The Gist: Good morning, and Happy Presidents' Day! I am actually reporting from home today, due to the holiday. I hope you guys are enjoying a long weekend as well. It is the last week of our discussion of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, and I look forward to talking to you about the rest of the book. We will be reading and discussing Veganist by Kathy Freston next week. If you don't have it yet, you can purchase a signed copy on the VN Store.We read the last two sections of the book for our discussion this week. In "I do," Foer tackles the cattle industry, as well as the two competing terms in the animal rights movement today—Animal Rights vs. Animal Welfare. He starts the section by introducing Bill and Nicolette of Niman Ranch, which was mentioned earlier in the book. Niman Ranch is known for its "humane" meat, and Foer visited the ranch while researching the book. The section goes on to tell three different views of the meat industry: one from Nicolette, the "Vegetarian Rancher;" one from Bruce Friedrich, the PETA activist; and one from Bill Niman, the humane rancher. After these points of views are shared, Foer goes on to talk about the cattle industry as a whole, and points out the fact that humane ranches, like Niman's, are fine, but won't make much of a difference as long as cheap, factory-farmed meat is available to the masses. Foer does say that if all meat was raised like Niman's or Frank Reese's turkeys, he would probably eat meat, but at this time, there is no way that you can eat humane meat 100 percent of the time. He explains that this is why he has chosen a vegetarian diet.
The final section is entitled "Storytelling" once again, like the first section, and Foer goes back to talking about family and traditions, specifically Thanksgiving. Americans have made Thanksgiving about the turkey, even though it's quite possible that there wasn't even a turkey served at the first Thanksgiving. He questions this tradition, as well as the treatment of the factory-farmed turkey. He once again mentions the fact about people "forgetting" when it comes to their food, and he really starts to delve into the importance of what we put on our plate. He understands that it is our food that gives us a "sense of self," but also mentions that due to the unfathomable abuses that are now taking place on factory farms, it is time to leave our comfort zone, and actively choose what we eat. He relates it to when his Grandmother said that she would not eat pork even though she was starving while on the run during WWII, and how she said, "If nothing matters, there's nothing to save."
The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!
1. What are your thoughts on "I am a vegan who builds slaughterhouses," in which the man in charge of Farm Forward talks about helping Frank Reese build his own humane slaughterhouse. Would you still label him as a vegan? Do you think Farm Forward is a good program, or is there a better realistic solution?
2. It is obvious that the vegan movement is catching on—right now there are two bestselling books that deal with veganism, and people in the mainstream like Foer are bringing these issues to more people. Do you think that the movement is moving at the right pace, or does something bigger have to happen?
The Assignment: Please read the Introduction and the first two chapters of Veganist for our discussion on February 28.
~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
I think vegans can work on incremental animal welfare reforms, such as increasing the size of battery cages or promoting more humane slaughter techniques. This approach recognizes that there's a huge gulf between how animals should be treated and how they are, and I think it's commendable to try to work to bridge the gap where there are opportunities, while holding yourself up to a higher standard.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I think Jonathan Safran Foer takes this approach. I don't buy his argument that he would eat meat if it were truly humane -- but I think he makes it to point out how animals on even the most highly regarded "humane" farms suffer many of the same abuses as factory farmed animals (particularly regarding the hatcheries, slaughterhouses, and messed up genetics).
I've been a vegan for 15 years, and I've seen more progress in the past 5 years than the 10 before them, which is heartening. I believe that so long as we can limit corporate involvement in politics and keep our government accountable to the people, we will see significant changes in the way our society treats animals. I only wish it would come sooner, both for the animals who now suffer and (selfishly) for my young daughter, who is not yet aware of just how bad life is for most animals in this country. I know how her heart will break when she learns the truth.
I really love this book and recommend it to anyone and everyone if they want an engaging and insightful story/report on America's eating habits, the real cost of food production, and what the Humane Meat lobby doesn't want people to know. While I could never assist in the death of an animal or personally endorse Farm Forward (aka happy meat theory), I recognize the necessity for people working on the inside to reform and educate workers and corporations. All paths are needed to win, and Foer's book takes a very sensitive subject and make it a little more rational and realistic for a main stream audience to swallow the idea eating LESS meat being the bare minimum one can do, even for pure self-interest. His words can speak to people in ways that my personal adherence to veganism may not be as hard to digest. His book re-converted my roommate, and made several other close friends reconsider their heavy lacto-ovo veg ways; one even started eating vegan intentionally once a week, which is how he kicked his meat habit. These are all good things and I cannot wait for the next wave of pro-vegan literature and public personalities to drive the movement even further.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Jessica and Jackie—some really great thoughts! I will be wrapping up the rest of our discussion tomorrow.
ReplyDelete~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
1. What are your thoughts on "I am a vegan who builds slaughterhouses," in which the man in charge of Farm Forward talks about helping Frank Reese build his own humane slaughterhouse. Would you still label him as a vegan? Do you think Farm Forward is a good program, or is there a better realistic solution?
ReplyDeleteIt does seem rather incongruous. At the same time, I am a realist. I know I won’t ever see a vegan world in my lifetime; indeed, I often question whether it will ever happen. Maybe these little tiny steps here and there really are the best we can do. As for whether Reese is still a vegan or whether it is a good program; I can’t really answer that question.
2. It is obvious that the vegan movement is catching on—right now there are two bestselling books that deal with veganism, and people in the mainstream like Foer are bringing these issues to more people. Do you think that the movement is moving at the right pace, or does something bigger have to happen?
I am highly cautious about these seemingly positive trends. Remember, in the early 1990s animal rights and environmentalism also were enjoying high profiles. By the late 90s-early 2000s, these imagined gains had been supplanted by the massive popularity of the Atkins diet, the rise of the mega-SUV, and the gutting of landmark environmental legislation. Now, once again, we see the “green” and environmental movements gaining ground—but in a few years the cycle might take another downward turn.
No, I don't think that he should be labeled as a vegan. How can we define what humane meat is? In my opinion there is no way for animals to die in a humane manner by our human hands. This "humane ranching" seems to be saying it's okay to eat meat if the animal died in a humane manner. (In a way we thought would be humane.)
ReplyDeleteFor the time being the movement is going at a good pace. It takes time for people to catch on and with great books like this it helps the movement along. It's helping open peoples eyes to what is really going on at Factory Farms.