Earthlings
About a month ago I came across this documentary that I believe everybody should watch before their next meal.
http://www.tinyurl.com/earthlingsdoc
It explains the term “specism” and shows what goes on behind the scenes of a few industries that use animals as if they were products and not like the sentient beings that they are.
If you can’t stomach it, then you shouldn’t stomach the resulting product either.
Eating meat is an unnecessary cruelty. We can live perfectly healthy lives (even healthier than meat eaters) without putting innocent creatures through pain and suffering – so why do it?
“A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral.”
~Leo Tolstoy
November 9th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I’m glad you posted this. If it can turn even one person to vegetarianism then I’ll be happy. And I’m sure you will too.
I also recommended this documentary to a friend in work today who’s really considering becoming a veggie.
[Reply]
January 24th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Before watching this I thought of myself as respectful of life and an animal lover. I had already switched to only buying cage-free certified humane eggs, and I won’t wear fur. But this was a real eye-opener.
I wanted to turn this off so many times, but I made myself watch the whole thing. If I’m complicit I should be educated, right?. Since then I made the personal decision to become a vegetarian, and I have passed this on to as many people as possible to watch. It’s interesting, most won’t watch the whole thing. They give it 5 minutes, judge it as “those animal rights wingnuts”, and dismiss it.
It also made me think about other things, like the ethics of having an aquarium, animal entertainment like the rodeo, circus, and zoos, and purchasing leather items. (Just a side thought – why can’t they get leather from the cows that are eaten?)
Something else that really hit me hard was seeing the casual cruelty. What kind of people are these? There was a quote, I’m going to have to go back and watch to find it, “as long as there are slaughterhouses there will be battlefields.” If a human can behave this way on a daily basis for his employment, how does he treat his family and other humans? It is so debased.
I also was not fully aware of the magnitude of the environmental damage being done. It’s not just about eating meat or not, it’s about the whole planet too.
This is a “must-see” for everybody. Parents should watch it first to decide if & when to share it with their children, it is graphic and disturbing.
[Reply]
June 28th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
I think you and Leafy just turned my husband into a vegan!! Leafy gave me a link to this site and I was watching the video (Earthlings) and he was working on something but just hearing part of the video in the background has shaken him. He is a little pissed off because now he can’t eat meat. :) And he wants to know what he can eat. The good news is that he can eat a lot more than me because he can eat gluten. Anyway, if you’re wondering if you’ve done your good deed for the day – you have!
Justine
[Reply]
December 5th, 2011 at 11:08 am
TV-Links…
then much more close friends can talk about this predicament…