pathos and ethos, without logos (aka logic). It tries to appeal to people on an emotional level by showing some animals being killed inhumanely for food, without showing anything positive in the film. It’s a tactic used in various marketing ploys, where you make people feel sympathetic to what you’re showing, in hopes they agree with you without seeing the real problem(s). It clearly blames the consumption of meat for all these crimes against animals, without stimulating the viewers’ rational mind to ask other questions or address other issues. It also shows scenes of some animals being treated poorly by some people in some zoos/circuses ("some" being the operative word). I was upset at the animals’ treatment, but it had nothing to do with food. It had to do with trying to hold those careless people responsible.

There are some instances where the film talks about euthanasia, and how it is done well in some locations, but cannot be done well in others (because they don’t have the money to buy proper drugs). Some businesses/locations must use alternative means from lack of money. That’s the issue. It has nothing to do with eating meat. The issue is money and the inhumane killings that need to change. On a side note, it's ironic that P.E.T.A. has killed animals, but they were not brought up in the film.

As stated above, eating meat is not the issue by any means (despite what warped P.E.T.A. may have you believe). The issue is how they are being killed. In many cases, they are killed inhumanely by bad companies or bad people. A few bad apples are spoiling the bunch here. The film ignores this. It just insists on showing animals being slaughtered (only by people, as it avoids showing animals in the wild slaughtering other animals for food).

It also makes silly claims about what the consumption of meat has done to the world. The film brings up Pfiesteria, know as “the cell from hell”. A quick synopsis tells you it causes harmful lesions among fish, and can be harmful to humans as well. The movie tells you that it is “a direct result of our mass consumptions of animals” – that is a direct quote. However, it also states earlier that it is from “gallons of raw hog feces and urine, poured into rivers and oceans”. Again, it has nothing to do with eating meat. It has to do with the disposal of waste. The film tries to trick the audience into avoiding meat by twisting words.

I give this film credit for its letting people know about the abuse of animals, but that is the only praise it will recieve. The vegan message is clear in this film, and it uses a sophists approach to get people to buy into what vegans believe. It doesn’t address the real issues with animal cruelty. It also doesn’t acknowledge that animal testing, despite the controversy, has greatly helped humans in science. For example, the VP of P.E.T.A. is a diabetic and uses insulin that we have from animal testing. She just claims “I need my life to fight for the rights of animals”. She’s a disgusting hypocrite, but I won't digress further.

The film also makes sure to never show any act of compassion by people towards animals. It only shows suffering. It’s the equivalent to watching a movie about human beings and showing nothing but war, famine, slavery, cruelty, rape, and murder, while ignoring all human acts of compassion and kindness towards others that we know exists everywhere.

The real issue is how animals are being killed for our food. It has nothing to do with eating meat - I cannot stress that enough. Money, laws and regulations are needed to dictate how animals are to be killed, whether for food or euthanasia. I love meat; however, I prefer to eat it if I know it has been killed humanely.

All I’m trying to say is that you don’t need to think about whether or not you want to eat that piece of meat in the market, however, I do think you will want to think about how that animal was killed, and if there’s anything you can do to help animals in the future. Do not let nonsensical biased films such as “Earthlings” alter your current lifestyle. Look past the sophists curtain, and pay attention to the man behind it, as he holds the questions and answers to real issues.