Ingrained and Forgotten About

1432: 

Edited by CJ Tointon

Ingrained and Forgotten About

Using animals (in all the many and varied ways they've always been used) is usually exonerated by humans.  We believe we can use animals, rear and kill them, and totally get away with it.  It almost feels like we have the right to do so, especially when no one complains.  Why would they, when animals are so useful in everyday life?  We don't hear any objections, because the worst abuses go on behind closed doors.  Few of us ever see animals being ill-used or killed, and that suits our sensibilities just fine.  In school or higher places of learning, the student is rarely taught about the inhumane practices of animal farms and slaughterhouses.  'The System' encourages students to study anything but this.  The Animal Industries remain unexamined so they enjoy a sanitised image.

Unlike any other area of human damage (where there's usually some public outcry) with animal abuse there is virtually none.  Almost everyone is a tacit supporter of the abuse because of what they themselves buy and use.  Protesting against common husbandry practices is limited.  Animals can't protest on their own behalf and humans won't for fear of losing valuable benefits.  This is why the ingrained habit of using animals isn't being widely questioned and why it continues uninterrupted. There's nothing other than the faint whisper of conscience that could bring us to account.  Our lifestyle defines us and we would find ourselves redefined by any dramatic change of lifestyle.  Cutting out all use of animals from one's lifestyle would seem like such a radical change.   We believe we'd never to be able to adjust to it, let alone keep up an avoidance of animal-based goods for the rest of our lives.

Animal-use habits usually start at a very early age.  Kids are habituated into using animals and maintain what they are accustomed to throughout their formative years. For example, some children may be used to having a dog in the house and feeding it with meat.  To not do so, or to not have a dog in the house at all, is unthinkable to them once they're used to having a family dog.  Our children walk out of the house in the rain, so they must have waterproof shoes.  Of course, rubber boots sweat and look clumsy and canvas shoes let in water.  Leather shoes, however, look good and keep feet dry.  When it's cold, children are dressed in warm clothing.  And none warmer than woollen jumpers (with no thought given to sheep freezing without their natural body covering)!  Kids play football - in leather boots.  They play cricket - with a leather ball.  Their favourite fast food  - a burger.  The treats children love are almost always laden with animal products.  There are many examples of children becoming habituated in these ways and they wouldn't take too kindly to a parent suddenly decreeing a 'no-use-of-animals' policy - unless the child has been brought up as a vegan from day one.  Once children are familiar with animal products, their acceptance of doing without them becomes ingrained.  They grow into the routine of not even thinking about what they use, whether it's the eating of food, wearing of clothing or NOT watching rodeos!  Children aren't expected to analyse these matters for themselves.  They simply do what they see others doing, do what they're told and copy what grown-ups do.  This is how habits form and why people, as they grow out of childhood, find it so hard to change their habits, even when they know, intellectually, that a habit is a bad one.

It's only when young people start to think for themselves (in that narrow time corridor between youth and adulthood) and can display enough innocent courage to follow a principle to its logical conclusion, that they have the time and inclination to question big issues.  It's then, with great resolve, that they might dare to break habits.  In this early transition age into adulthood, other pressures can bear down however, sometimes drowning out any 'rebellious' ideas.  The young adult, although making independent decisions, is nevertheless sometimes forced (mainly by peer pressure) into social conformity.  This almost always involves some form of animal-use.  These behaviours become ingrained, the 'no-use-of-animals' habit is set aside and (regretfully) largely forgotten about.