Advertising dead animals

816: 

If we condone what the Animal Industries are doing, then perhaps we deserve some self-inflicted guilt, for doing what we do. But in a weird way all this can be quite a perverse turn-on, as if we are being regular humans, giving ourselves the green light for our ‘few little weaknesses’. The sub text of so many ads says, “Go on. Spoil yourself. You deserve it”. It’s the same as the overweight person giggling at the naughtiness of eating another slice of chocolate cake.

            Rich foods, especially those made mainly from animal products, are tempting. We ogle them when shopping. They are something to look forward to. They are short term satisfactions. And yet we know well enough that in the long term they will harm us. Now, it wouldn’t be so bad if we were told the truth and it was down to us to take responsibility for using them, but that never happens. The truth is never told about the health consequences of eating animal protein nor the extent to which the foods we love to eat involve animal misery. Imagine if, just for a start, ads told the truth about the animal-origins of the ingredients:

            “Doughnuts are delicious, inexpensive and available from your nearest store; on the downside, consider the hens who laid the eggs that make your doughnut so fluffy and rich tasting”. 

            Advertising depends on our human weakness for certain foods or fashions, and whether we’re buying fur or cashmere or whether it’s meat or milk, the consumer is part of the all-important support team; each buyer of goods is supporting the Animal Industry whose methods of production one normally wouldn’t approve of. Customers, in deciding to buy animal products, help to deny animals the support they so desperately need.

            We probably buy most food products without a second thought. In the Church of Convention the TV message shows us how to behave like ‘normal people’. In the TV ads, the actor is always good-looking and speaks in high praise of the product, which we duly go out and buy. We might wonder how a professional actor could help to sell stuff like this, and yet they do. In Australia everyone’s familiar with a certain local movie actor who is, these days, best known for dancing (literally) hand in hand with an ape, in praise of red meat. It’s incredible to see him doing it night after night, but he gets paid to do it and, presumably, many consumers enjoy the ad. I suppose they like him for the approval he shows for the products he’s advertising.