Atrocities

The prisoners are loaded into box cars and sent on their way. Some of them have been taken from their homes and separated from their families forever; others who had no homes or families have also been taken. Some are placed in prisons and adequately fed, while others are subjected to painful medical experimentation, and still others are sent straight away to their deaths. The skin of those who die is flayed from their limp bodies and used to upholster furniture and make clothes. The fat is used in manufacturing soap while the bones are used for jewelry and tools.
No, this isn't a depiction of the atrocities which took place in Nazi Germany during World War II. This is happening today all over the world, and most of us are responsible in one way or another. Since long before recorded history, man has eaten meat. However, it wasn't always this way. There is evidence to prove that man was, in fact, a vegetarian at one time, living off freshly picked fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. This is the way we were built; our bodies weren't designed to consume flesh. It wasn't until the Ice Age that we started killing for our food. When the Ice Age came, the severe weather conditions caused blight and most of the vegetation was destroyed. In order for man to survive he needed to feed on other animals who were better suited to extracting what little plant life they could from beneath the crust of snow and ice. Consequently, as we emerged from the Ice Age, we found that we had developed a taste for flesh and therefore continued to eat it.

        We're no longer in an Ice Age, yet we still round-up cattle and other animals and send them to the slaughterhouse so we can fill our thick paunches. And what's more disturbing is that we experiment on these poor defenseless creatures in the most cruel and inhumane ways. We test the safety of cosmetics by applying the substances to the eyes of rabbits. What better way to serve our vanity? While producing products to make us look and smell good, we also prove our superiority in the world by torturing these animals, and—when they've served their purpose and can no longer see—we strip them of their pelts and dispose of the carcasses.
        Just the other day, I saw laboratory cats on a PBS television program milling around lethargically in their small cages like zombies. Their heads had been opened and small rectangular electronic devices were protruding from the tops of their skulls. They had been sacrificed in the name of science. I didn't bother to watch long enough to find out why the "scientists" (I would call them butchers) had done this, it was simply too much, and I didn't want to hear the reasons they would give to justify such acts.
        These abominations are certainly brutal and inhumane, but they don't compare to the frivolous slaughter of the animals merely for their skins, oils, and bones. Elephants are killed for the ivory of their tusks; muskrats and deer for their bodily oils to make perfumes; whales for their blubber to make soaps and kerosene, their oils for ambergris, their bones for ivory; foxes, rabbits, and mink for their furs. Where does it end? Haven't we raped and plundered the earth and all her resources and denizens long enough? Before long, at the rate we're going, the only thing left will be us. The environment will have totally collapsed and be unable to sustain life and the food chain will be severely, if not irreparably damaged. We'll be living in an age of fire—a Desert Age. And where will we turn to for food—ourselves?

        This isn't just about us and our survival, it's about the survival of the earth and all the creatures that inhabit it. Animals have more worth, more substance to offer mankind than answers to scientific questions, warm clothes, or full stomachs. We can learn a lot about ourselves by watching them. Unfortunately, the first thing we really learn about ourselves we learn by how we've treated them. Let's look at the big game hunter sitting fireside in the luxury reclining chair of his den admiring the bearskin rug at his feet and the lion's head hanging on his wall. See how proud he is of his accomplishments as he puffs away on his pipe and swirls a snifter of cognac. How regal. How worldly. How proud. He sees himself as a true sportsman. "Yes," he says to himself, "they did put up a valiant struggle, but I finally bagged them in the end." Yes, it was a struggle, and he deserved these "trophies." After all, it was his life on the line, his life he risked. He gave them "a sporting chance," and then he pulled the trigger. It never occurred to him that it would have been a better battle if he had taken on these great beasts unarmed. I wonder how he would feel if his head were mounted on the wall of the lion's den.
        Before I conclude, I would like to say that I am not a vegetarian, and I do wear leather. I don't think this makes me a hypocrite. Ideally, I would like to be a vegetarian if for no other reason than it is a healthier way to eat. I'm merely pointing out that we've gone too far and, at the rate our population is growing, we're going to find ourselves in some very real trouble very soon. And the animals and environment are all innocent victims of what we call man's "progress." I would much rather see medical experimentation on human beings than animals. Poachers, serial killers, rapists, and men like Saddam Hussein should be placed on the operating table in the stead of the monkeys, rabbits, and cats who are presently suffering in man's never-ending quest for knowledge.
        As far as the consumption of meat goes, I think it would be a good idea for everyone to kill his own food as our forefathers once did, and if he can still eat after that he has my blessing, so long as none of the animal goes to waste. This being impractical, I would suggest regular visits to a slaughterhouse or perhaps a family get-together in front of the TV to watch hunters and the operations of slaughterhouses. We are all so disconnected from where our food comes. We usually see only the end product packaged neatly in plastic and Styrofoam at our local supermarkets, totally devoid of the life it once had. A lot of people find cannibalism a repugnant pastime of primitive island peoples, and yet we so casually stuff beef, poultry, and other animal products like Jell-O, which is made from boiled animal bones, down our gizzards without a second thought. I think if we all worked in abattoirs and laboratories we would think twice before reaching for that hamburger or piece of bacon.
        Now before I have half the world on my case for what I have said, let me state that I don't believe that we should discontinue the consumption of meat and other animal products entirely. I think we should be moderate and use forethought before we act. There's no reason to eat so much meat now, and it's not healthy to eat a lot of meat, anyway. There are those who will say that if we don't eat enough meat we won't get enough protein in our diets and will become malnourished, but this is a fallacy. If we eat properly we don't need to consume a great deal of meat. By combining certain vegetables such as rice and beans we can get sufficient amounts of complete protein without all the fat and cholesterol. Our arteries will unclog and our colons will no longer be blocked because of the large amounts of fiber contained in fruits, vegetables, and grains. Meat should be a supplement to a person's diet; not the main course.
        As far as fur and leather is concerned, I believe that they should only be obtained from animals who have been killed for food, and if animals must be killed for food, none of the animal should be wasted. With our ever-improving technology, we have been able to develop new synthetic fibers that can keep us equally as warm as any fur coat, and without any killing. The idea of killing animals for their skins or for sport is reprehensible. These are living, breathing creatures and they don't deserve to be tortured and killed any more than we do. Killing for self-preservation is acceptable; it's the way of the jungle—survival of the fittest. Animals kill each other to survive in the wild every day. It's their nature. Whether we choose to accept it or not, we're animals, too; but since we are more intelligent and highly evolved, shouldn't we make the effort to be more than animals? Because we are so highly evolved and still continue to kill carelessly for sport and profit and no longer for survival alone, we may have become the most vicious animal of all.

[Note: This was an essay I wrote in college for an essay writing workshop—March 16, 1993. I didn't use any references to back up anything I wrote in this article, although, if I were to write it today, I would have. The focus of the workshop was writing and style, therefore, I wasn't concerned with references. The sources of my information were from various articles and books I had read up to that time. Scores of books have been written on this subject, so take it for what it is.]