Mar 10, 2013

The Honesty of Being Vegan - Let's Shake on it!

Some of the time it's just amusing for me to look at the language the animal industries use... Words never are quite what most of us would think they should be. "Friendly fire" anyone?

In the case of the dairy folks this comes from the March issue of their online magazine:


You'd think with a lead like this it was an article in Parent's Magazine or New Nursing Mom or something... I mean honestly? Dear dairy folks and consumers: Is any cow's mammary secretions - That she makes for her own calf really "yours"??? 

Must be like the uneasy financial news for hogs. In truth pigs could give an oink about any exploiter's profits. :/



And here's some other things that the pork folks are talking about using a twisted kind of double speak:

They say that the profits are all on "her back":



But closer to the truth is that her little ones are all on their backs ---

Getting their wee tails cut off all while animal "welfare" in the slaughterhouses is being discussed!
And speaking of animal "welfare" in slaughterhouses... Here's what's happening in cheap-speak from the "poultry" folks. {my bold thoughts in brackets}:
"Having been safely {safely? whose safe here?} held in the lairage, the birds will then be moved to the hand-on point. Ensure that the baskets/modules are handled carefully {handle the baskets carefully - but certainly NOT the birds!} and that all operations are completed smoothly. The hand-on point is critical to the bird's welfare {eye roll}. Staff must be trained to shackle birds with minimal force {minimal force? Just enough to end their lives.} and ensure that both the bird's legs are located in the shackles. As part of the shackling process staff should be encourage to momentarily calm each bird by placing a  hand on the bird's back. {LIE! With 10,000 chickens murdered per hour they want the public to think that each individual bird is "calmed"?} Good shackling practice will not only reduce bird stress, but also minimise flapping that can cause haemorrhages in the breast muscle, so adversely affecting the quality."

"The line should be designed with a breast comforter..."

{Odd isn't it? That the kill line should be equipped with a breast comforter?} :/
"The final welfare check should be made at the exit of the stunner." {Really??? We're checking for "welfare" after the electrical bath and pre-neck slitting? LMAO!!!}

The article concludes:
"It's a good investment to take time to look at the slaughter line in detail as the benefits to the bird and your business can be significant."
page 6/7 Poultry Digital

{Yeah right --- A slaughter line that's to the "benefit" of the birds... My tush!}

No surprise but even the "beef" people want to convince their flesh-eating customers of cow "welfare":
From the video of Kansas State University Veterinarian Dan Thomson
Truth is --- Everyone wants in on the idea of "careful", "humane", "welfare" for animals - But honestly - There's only one way to do it: 

You can shake on it and go vegan!

10 comments:

veganelder said...

A fine pictorial essay highlighting the fact that those pursuing profit almost invariably make casualties of truths. I saw a phrase on facebook the other day that summed it all up nicely, it was something to the effect of why do we keep trying to find good ways to do bad things.

Harming living beings in the pursuit of profit is always a bad thing. Words can't change that.

Anonymous said...

Wow! Fantastic post!!

David Ashton said...

Giving my head another shake ... As always, great post, Bea!

Anonymous said...

Echoing the sentiments of the three commenters ahead of me.

To sum up VE's: Harming living beings in the pursuit of profit makes a casualty of truth and is always a bad thing, though we keep trying to find good ways to do in truth.

Bea Elliott said...

Thanks veganelder - It gets rather simple exposing those who paint themselves in a corner. It's as if they think people don't really know what words mean. Ah but then again most of us are masters at self deceit. Pity.

And about that phrase you saw on facebook - I'm sure that whoever initially said it would be pleased that you found it notable and quotable. Attempting to do the wrong thing the right way seems to be irresistible with the aid of bendable words.

As always - Thanks for being one of those who words and deeds are true.

Bea Elliott said...

Appreciate it D.E.M. --- You gotta admit they offer such great material for ridicule and condemnation! ;)

Bea Elliott said...

David your head may be shakeable --- But never your heart or your dedication to thoughtful living. Please never change. Thanks.

Bea Elliott said...

Hi Olivia! With enough echoes I hope someday we'll all make a noise powerful enough to drown out the lies. And then we only have to hope that truth is enough to make them care...

It's quite a task - Thanks for working so hard at it on your end. ;)

Ingrid T said...

What a great post, Bea. And what an unabashed load of double-plus-good doublespeak. I recently read a blog post by a small cattle "producer" who took flak from the industry for publishing photos of her home slaughter efforts. The major objection, of course, was the fear that people who saw the photos would be turned away from eating cows and pigs, instead of just buying into their humane-meat bullet points.

Bea Elliott said...

Hi Ingrid - When I hear of home slaughterers AKA DIY "thoughtful" killers... I'm reminded of a thread on a "home butchery" forum. The postings included several people who were just besides themselves trying to kill their "stock" in the "right" way... The comments even included some confessions of previous kills that didn't go just right... "Live and learn" was one of the answers - "It's all a matter of practice".

Can you imagine a bunch of butcher-wanna-bees "practicing" their methods to "get it right"?

But it's true - Their language is so far removed from the dictionary that most people go by... How grand (and tragic) that they can make up their own reality. :(

Thanks for your comment --- And for continuing the fight towards a better way.