I have recently finished watching Earthlings and Dominion, both of which I struggled to trudge through, and they horrified me to my very core. The documentaries focus on animal agriculture across many countries in an attempt to showcase the injustices done to animals globally. If you play close attention to what happens throughout, it is difficult to turn away when the truth rears its ugly head. I could barely hold back tears as the footage showed cows, pigs, chickens, horses, sheep, and even camels (among numerous other species) be treated appallingly before being mercilessly slaughtered. Piglets were bashed against the wall and stacked a meter high, as their mothers watched, unable to move as their pens were too small. Chicks were put into groups of thousands, where they were all later grinded together in a petrifying display. Many of these workers showed little to no empathy for the animals that they killed, with some giggling and taking out their rage on the innocent animals. Along with a flurry of another emotions, perhaps the strongest thing I felt after their conclusions was deep disappointment. How can we let these moral atrocities continue?
As it stands, at least 200 million animals are killed every day for numerous purposes. That is 75 billion per year alone; an unimaginable number when put into a closer perspective. 97% of the products that contain animals come from factory farms. That being said, very few of them get to live out their lives, which is the least we could do. Many our slaughtered within their first year. These animals are bred and raised for the sole purpose of human consumption. There is also scientific evidence pointing towards all of these species having the capacity to feel pain and suffering. How much of this is necessary? How many tons of food that come from animals go to waste every year? Billions born, year after year, that do nothing but suffer horribly before serving our dietary pleasures. Unlike our pets, no major consideration is given for sentient experiences. They are the most disregarded beings in existence. I can now see why vegans draw comparisons to the Holocaust, as these animals are not treated with any compassion whatsoever, instead being disregarded as nothing more than hamburgers and eggs. They think and feel the same way as our beloved dogs and cats, and yet their toil is not counted amongst the majority of us. It's simply a passing thought, as I do not believe we can withstand the full magnitude of the events that take place every day.
As it stands, there is not much we can do on a national level, only an individual one. The dairy and meat industries, alongside numerous others, make too much profit for economies to consider moving away from them. The animal suffering will never be considered a top priority so long as we view them as nothing more than a resource. Enclosed, beaten, impregnated, and finally killed. What right do we have to inflict pain on such a gigantic scale? Prior to the 20th century, meat consumption was mostly done for survival; I don't if that can be said for now. Our pleasures are built on the backs of suffering that cannot be understated, and I'm not too sure how much longer we can collectively ignore this problem. If we can become so separated from our evolutionary counterparts in a way that inflicts pain on a catastrophic level, how far can we go before we finally draw the line?
