Ethical Treatment of the Animals We Eat

Courtney Ingels

Sara Jankowski

English 1101-445

4 December 2012

Superior Species, Inferior Compassion

The majority of us shudder at the thought of animal abuse. We have laws in place to protect animals from cruelty at the hands of humans. We have names for people who abuse animals. “Monsters”, we may call them. “Future serial killers,” we may say. As a nation, despite the cases of animal abuse we see in the headlines, we love our companion animals. Consumers spend millions of dollars each year on their pets. We protect them, love them, house them, and cherish them. Yet, the majority of people who are outraged at the thought of cruelty to animals condone another type of animal cruelty. Or, we like to think it’s another kind of cruelty, a separate issue. Yet, despite how we view it, the fact is, millions of animals are slaughtered annually to fill our desire for meat. Science shows their pain is the same as our dogs pain, as our cats pain. Their capacity to suffer is the same. So, why are we not outraged for these animals? If we are the superior species, which many use as the reason to eat meat in the first place, we should use our elevated state to dignify other species. We must use our superior brain power to benefit, not harm. How can we do this?

You may be thinking “great, another guilt trip laden vegan soapbox”. But that’s not my goal here. Believe it or not, I don’t expect the world to become vegan or even vegetarian. It is not realistic to think a worldwide conversion to veganism is plausible. I am a realist in that sense. But, I do think a level of awareness can be powerful. I think small changes are better than NO changes. If this paper does nothing but raise your level of awareness as to what you consume, and causes you to pause for a moment and think, think about your personal impact, then I am happy for now. Because, as it’s been the case for me, those daily pauses, those daily reflections on your actions and the impact of them, can lead to...