"I read through the blog today. I'm interested in the progress you're making. Persistence will be the single most beneficial thing you can have with this kind of pursuit. After a while you'll be in a positive feedback loop and want to do more.
Although, I think trying to draw moral equivalency between factory farms and the Holocaust is fucked up."
Although, I think trying to draw moral equivalency between factory farms and the Holocaust is fucked up."
Now, I'm really quite easygoing. And to be honest, not easily offended. I laughed. I was glad that there was support there. Persistence is quite important. I intend to be persistent.
Then the last comment struck me :"Although, I think trying to draw moral equivalency between factory farms and the Holocaust is fucked up."
For a second, I thought, wait, maybe he thinks I'm turning into a typical left-wing PETA nut with dreads who equates animals to people and therefore believes that that BILLIONS of slaughtered animals in North America surpasses or is equal to the millions of Jews/Gypsys/Gays/Dissenters who were murdered at the hands of the Nazis.
I mean in sheer numbers, factory farming is a holocaust in it's own right. But that's not where I'm going with this. And animals, are indeed animals and at times are needed for food. I may have become a vegetarian, but I'm not going to make that decision for someone else. It's up to you to decide if meat is right or not. If you live in Nunavut, you likely eat seal. Vegetation is next to non-existent and, let's face it, you need fat to keep you warm on long dark days. Whatever.(I don't mess with people who live off the land and often off the grid.)
But if you want to equate human life to human life, factory farming contributes to a genocide still. Period. In order to feed HUNDREDS of BILLIONS in livestock every year, fresh water and 'feed' (which is perfectly fine food until it's drugged up) could feed everyone on the planet. And feed them well! Healthy grains, firm veggies, succulent fruits, hearty soy and versatile corns and potatoes. Nuts. I mean...yum!
Instead:
3 BILLION people struggle to live on the equivalent of $2 U.S.
Officially 852 Million are 'starving'.
And no one has to.
In feed alone, we could all live prosperously in the nourishment department.
We could also use land to used to house animals to grown and cultivate more food.
Instead, estimates range from 6 Million to 35 Million people die every year of starvation.
I think that qualifies as a genocide.
Millions more die of lack of fresh water....which we use in MASSIVE amounts to feed factory farming.
AND factory farming is polluting more water every year than the EXXON Valdez oil spill. More genocide.
And it's not over. Add to that the the 1.5 Billion people over 20 who are obese or morbidly obese. They will live a life of diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, and depression. They will also run a higher risk of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and degenerative diseases like MS and Alzheimer's.More genocide. And this genocide appears to be white washed in flashy fast food commercials and highly addictive corn syrup.
When I think of those numbers, I get a little upset. upset that for so long, I lived without knowing about this world. And it's an issue I can actually do something about.
Ladies and gentlemen, please know, the Holocaust was a big deal. And my ethical comparison was not meant to offend. Merely to allay into other matters that I intended to tackle in the upcoming blogs. The email just presented me with an opportunity to explain why I feel the way I do now about vegetarianism. It's not JUST a health thing for me anymore. I could go on about other ethical issues regarding eating meat, namely how much suffering do you allow yourself to accept in order to eat a Whopper, or bacon and eggs, or even have milk in your cereal.
But alas, that is for another day. I'm not feeling quite that radical yet. But the night's still young. Bras beware!
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