Earlier this week, I read this article about a Minnesota farmer, Catherine Friend, who recently wrote a book called The Compassionate Carnivore. I haven’t read the book and don’t plan to, so my critique of it is based on her website and other book reviews I found, but I feel I have a decent idea of what she’s trying to argue (or rather, justify, as the case may be). One book reviewer said this:
This infuriates me. Vegetarians don’t “leave the table”; we stay at the table and make a statement by not eating what everyone else is eating. We encourage others to think about their food choices. And more than anything else, I have to say that all the veg*ns I know are activists who work every day in some form or another to reduce the suffering of innocent animals. Furthermore, most veg*ns don’t just want factory farming abolished, they want the slaughter of all animals – factory farmed or “sustainably” farmed – to end. So no, I guess most of us aren’t acting as cheerleaders for small farmers–we’re acting as cheerleaders for the billions of cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys and other animals that are slaughtered each year in this country alone. I don’t think you can say that’s “doing nothing to help animals”.
Another reviewer wrote this:
“Their sacrifice”? That makes it sound like these lambs have a choice in the matter. I am assuming her farm is not so compassionate as to offer the lambs a choice between walking to slaughter or playing in
the pastures. I wonder which one they’d pick if they could! Also, “I wish you a safe journey”? To my plate? Yes, that will surely be safe – being held down against your will, getting “stunned”, being bled out, having your fleece [skin] torn from your flesh as you are still twitching, and then being eviscerated – yep, that sounds safe to me! I am sorry, but that is just laughable.
I can’t read this book because I would probably have to seek anger management treatment afterwards, and that doesn’t sound very fun or cheap to me. These reviews tell me enough: it just goes to show you that humans can justify anything if they really put their minds to it!
You’re right, using terms like “sacrifice” implies some conscious noble or virtuous effort to aid in the greater good, which is patently inaccurate. Scientists use this term when describing the death of those nonhumans just tortured at their hands.
Further, the author you quote suggests a “zero sum game” between factory farming and “humane farms”; therefore, our leaving the table (which as you argue we most certainly do not) is not right action because it doesn’t sustain progress toward smaller farms, etc. In fact, however, there is a third and moral option – veganism. Indeed, given this third option, the game is “zero sum”: for every individual convinced to purchase their dead animals from small farms, those are X number of people that do not go vegan.
Such a great post! I have been reading about this book, too, and am disappointed by how much press it’s getting… Just another author who’s hopped aboard Michael Pollan’s “happy meat” train, enabling even more people to feel less guilty about eating animals.
I agree with every word you said here. It’s crazy (and often infuriating) the things people continue to tell themselves to justify their eating habits…
(P.S. I just joined the Minneapolis Vegan Meetup group & saw your profile, which is how I found your webpage. Hope to see you at the next meetup!)
I didn’t read it and I’m already pissed off! I’m sick of these authors (especially Michael Pollan) claiming that it’s OK to kill animals for the sake of taste as long as we “honor their sacrifice” or kill ‘em while they’re not looking.
Great post, thoughtful as always, and lots of food for thought. Makes you wonder if all these books coming out about the joys of being a “compassionate carnivore” (UGH) in the “year of ethical eating,” eh? Are they getting scared we might actually succeed in ending factory farming? Heaven forfend.
s.
ALEX – “there is a third and moral option – veganism” – well said! And thanks for coming by – I added you to my blogroll!
JESS – I added you to my blogroll too. I haven’t been to a vegan meetup yet, but I will definitely try make it to one soon!
NOTHONEY – Thanks! The whole “sacrifice” thing pissed me off too. Seems to me there ought to be some consent, which obviously lambs are incapable of giving.
Hi again, Mindy! I just read your comment on my blog & am already signed up to go to TLOV! My boyfriend (the one modeling the “fake eating” on my post from today–ha!) & I are both going, and super-excited. I can’t wait! I’m not sure what you look like, but hopefully we’ll bump into you somehow.
I don’t think there are *too* many people signed up.
Hell. Yes.
This post rocks, Mindy. I’m honored to call you my friend.
And of course, I agree with you 100%. You just DON’T kill things you respect and care for. You just don’t. To do so is to participate in the worst possible hypocrisy – one that ends with the completely unnecessary taking of life.
JESS – It was a pleasure to meet you this weekend! I hope you had as much fun as I did!
AL – Awww, thanks!
Lol. You’re criticizing a book…but you’ve never read it? Really? Hold on, I have to finish writing my movie review on The Watchmen, although I haven’t watched it. I watched a trailer on it though and some user comments on Youtube. Ok, now that I’m done with that, where was I? Oh right. I’ll try not to make as objective as I can from here. I’m sure you’ll agree that many animals eat other animals. And hopefully you’d agree that there isn’t anything wrong with animals eating other animals. However, despite being animals, it is wrong for humans to eat other animals? Maybe you’ve heard this all before, but if I could ever hear a logical, rational argument that convinced me that it is somehow immoral for certain animals to eat other animals I would become a vegetarian on the spot. As it is, I would never try to tell anybody that they are wrong for choosing not to eat animals. Their preference. And who decided that it was ANIMALS that are not right for us to kill? There are tons of other living things on the planet, heck, they are all over us. What about fish? Or insects, should we not hurt any of those? Maybe it is a certain level of intelligence that makes it alright for life or death. Who decided the cut-off for that? But really, I’d love some reason that made sense as to why humans are the one animal that cannot use other animals for food lest it be morally wrong. I’m always up to learn.
It’s very interesting that at your last link, in the slaughterhouse procedure, they don’t have a video of the so called not-painful-anesthesia of the cows. Wow, what a surprise…
What is a compassionate Carnivore? Someone who dies with 30 pounds of putrified meat (from a beloved cow, or goat or chicken or lamb) in their intestines. This woman is using compassion and love and then thanking the animal? What century is she from? She loves them? Like in bloodthirsty? I have heard it all, but this book beats all jokes I’ve ever heard and NO, I haven’t read it, I wouldn’t waste my time, as my heart knows what love is and compassion and this it’s not! I really don’t know any vegetarian who would be interested, or omnivore or carnivore that would be. Write another book, perhaps about cannibilism in the world today.