MUOTS #2: I was watching a 6 minute short film today. It was a silent film filled with melancholic classical and operatic music that really set the mood of what the high-definition video was showing. It was interesting to note that I try to be very unbiased on the things I experience in my everyday life, but I do have sides I choose sometimes because it does make the most logical sense to me. Anyways...
The video was essentially about the circle of life on farm animals, starting from the part where they are collected for the harvesting of their meats and other goods. It reveals the process in which chickens and cows are collected for their meat and milk (respectively) as well as the fattening of pigs for slaughter. Some of the images are fairly crude, but in all honesty I have seen far worse. it then hops into the end result, showing what seems to be an American Wholesale Costco where consumer consumption of these products as well as other foods is most strikingly evident. Finally, the video moves to a fast food outlet, depicting the process of making a burger, and some seemingly obese/overweight people eating their own separate meals together in a table in that restaurant. Now onto the criticism about the message and my opinion.
I will probably get heat from this, as I know it is a touchy subject (the controversy of overproduction and consumption of animals (specifically traditional farm animals) in a society where overconsumption rules). But nonetheless, I have fairly valid reasons for my opinion on this matter, at least I believe they are valid.
So lets get onto the juicy part of this (No pun intended). The message from the video is quite clear. It is in a sense using a gross-factor and fear tactic to really implant a sense of disgust for the things we buy too much of and keep feeding the economy for. It is trying to get the message that we are senselessly and seemingly immorally killing all these animals for our human gluttony. It could be that the video is trying to say that we should be aware and possibly take action against this overconsumption for a better more serene and pure world. That is where I draw the line.
I find that sometimes, arguing over something so well-established and sometimes crucial for the advancement of technology in many sectors of society so pointless. Nevertheless, I will put out my points. First of all, we are all carnivores. Whether we like it or not, we have been born to be able to digest meats because of the great amount of nutritional benefits they give us. If we did not need meat, no human would be able to stomach it. Those who have found a way around it, I applaud them. Using our brains (which were likely developed from eating the bone marrow when scavenging animals in our early years of evolution), we have found ways to get our necessary proteins, vitamins, minerals and other kinds of macro and micronutrients, usually only found in the "meats", in other "alternatives". That is great for them, but take away our over-consuming culture here in developed (and even most developing) nations, stick us in some isolated part of the Sahara desert, and then all lifestyle choices go out the window. I say there is no need to deviate from our primordial ancestors if they are the reason we got to be so well established and dominant in this planet Earth. That being said, I also say take advantage of what we can do and explore while we can, being a vegetarian/vegan is not wrong, it is just that those lifestyles are now easily possible because of our development as a species (due in one large part to meat!). Secondly, those who protest the wide-spread killing of these chickens, cows, pigs, etc., base it upon moral judgements (ex. This is wrong, killing chickens looks disgusting and you are murdering a life). The example is very half-assed, but I'm trying to get my point across that morality does not count for much when you look at the big picture of world events, the continuity of life and its prosperity/decimation. it is fairly illogical to say that killing a chicken would be like murder, because the application of laws between human to human interactions is very different between human to animal interactions. We are animals too, and although we do over consume on them, it is wrong to consume them. There are no laws in the animal kingdom, and if we did not have our way with intelligence, we would be fighting for survival everyday. It is due to our intelligence that we are able to even mass-produce anything, let alone create intricate machinery for the purpose of making the lives of farmers less work-heavy (thus prolonging their lives, thus prolonging the time they have to share information... you get the idea, its a big chain reaction). All that being said, I do not support overconsumption and overproduction, but one has to see that it is almost a necessity to overproduce, with the ever growing population of humans. I call for a better distribution of foods instead of giving it all to the countries with the most money. Maybe then, if that sort of action is taken, will overproduction have a purpose, and overconsumption disappear. My final point is about the economy. I do not like to talk about it because i believe there are many faults in the economy of most countries that really could use revision. However, it is also hard to escape the good qualities that it brings to structured society. Just as the video showed, it has provided work for many people in what seem to be asian countries. Everyone knows of overpopulation in those regions of the world, so one can assume that finding work may be a chore in those areas of the world. And even if it is not hard to find a job, it is still a huge market for giving people the chance to make money (if they can stomach the job). It may sound heartless, but the food industry really does drive economy, as it is both a necessity (the demand) and our intelligence and collective globalization has granted us the ability produce and trade over continents such perishable foods which even just over half a century ago it was hard to imagine it being possible. The bad do out-way the good in my opinion over the economy in general, but one cannot escape all the positives the food industry has given many sectors of society (many of those that others protest should not be benefiting so much from it, but thats for another MOUT).
All in all, i do understand the message that the video was trying to get by, and I know that it is noble in terms of animal rights, but instead of thinking of ourselves as senseless selfish beings who kill and eat so much for gluttony, I see it as a fault of our increasing intelligence (which we can fix, because of that "growing intelligence"). It is notable to say that I do support some parts of this video (mostly the necessity to stop overconsumption highlighted in the end of the video), but watching countless birds and pigs bodies be decimated into sections of meats does not phase me in the slightest, and the disgust factor over overproduction and consumption does not sway me to stop it, but rather to think of ways of revising the process in order to better our efficiency in the use of these animals we have bred over thousands of years. Maybe then will morality lower its argument over animal rights and the world be a more cohesive, "global" Earth.
If you have comments or concerns, please message me, I love discussing controversial topics
The video, for reference:http://myscienceacademy.org/2013/08/19/without-saying-a-word-this-6-minute-short-film-will-make-you-speechless/
