By Marji Beach (Education Director at
Animal Place Sanctuary), Challenge
Oppression
June 2013
How can we move forward with cherishing life if we demean that most powerful muscle? The value of a heart - nothing.
When I watched hens dumped into trash bins to be gassed at A&L Poultry
last year, I distinctly remember thinking, “Well, isn’t that
appropriate…this is exactly how the egg industry sees unwanted hens. They’re
trash to them.” It was such a powerful visual metaphor.
The title of this article is a partial quote from a recent Smithsonian
article, a sit-down conversation between two food critics – Ruth Reichl and
Michael Pollan. [For more about this, read
Michael Pollan Talks Trash about Chickens Just Like Big Ag He Denounces..]
The full quote from Reichl, “We ate a lot of hearts of every kind because
you get them for nothing.”
The heart, that incredible muscle beating, pumping to keep living beings
alive diminished to nothing. How can we move forward with cherishing life if
we demean that most powerful muscle? The value of a heart - nothing.
Of course those of us who feel other animals are not here for us to eat,
wear, or exploit beg to differ. Reichl does not advocate we stop suffering,
in fact, through this flippant statement, she enables the suffering of
billions, the violent cessation of so many hearts.
Later in the piece, Pollan talks about how empowering food choices are, that
they are one of the decisions we make in which we have complete control.
He’s absolutely right. The food choices we make have an impact on our
friends, family, colleagues and social peers. They also have an impact on
other animals, the environment, our health, and the welfare of workers
employed/exploited in various food industries.
Afterwards, he shares a story about a pig he raised who ended up dying
during a poorly executed introduction between two pigs. He could not eat
that pig (Kosher) but goes on to say, “I think now I could raise a pig and
kill a pig for food. I didn’t feel a sense of attachment. Clearly a pig is a
very intelligent animal, but I think I could probably do that.”
It’s true, pigs are smart. They can learn to turn on heaters when they are
cold and turn them off when they get warm. They have learned to play
simplified video games. I love telling visitors about the intelligence of
pigs, because few people think of pigs in terms of their cognitive
abilities. Even if pigs were not smart, though, they have an inherent right
to be free of exploitation and harm. Intelligence should never be a
determining factor in whether we violently end the life of another being.
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