animals, death, vegetarianism

A few years ago I watched my brother get stitches in his head. A surprising amount of blood spilled from such a small cut, and I found myself sick to my stomach. Although I didn’t actually throw up, I had that sensation of bile coming up my throat and into my mouth. I even started seeing black stars and I think I almost passed out. Needless to say, large amounts of flowing blood make me squeamish (which is probably not a good thing if I want to be a doctor). At least I was not physically exposed to the copious amounts of blood shown in the documentary, Earthlings. Though just witnessing gory mess after gory mess, I found myself shaking with chills and having that same unsettled sensation of almost throwing up.

((The Vegetarian Starter Kit handed out before the film))
Before the film started I grabbed one of the flyers on how to become a vegan. The flyer seemed very helpful for recipe ideas but also seemed to take many facts out of context. I felt like the flyer was almost attempting to brainwash its readers with scientific evidence about how fish and milk are very detrimental to one’s health. I usually make health conscious choices about what I eat, and I know that there are undeniable health benefits of such foods. Nevertheless, the pamphlet put forth good advice, and I know that living a vegan lifestyle can be healthy if done right.
The students showing the film must have anticipated what was coming when offering us vegetarian literature. If there is any movie that would make someone become vegetarian, Earthlings is it. The clever title, “Earthlings,” is a term for a living thing which involves no racism, sexism, or specism. The entire focus of this documentary circles this idea of equality of animals with humans and assumes that animals deserve humane living conditions and fair treatment. I have never considered myself an animal lover, yet this movie still made me cringe and hurt as I witnessed extreme animal cruelty.

First, the film focused on the relationship between animals and humans as pets. It posed the question of whether or not we are exploiting animals for their companionship. Next, the documentary dove inside slaughter houses and farms to reveal the real way animals are sheltered and brutally killed. The film then focused on sea harvesting, on hunting and fishing, on circuses, on zoos, and on scientific animal experiments.
((Slaughterhouses often cut throats with dull knives and make animals suffer a slow death of bleeding to death))
The most shocking and vivid images belonged to the section on the slaughter houses. Gruesome things like letting a cow drip die from blood loss, hacking pigs to death, de-horning with pliers, pig cannibalism, and death by anal electrocution stuck in my mind. I wanted to look away and leave at parts because the things the film explored were so gross. After seeing such horrible images, I have to agree with the common statement that “if we all had to kill our own meat, we’d all be vegetarians.” For that reason, as the narrator of the film states, the “architecture of slaughter is opaque.” Thanks to overcrowding and the need to economize space and money, the animals are subjected to inhumane environments and deaths which I think would scare away most people.
((Old-fashioned farms seem more humane))
By saying that, however, I am a hypocrite since I know I will still eat meat. Removed from the images of slaughter, I will forget about the horrible things that happened to the once living beings. As to having to kill my own meat, I actually think I would be able to kill my own animals if I lived back in the time when people raised them. I think I would be able to kill a chicken with frequency and perhaps a pig or cow on occasion. The major difference in this, though, is that I would have also raised the animals in a relatively good environment. I would be killing the animals for my family’s sustenance, and not brutally murdering for profit.

This may make me sound uncompassionate, but I also disagree with the negative views on death sports like hunting and fishing. I know, for example, that many fisherman put fish back into the water (therefore only causing minor pain) after capture. And my boyfriend in high school was a hunter—though I thought it was sad to kill deer and birds, the deaths of the animals did not seem brutal and inhumane. The deaths seemed more natural, and more a part of the circle of life.

As to deaths, I appreciated that the film focused on more than just slaughter houses. I found the mention of a dangerous microorganism called Phisteria interesting and the international laws protecting overuse of the oceans fascinating. Zoos may not be the best environment, but unlike what the film argues, I think they serve an essential educational purpose. Also, Experiments on animals were touching, but I think that some animal experimentation is necessary if we ever want to make advancement in medicine.

I think that being a vegetarian is a commitment I am not ready to make because know it can be difficult, especially when traveling or somewhere like a camp (as a counselor over the summer my vegetarian friends have trouble getting good food). Nevertheless, Earthlings is a major eye opener that anyone who is considering vegetarianism should watch.