Jan 7, 2010

Dairy Father - Invites Sacrificial Cow to the Table

This provincial effigy, fashioned from 1,000 pounds of 100% butterfat, is meant to be a tribute to the dairy industry. I know my friend and ally Ben at Suicide Foods could do a much better job assessing the irony in this image... But honestly, I just can't help my myself...
Here we have the classic portrayal of female servitude... Slave serving slave so to speak, as we see the human mother extending the plate in the direction of the nonhuman mother... Almost as an offering of solidarity; Or at least in recognition of mutual circumstance. They know they've done their jobs well - breeding sons... Some for veal - Some to be raised as veal eaters. But when we see into the bovines eyes, can we not detect a ruefulness? Perhaps she wonders where her babies are? Three births and still, a childless life. Could she be longing for her herd mates - missing the gossip at the milking polar? Or maybe it's the florescent lights that bother her? Cow people enjoy the sun and sky that nature provides... She will no doubt see them on her next ride in the transport truck.
At that destination, she will continue her dutiful contributions in the "food chain"... McDonald's will encourage other human families to dine on her fluids and flesh - Her rank is secured on the dollar menu; And consuming her "souless" body will be presented as a practice as "wholesome" as this paradigm... Returning to the table of plenty... and of "thrift" - We see Father... pouring the wealth of white abundance! Things are looking good for him with the recent government bailouts! Whew! That was a close one! The reality of the market place almost had consequence! Oh Father Provider! Thank you for buttering the palms of the other men in power! Father may we never ask how much money/energy it costs to keep this chilled spectacle "alive". May we never wonder about the e-coli in the burger... Or the manure in the rivers... May we never question, or be "lactose" intolerant... Father, maker of all things with cholesterol and saturated fat - may we never doubt your archaic methods of domination and force... Long live the patriarchy! Or at least as long as it takes for this obscene, excessive, vulgar, iconic charade to melt into a greasy pool of rancid goo! There... I had my say - You know the rest... Go Vegan.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

You should be more concerned with humans, our cows are taken better care of than some human babies are, put on a bottle and stuffed in daycare, you are soooo crazy wrong about our dairy cows, they are soooo pampered with their beach sand beds and buffet style meals, maybe you should fight for women staying at home and taking care of their babies.

Anonymous said...

you go eat all the vegetables you want, our ancesters grew up on meat and potatoes and hard work,I am talking about the seniors who are 80 and 90, take all that away and you are going to die young.

Bea Elliott said...

I'm confused... You say I should be more concerned with human babies --- Yet you say you are treating cows better than humans. I don't get it... Shouldn't YOU be the one adjusting your efforts???

Regardless of whether these are "pampered" cows or not --- The facts remain: They are enslaved for monetary gain.

They are artificially inseminated. Their young are torn from them... They are hooked up to metal machines twice a day to be bled for the white liquid that turns to greenbacks for you.

Then... When they can no longer do so --- They are sent limping and gimping to the slaughterhouse... To be shot with a bolt through the head, chained upside down to have their throats slit to be dehided and eviserated...

And so goes, the "pampered life" of the dairy cow. Ha!

"our ancesters grew up on meat and potatoes" Ah yes! The old what ever was done... should always be done mentality!

Our ancestors did many things that we no longer do now --- Toothpaste didn't come out of a tube then either... And some never went to school --- Or even owned a car... And your point is?

Just because something was done once --- Does not mean it is still a good idea to do today or in the future.

Wouldn't you say our goal as a "civilization" is to evolve towards better ways? Surely ending animal agriculture and all uses of innocent nonsentient beings is the greatest challenge we should attempt. It is the root, the crux from whence all ills lie.

I believe in a just and harmonious world - As long as we "own", exploit and subjugate "lesser" Others - This will never be so. Therefore I will expose "speciesism"... well, till the "cows come home".

Good day.

Anonymous said...

PETA PETA PETA PETA THEY ARE ALL IN IT FOR THE MONEY, HOW MUCH DO YOU MAKE OFF OF THIS NONSENSE and whose slave are you peta or hsus??

Bea Elliott said...

Hello again Anon... hsus? peta? Actually, I'm not affiliated with either. You don't have to be a member of an organization to be for "animal rights"...

But this hostility of yours... Have you ever considered anger management therapy? I hear it is often helpful...

Anonymous said...

How long ago did you attend anger management? Maybe you should go back.

Anonymous said...

obscene, excessive, vulgar, are you describing yourself? Over production because of the recession and lose of export markets because of the recession is why milk was over produced.Have a glass of soymilk, good day.

Bea Elliott said...

Anonymous - "Over production" - I really couldn't care less if the cause was people not buying "dairy" in my home town or in China! The fact remains --- Your industry had too many "goods" for too few consumers.

And if it were not for government subsidies, hand-outs and special favors - this REALITY would have hit hard.

But as we speak I am enjoying a nice tall glass of Rice Dream... Not my favorite - which is almond milk... But the stockman at my store says they ran out... He says the product is flying off the shelves faster than the inventory that they order! :)

Anonymous said...

Yes hat is a good example, there is no way to feed millions of people almond milk, almond milk is good for you but then so is cows milk, why do you think it is alright to drink the scretions of an almond, poor almond, you murderer.

Bea Elliott said...

Ah yes... the dreaded, bloody almond murders! Never have considered that before.

Thanks for your input.

Anonymous said...

Your are very welcome, I am thirsty, think I will have a big glass of ice cold bovine secretions, you are so off the wall,lol.

Anonymous said...

the ingredients listed on your soy milk contain almost certainly a lot of sugar. It might be named cane sugar, barley malt, rice sugar, fructose, corn syrup. Whatever, it's sugar. The most likely reason that you feel better after drinking your soy milk is that you are getting a sugar hit.

The second possibility is that the soy estrogens are stimulating your thyroid. For some people this results in a mildly hyperactive thyroid with short-term energy gain. The down side is that over the long run your thyroid may go down, sinking into hypothyroidism. That means loss of energy, cognitive decline, brain fog. In my opinion the long-term risks of soy do not justify any short-term benefit." Is this what you want us to replace cows milk with?

kathryn said...

Yep, unless you buy the unsweetened kind, soy milk does have sugar in it. So perhaps your argument is true, she's feeling better after drinking a glass of soy milk because it has sugar in it. And you feel better after drinking cow's milk because...oh wait..what's another name for lactose? Why I think it's sugar.

Well, I guess cow's milk didn't win that argument after all. Bummer.

Maybe it will win the cruelty one?
Nope. Wrong again.

The one about the quantity of plants required to feed livestock in order to create a bit of meat/dairy which is then fed to people versus the quantity of plants required to just feed the people directly..d'oh! It didn't win that one either.

Ok. Environmentally. It has to win this one...
Sunofabitch! Lost again.

My health? I mean it's full of hormones and antibiotics and all kinds of good stuff. Oh crap, it's full of hormones and antibiotics...
Well, it has added calcium and vitamin D.
What do you mean they make fortified vegan soy/nut/rice milks?

Ok, I'd almost give up, but I know I can win this one - it's what my great-grandmother drank and that argument I know I'll win because there wasn't any soy-this and soy-that around when she was a kid. There. I win. Or rather cow's milk wins - it's the way it's always been done. Even my great-grandmother drank it. Granted when she was a child, they had slaves...but...

Anonymous said...

Ha Ha, you loose a lot of post vegetarians have switched back because of poor iron levels and just a lackof nutrients and sooo expensive.

Anonymous said...

You should watch you tube, sugar the bitter truth.

Anonymous said...

yep, milk has calcium. not added, sorry, the only good nutrients in soy are added and full of hormones(estrogen) god darn looks like you don't know what you are talking about, typical vegan. Oh slaves, what, did we eat slaves? sorry I think NOT. Oh so now in this day of vegans we can't do anything right because we are harming the animals, sorry baby boys are circumsized, that really makes them cry because it hurts but we have their best interest at heart, right? Same thing applies to dehorning calves and tail docking, only hurts for a little while but it is for their best interest and the people that take care of them wont get gored by their horns. Sorry you lose.

Bea Elliott said...

Hello Anonymous #1, #2, and kathryn...
I don't drink soy milk... It's not the estrogens or sugar but rather it's the taste. I'm not a fan. However, I totally enjoy vanilla almond milk, rice is my second favorite... oat milk and all the others would come next. My options even expanded further - Last time I checked my grocery shelves they were out of my usual... So, I tried a new "low calorie" type almond milk... Not bad either. But I'm not interested in weight loss, so I'll stick to my original brand ---

Now, speaking of estrogens - when I consumed milk/cheese - my menopause symptoms were a constant discomfort. They were unbearable... Within 2 months of substituting dairy - the hot flashes and night sweats all but disappeared... And what a relief that was! Of course that stands to reason - consuming a thousand pound, nursing bovines fluids must be filled with female hormones... Dairy products were literally poisoning me. Also, my cholesterol level was off the chart. My bones hurt --- The arthritis in my hands and knees was terribly painful. And my bowels were constantly irritated... Within 3 months of eliminating "dairy" --- EVERYTHING improved! Adult acne? Had that too --- Gone after eliminating milk, cheese, butter, creams, etc...

For the record, I have not been on any "prescription" drugs in over 20 years... I'm pleased I got through menopause and other ills without artificial means.

But this is not only my situation - but everyone I've spoken to that has removed dairy from their diets... They all feel and look better. It wouldn't make sense to continue consuming something that made for ill health --- Physical wellbeing is utmost. Myself, as well as the majority of people I know, who have cut out dairy are better for it...

Dairy alterternatives are delicious... nutritious - And not "expensive" at all when you consider what you're getting... Sorry, but that was an excellent effort to sway me. :)

kathryn said...

anon -
The only good nutrients in soy are added? Have you ever looked into the nutritional content of soy?
(And note, I'm not a pro-soy person).

As for milk having calcium. Yes, it does. That was my typo...I wrote: Well, it has added calcium and vitamin D.
Which should have been:
Well, it has calcium and added vitamin D.
Either way, point stands.

You mention hormones...Yes, soy has hormones. It is also by far not the only milk alternative. And above and beyond that, when it comes to hormones, I'd far rather drink soy than consume the hormones given regularly to cows to make them produce more milk.

Because some people in this world chose to circumcise their babies, this means we should be cruel to animals? Not seeing the logic behind that one...And note, this is some people as many cultures don't believe in doing so. Either way, you use this as an example for something that is 'good for them'. What part of tail docking is good for a cow? The tail keeps the flies away which keeps the maggots away..The only part 'good' about it is it keeps crap out of your milk. Good for you. Not them.
And dehorning is good for them?
How have the buffalo survived without us there to dehorn them? Might it be the fact that when they are not shoved together into unnaturally small spaces they don't end up unintentionally gouging each other. And since you're not there, they don't gouge you. Again, good for you. Not them.

Anonymous said...

First cows are no longer given bst, we had to sign affidavits that we would not use it if we send milk to most proocessors.
second , tail docking keeps the cows clean and dry, if they lay in a freestall their talls would hang over the back and swish it on them. Also most barns have fans in them to keep the cows cool and comfortable in the summer, the fans also blow the flies away. Maggots do not get on cows, not when they are alive,LOL. Buffalo have short curled horns, cows have foot long pointed ones, buffalo are still living in their wild state, cows are domesticated and are not allowed to roam the country but they are allowed to roam their barn and some of them are mean to the others so we don't want them hurting each other. Contented cows give more milk, yes we want our cows happy and content with full stomachs and clean bedding. Sorry if I ruined the picture you have in your head, but you really should visit a dairy farm and learn the facts.

Bea Elliott said...

Thanks kathryn - Those were some excellent points! I agree with you that all the mutilations done in the dairy industry is a result of our need to make the cow more profitable. Tail docking, dehorning, eliminating a "fifth" teat, etc. are all done, as usual, for human benefit...

Anonymous - I said nothing about bst... I'm refering to any of dozens of drugs needed to control, manipulate and exploit the female estrous cycles, and to aid impregnation.

I'm no scientist or animal doctor... but a simple google search on "dairy cow insemination" will bring the entire procedure and all the necessary "drugs" to light: http://www.animal.ufl.edu/thatcher/TAI.htm

Naming just a few: hcg and/or PGF2alpha and/or prostaglandin F2 alpha injections for ovulation, GnRH injections for fertility... etc.

And as far as barns with fans in the summer or heat in the winter... I always find this intriquing --- The keeping of animals in climate controlled facilities, while most people are attempting to conserving energy in their own homes... Kind of ironic... wouldn't you say?

Raising animals for human consumption is riddled with waste and cruelty. Personally I want no part of it and dislike portions of my tax dollars shifted towards keeping your enterprise afloat.

Good day.

Anonymous said...

Bea, most of the smaller farms observe for natural heats, only the factory farms do the unnatural induction of heat. The only time the cow gets a shot of GNRH is when they have a cyst on their ovaries, and the shot will make it go away so they can cycle naturally. Fans just blow the air around, not really a climate controled situation, at least not like the air conditioned cars and homes. My father never wanted none of your tax dollars and never signed up for any of the programs, we do though because everyone else does. It's okay if you want no part of it, other people do.

Anonymous said...

Also two of those drugs you mention are the same

Bea Elliott said...

Anonymous... I did say I wasn't a scientist - But it is clear that drugs (most frequently) are used to control and enhance artificial insemination...

But whether there are or aren't fans, cooling misters, heaters or whatever - The idea of a "housing" thousand pound animals for the sake of stealing their bodily fluids is still an insane notion to me.

And in the case of wanting no part of it - I certainly don't. But I shall not ever stop telling all who will listen, about inherent wrongness of "using" animals.

Even in the most bucolic instance -When an animal is valued according to their "production" - Their lives are ended at the end of a butchers knife. It is against my ethics to "kill"... And dairy, either small or large all classify as a blood food. It is maintained through unnecessary killing.

So I'm Thinking Of Going Vegan said...

You're so right about menopause and dairy. I'd already given up dairy even before I went vegan because it had turned me into a gigantic gross mucus machine, but I'm convinced that my menopausal symptoms right now would be ten times worse if I wasn't vegan. Another angle to consider when promoting veganism! :)

Bea Elliott said...

Hi! Actually I just presented this question to a registered dietician. I don't know why there's not more written on the subject of cow's milk and menopause... Everyone I've spoken to who has eliminated dairy have had a better time with "the change".

Ah... but the mucus - That strikes us all. My neighbor went on the "Atkins" diet... Eating huge amounts of meat and dairy - Not only did he not loose weight, he wound up with dozens of allergies and breathing issues. He's 6 months on a (mostly) plant based diet and off the pills. No brainer right? ;)