Monday, October 15, 2007
Disgusted by Humanity
Alright, this blog may make quite a few people angry with me, but I think my message is more important. What makes me more sick than watching the animals in the video that we watched on Friday (and only on friday) is the fact that no one was willing to see the movie through to the end. Literally, the really disturbing part (or at least the part which should be most disturbing since it was focused on animals we consider beloved pets) was over. No more cats crying from being boiled and still be alive. What America is doing to the other animals, the ones that we eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the ones that we pay money to have slaughtered, the ones that really affect us, those are the ones that no one in class wanted to watch. I don't think it was because everyone felt like they were going to be sick. Maybe that was part of it. But how can someone not want to see this film through? To "bury our heads in the sand" as Professor Johnson said. To deny the fact that pigs are slit open, still alive, in order for you to have bacon in the morning, a ham sandwich for lunch and pork roast for dinner is ridiculous, in my eyes. I am not going to say that I have decided to become a vegetarian, because I haven't. But at least I don't want to deny that the way these animals are killed for my fulfillment is inhumane to say in the least. It sickens me to hear the cries, but the cries are real. The suffering is real. I do not think that I was the only one who looked at the hamburger that I was given for dinner in a different light. The video gave more to the experience than words ever could have. I would have read an essay on animal abuse said, "Wow, that's sad" and moved on to cooking my roast beef. It doesn't stick with you the way that visuals and oral presentations do. Why are people so scared of living a truth since after all that is how we can change things in this world. Not just by getting the statistics and reading about the different cases, but by feeling the hatred, pain, and suffering of exploition around the world. I am very upset that we could not finish the movie, and now as a class we will never be able to go into how horrible and inhumane primate testing is, no matter what it is for. We are not the ultimate species, we can't even look a kitten in the eye while it is crying out for our help.
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4 comments:
i agree with you almost entirely i do think we should have watched the rest of the movie in the interests of education ven though it be macabe. (see my blog entry in HN Musings.)
I completely agree. I was upset that we did not watch the rest of the movie. I felt as though I didn't get what I needed to out of the movie. I was really curious to see how the movie was concluded. We must face the truth, not run away from it. I feel like someone will never fully understand the world with blind folds on, rather you will inhibit your ability to learn.
Perhaps the blindfolds have at least been loosened.
As someone who returned to vegetarianism within 3 weeks of starting this course, I didn't feel hypocritical about being unable to watch any animals being tortured. I had already forced myself to watch documentaries on chickens, pigs, research apes, dogs, and cats before. I watch Animal Planet's Animal Precinct and Meerkat Manor. I have an aversion/fascination relation with those shows. I have seen the plight of domestic animals in third world countries. I've seen wild mustangs up close in the Arizona desert - emaciated, scarred and with oozing sores. I have brought many wounded animals home to care for, only 3 lived, 1 baby bird, 1 snake, and 1 turtle. The others I kept safe in my home, so they could die in peace, not in fear as they would be, if left to die outside, helpless victim to some predator.
We don't yet know each other well. We don't know each other's history's. We don't know what we have experienced in our past that influences our present choices. I hope we can offer tolerance, and when necessary, patience to one another.
DKJ made the movie available to anyone in the class who wants to finish watching it.
I can agree with you about how we might have missed out on discussing primate abuse, and why we were so impacted by the movie - what is behind my aversion - I am absolutely willing to have any or all these discussions privately or in class. So if anyone wants to finish watching the movie and bring their input from it to class, or privately, or support group style - I am totally there - I totally support that.
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