Always the Hero, Never the Perpetrator

I don't know if this is true of all cultures but I find in the American culture a prevalence in the belief that we are the world's police.  We play the hero and rescue third world countries from themselves or pronounce condemnation on the practices of other cultures because we deem them barbaric.  It's tragically funny, because we are so blind to our own misdeeds and atrocities.  We're excellent at pointing out the faults of others, but for ourselves we have no qualms.

"My theory is cos [sic] they know the enlightened west generally give dogs/cats the respect they deserve, and their backward societys [sic] are unwilling to catch up." (371)

This statement, taken from an article on the Eastern practice of eating dogs, only strengthens my point.  Look how quick we are to condemn are call them evil.  It's easy because they are a different culture we don't understand and because we don't have to bear any of the associated guilt.  It's even more astounding that the writer chose to bring in direct racism with the general idea that the East condones these practices simply because they know we don't like it.  How much more egotistical can we get?  It has nothing to do with Western culture at all!  It's just so much easier to demonize the enemy and force them to "clean up their act" than it is to take a look in the mirror and see our own sins.

http://eats.com/eats-editorials/foodie-news/culinary-halloween-costumes-20091030933/

"We all maintain a remarkable capacity to avoid hearing about atrocities committed by our own side, or by our own species, especially if those atrocities can be hidden from view." (396)

This is not only true of cruelty to animals, but of basic human rights as well.  If we can't see the process, it's so much easier to pretend like it doesn't exist.  In particular, I'm reminded of a book I read two years ago- King Leopold's Ghost.  It focused on the horrors perpetrated in the Belgium Congo, all in the name of "colonizing" the African continent.  In truth, it was a systematic destruction of both the land and the people who lived there.  Meanwhile, Europe simply turned a blind eye to the whole ordeal because the rubber products removed from the vast forests helped fuel their industrial revolution.  Sound familiar?  It's just like how we ignore the incredibly horrid sanitary conditions in the CAFOs because we benefit from the meat 'produced' there. But do we really?  The environmental impacts and possibility of anti-biotic resistant viruses are becoming a major concern- all for the comfort of a hamburger.

But I think that's a topic best explored in greater depth at another time.  The key message to be left from the reading on carnism is how easily we find escape methods, aka denial and repression, to lessen our guilt at the current farming practices.  And even when directly confronted with the issue, the reaction doesn't always last.

"Another example of confirmation bias is how the distress people feel upon witnessing footage of animals being slaughtered often "wears off" shortly thereafter." (386)

http://www.meemalee.com/2010/06/satans-face-on-plate-iceland.html

So much for the great human capacity for empathy.  I know that I am part of the problem as well.  I feel helpless and useless when I see video of cattle being drained of their life's blood in the most unsanitary and inhumane conditions.  But how can I transfer that to a visit to Kinsolving for dinner when salad and fruit alone can't sustain me?  I don't know that making the personal decision to "go vegetarian" will really make an impact in the grand scheme.  And, to be honest, it's uncomfortable.  I love grilled salmon, the traditional thanksgiving turkey, and even indulge in some steak from time to time.  Even while I'm aware of the shielding in my own head between pork and an actual pig, it's hard to fight.

As it is, I'm still searching for my own answers: how I can make a difference.  And the fact that I'm beginning to think about it in direct terms bodes well.  At least I'm actively engaged and not ignorant of the whole dialogue between food and the value of life.  So, I guess I've found a new subject to meditate on and help discover my own contribution to reconciling our eating habits with the unnecessary cruelty towards animals.