Humanewashing

Something that's been rattling about in my head lately is a concept I'm calling "humanewashing." Just as "greenwashing" leads consumers to believe they are buying eco-friendly products, humanewashing is something designed to allow omnivores to feel virtuous about buying their meat, eggs, and dairy. They buy meat while reassuring themselves that it came from local, grassfed, well-loved animals that lived happy and productive lives until the moment they were painlessly killed in their sleep. They buy eggs while reassuring themselves that they came from happy uncaged chickens that can spread their wings, cluck and play while voluntarily producing eggs for their loving farmers. They buy milk while envisioning Bossie living an idyllic life of happy, magic lactation. I just wish more people would read Humane Myth instead of allowing Michael Pollan and his ilk to convince them there's such a thing as humane meat and animal products. If you have the mindset that animals are not ours to use, the whole myth falls apart. If I were allowed to live my life in a cushy, luxurious spa, with the catch that one night someone would kill me, suddenly and painlessly, that person who killed me would be as much a murderer as someone who tortured and violently killed his victim. Why in the case of animals do people think it's okay to kill them for food, just so long as they were raised for that express purpose and allowed to graze on a grassy field? Then, there is also the ugly truth behind the so-called cage-free eggs and happy cows.

I just hope more people begin to question the happy face being placed on the products. I saw Food, Inc. and was disappointed at its conclusions--namely that people need to get the "happy" versions of animal produce. No! Gah!