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My ex was from
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/25/evac.qualcomm.scene/index.html
The fires in
But after reading this story, it has to make you feel somewhat good that everyone is there to help each other. I remarked to Mike last night that the disaster management in this case has been phenomenal. Yes, people are definitely uncomfortable, but they are being well taken care of, fed, given medical treatment and kept up to date on exactly what is going on. At the stadium, they actually have to turn away volunteers. This is the antithesis of Katrina and Rita. Going forward, those who put together disaster management plans in CA should be called on to help put together better plans for the coastal
Anyway, my whole point of this blog is that even though some people may think Californians are hedonistic, immoral and selfish, I beg to differ. The proof is in exactly what’s happening right now at Qualcomm Stadium. So, to that preacher in
Balancing Our Diet:
A Compassion for Animals in a Search for a
Moral Solution to a Factory Farm Society
A. Project Goal
What we eat is debated from many perspectives: for example, health and nutrition, environmental concerns, animal welfare, and agriculture. My project will be an in-depth study of different approaches to the human diet, such as veganism and animal rights, vegetarianism, the argument of local diets and free range meat, and the status quo American diet of readily available and cheap food products. My primary concern in this analysis is a compassion for animals. What is the most moral way to eat if one makes dietary choices based primarily on a compassion for animals?
B. Context
According to USDA statistics in 2000, the total meat consumption (red meat, poultry, and fish) reached 195 pounds (boneless, trimmed-weight equivalent) per person - 57 pounds above average annual consumption in the 1950s.[1] That is an increase of over 7 pounds more red meat than in the 1950s and 46 pounds more poultry. This current “blank check” philosophy of meat eating in our country requires factory farming conditions for food animals to satisfy demand, and all the while, our environment is suffering from its effects, millions of people are becoming more unhealthy due to their over consumption of animal products, and animal welfare has taken a backseat to satisfying our appetite for meat and dairy.
The current debate around animals and diet can be described as stretching across four different philosophies. One philosophy is the animal rights/vegan groups who argue that we should exclude all animal products from our daily lives. People become vegan because they have the economic means to obtain nutrition and sustain their health through a vegan manner. Most people do not have this economic capacity, as a vegan diet requires supplements and foods that are currently expensive and not easily accessible to people of lower economic means. Vegetarians on the other hand do not include animal flesh in their diet, yet they still consume other animal products; the problem here is that without eliminating dairy and eggs from their diet, factory farming conditions are still necessary to fulfill the demand for mass produced milk products and eggs while foreign outsourcing is becoming the norm to fulfill the requirements for the rapidly growing industry of soy, egg and corn based faux meat products.
Another approach is the local, free range meat eaters rallied by books like the recent bestseller The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Pollan argues that the ideal diet consists of local foods only – where you live and what season of the year it is dictates an individual’s diet of meat, animal products and produce. While embraced by those who have easy access to reasonably priced local foods and enough variety that satisfies the desire for bountiful choices, one can argue that this option is not widely available to a large part of the population. Lastly, we have the “blank check” philosophy - eat, don’t ask. Fueled by the continued growth of cheap fast food, low carb diets and a market requirement for unlimited choice for consumers, compassion for animals is more than often ignored to feed the false assumption that we all need meat (and lots of it) for a cheap price.
Now take into consideration that according to a Zogby Poll, between 1994 and 2000, the number of vegetarians and vegans more than doubled in size in the USA – from 1% to 2.5%; one can assume that with this dramatic increase in consumers cutting meat out of their diet that there is now a larger population concerned with animal welfare issues and/or the dietary problems associated with an over consumption of animal products. Combine this with the fact that books like The Omnivore’s Dilemma, The 100 Mile Diet and miscellaneous diet books praising a vegetarian or meat-reduced approach to eating routinely rise to the top of bestseller lists, the air is ripe with discussion around revamping the status quo of eating habits in our country. I would like to be part of this conversation by examining the different theories and philosophies around the use of animal products in our diet while paying special attention to compassion for animals in the forefront.
C. Method
In the first section, I will discuss and critique literature across the scale of the debate around the current human use of animals in food production. I plan to analyze different arguments - from animal rights advocates, to the small farmer, the factory farmer and the meat lobby - their beliefs of perceived animal experience and our right, or lack thereof, to utilize them in our diets. Next, I plan on synthesizing the literature with a discussion of the wider societal influences that affect choosing the most compassionate diet for someone concerned about animal welfare. Issues of class, advertising, government recommendation, food lobbies and personal emotions all cloud the debate. Navigating the options to find an ideal diet is difficult for those striving to make better moral choices in their diet, let alone for the wider population who may not be aware of the current perils of the food industry. In the conclusion, I would like to provide some clarity to the debate and offer some solutions that will maximize the quality of life for non-human animals and humans alike.
D. Preparation
I feel my MALS experience has provided a great deal of background in dealing with these issues. The most pertinent classes are Dr. Kathy Rudy’s Ethics in America: The Case of Animals and The Meaning of Pets. Adding to the philosophical discourse around the proposal topic is Dr. Matt Cartmill’s The Animal-Human Boundary class – the literature in this session is instrumental for looking closely at human’s relationships to animals and their use throughout recorded history. I also feel that the coursework with Dr. Kristine Stiles in Trauma in Art, Literature and Film will be helpful in dissecting animal rights groups’ attempt at spreading awareness though traumatic visual imagery. Lastly, my commitment to animal welfare causes provides a passion in examining this issue – with a hope of personal fulfillment and wider discernment with others around this topic.
