Violence on the back burner

Saturday 13th June
The worst violence done in the name of food is committed by the animal industries. They not only exploit animals but people too, who, over time, become dependent on their products. Once hooked, big issues, concerning the unhealthy nature of animal foods or the violent origins of these foods, are no longer noticed. Animal food is so routinely used by most people and so widely promoted by the industry, that we hardly ever give it a second thought, certainly not in terms of whether we should or shouldn’t use it. Our habits are ingrained. We don’t like to think about the part we play in state sanctioned violence, and we certainly don’t want to be reminded of what goes on behind the doors of factory farms and abattoirs. Meat eaters stick to traditional meals and buy the clothes and shoes that everyone else wears. They buy what they want, and their only decisions concern the quality of the products they buy. With food it’s about cost and freshness and general nutritional value. Provenance is hardly ever considered, unless one ensures the eggs are free-range or the milk is from organically fed cows. Mostly the animals themselves are of little concern.
Since animal-derived food isn’t judged ethically it means the animal, from whom it comes, is of no ethical concern either, and that is tantamount to approving their violation at the hands of the industry. We are willing to live off the backs of these animals and if we ever consider the greater good, it is only in terms of our impact on the human community or the environment. Hardly ever is it about the billions of animals living on factory farms. Despite the staggering number of animals living these terrible conditions, our attention is always directed towards our own condition. That’s our priority. Animal affairs are so secondary that we prefer to leave them permanently on the back burner.