Animal Welfare
15 July 2005

I just got done reading George Will’s weekly column in Newsweek about Matthew Scully’s work (the author of Dominion and of an article in a conservative magazine about how we need to be less cruel to animals). The first thing I have to say is kudos to George for even writing about it – most people just ignore these arguments and avoid thinking about these issues.

And I’m not going to critique or analyze his essay (that’s Bob's department, since he does it so well), but reading it did make me think more about my own thoughts on animal welfare, which I’d like to talk about.

I’m all for more humanely treating animals – let’s start there. I think factory farming is abysmal and needs to be improved.

But, I have a real problem with those who advocate for animal welfare over the abolition of animal agriculture altogether, for several reasons.

If someone asked me “if we got rid of all factory farming practices and the animals lived a wonderful life and were killed completely painlessly and humanely, would you then eat meat?” – my answer would be NO. I do not believe that animals should be killed for my use at all. Killing them is making their normal lifespan shorter than it would be. Do I want healthy, young humans euthanized so they can be used for some purpose? No, so I don’t want animals to be either. (I can get all Star Trek or Twilight Zone on you here. Say an alien race came to earth and wanted to use humans for food. We are allowed to live in our houses and go about our normal daily business, but occasionally the aliens would come harvest a family and you’d be euthanized and eaten. Not fun. Who says the animals still don’t feel fear upon watching others of their kind being put to death?)

My other argument against the animal welfare position is that it just makes people feel better about eating meat, and MORE people would be willing to do it. We may be treating them better, but then we’d be killing even more of them. Peta’s new campaign is to get chickens killed by gassing them rather than cutting their throats. Yes, it’s a more humane way of killing them, but they still live miserable lives confined in their crates and you’re still killing them. All of that kind of reminds me of Auschwitz.

This is a tough issue for me, since I absolutely hate thinking about the animals being tortured in today’s factory farming practices. But, I think the way to deal with is for more people to become vegans, not to have them feel better about eating their chicken. Will says in his article not to worry, since Scully’s not trying to take away your BLT. Well, in my opinion, he should be.

Humane slavery is still slavery.

  Posted by Jenna Torres    Permalink    Filed under: Stupid Welfarists | 
To Pleather or Not to Pleather?
12 July 2005

A vegan friend recently raised a point to us:

Rather than wearing pleather and animal-product analogues, why not just wear other cruelty-free stuff and try to create a more “compassionate” look without the use of pleather and such?

Granted, I love my cruelty free red and black Duane Peters from Vans, and of course the beloved Chuck Taylor, but I also love my 14-hole steel-toed pleather boots from MooShoes. And I dig my pleather studded wrist band. Oh, and who can forget about the vegan earth shoes that don’t look vegan?

I guess I find something in our friend’s argument compelling, but maybe not compelling enough to stop wearing fake leather and suede. I mean, if no animals were harmed, it is ok, right? Or is it just simply creating more demand for a “look” that most people won’t bother to get cruelty-free versions of?

Of course, one also can’t forget about sweatshop labor. Chucks are surely made in China. And Earth shoes are deceptively marketed as designed in the USA, but then they’re produced in China.

I dunno. Just another dilemma of modern veganism. What do you think of our what our friend has to say about pleather? Do you wear it?

ADDENDUM, 12:46PM EST

Just checked the snailmail, and addressed to “postal patron” was a weird little junkmail christian fundie-zine, with advice on how one should dress as a “proper Christian.” I thought I’d reproduce some advice here, in case any of our readers would like to take these tips to heart.

...the Christians should select clothes to suit their profession. County agents who dress like farmers are apt to gain the confidence of farmers more than the ones who dress like “city dudes.”

...Conservatism in dress is always good. The avoidance of show and finery is always best.

...You profess to be a follower of the meek and lowly Christ; then to dress like a son or daughter of Jezebel is to belie your profession.

...Dress in the Biblical style and seek always to honor Christ.

There you have it: no more conundrums about pleather. Just wear flowing robes, and you’re all set.

  Posted by Bob Torres    Permalink    Filed under:
Chicks Dig Vegans
08 July 2005

I have this shirt with a few little yellow baby chickens on it, and underneath it says “chicks dig vegans.” Pretty straight forward, right?

Apparently not.

You should see people try to figure out what the hell it means. I’ve seen people look at the shirt, furrow their protruding brow, and breathe through their mouth as they try to figure out what it means. I’ve even had people ask me why chicks would dig vegans. And I inevitably answer “because we’re so damn sexy.” Then I explain to them that it is a witty double entendre meant to show that animals would appreciate vegans because we don’t eat them or their young.

Some people still don’t get it. This makes me wonder if all the tofu I eat makes me speak some language that only the soy plants and vegans can understand.

  Posted by Bob Torres    Permalink    Filed under:

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