Meat and Fashion
“Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months” - Oscar Wilde
It was a Saturday night, and I was sitting at the dinner table eating a meal with my family. This is a number of years ago now - I was perhaps 12 at the time - but I still to this day remember this meal very clearly.
We were eating steak for dinner, but I mustn’t have been hungry as I was messing around and doing stupid things with the food in front of me. My dad got visibly annoyed and told me to stop messing around, but I ignored him. When he got annoyed at me again, I retorted with the question that is a part of every child’s arsenal: “WHY?”.
My dad went on to explain that an animal had died so that we could eat the meal in front of us, and that because of this we should at the very least be respectful of the food on our plate. To this day, this small piece of wisdom has stuck in my head.
This explains why, then, I was disgusted to see a bunch of models covering themselves in meat and posing for the camera in the most recent episode of America’s Next Top Model (the obvious question is how do I know this? Kathryn was watching it and I was just walking past… I swear! ).
Now, I know most of these girls could use a bit more meat on their bones, but this is crosses a line. We have people around the world who can’t find enough to eat, but then we have these people serving up this crap and trying to pass itself off as “art” and “entertainment”. Sorry, but I’m not buying it. In my opinion, it is just a pile of garbage totally lacking in any respect whatsoever.
I don’t really think I’m asking for much here - this post is barely scratching the surface of what is a much bigger topic. All I’m saying is that if you choose to eat meat (like I do), approach and handle your food with a level of respect that recognizes the fact an animal has given its life in the process.
Image by Peter Duhon.
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21 Comments
March 13th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Well with all respect, who are you to decide that it is not art?
Just because someone else does not have the same respect for an item does not make their use of it any less important to that person.
Sure this photographer used the meat in a way that seems a waste to you, but compare the two:
* The meat that you eat provides a means of living for you (through digesting the food and living off it), and the photographer was able to put food on their table through the use of the meat.
* The meat in the photographs will be seen (and thus enjoyed by some) a great number of times even after it has been thrown away whereas the meat you ate will just be digested, turned to waste, and flushed.
The meat served the purpose for which it was purchased. The animal did not die for the specific reason of feeding us. The farmer that raised the animal raised it to make money from it. Do you think the farmer cares what gets done to the animal after they have been paid?
And if we look to the moral of the act, I think we get to the same point: an animal was killed so its meat can be used.
Out of curiosity, (and without trying to rude in the asking) do you get angry when you see people wearing leather? Or upset that pet stores sell pig’s ears as dogs’ chew toys?
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March 13th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Hi John,
Thanks for taking to write a detailed comment.
In regards to it not being art, you are right: I am no one to say it is not art. But it is my right to say that I think it is in poor taste and that I disagree with the way the meat is being used. What I would like to see, as a society, is for us to think again about why an animal is being killed. If it is simply so it can be “used” - without any further thought as what “used” means and entails - I think it is a sad reflection on us.
To answer your question about pig’s ears and leather: no, I do not get angry. Does that make me a hypocrite? Maybe I should be getting angry. This isn’t a topic I have read much on, or thought too, much about in the past.
I would be interested to hear some other comments…..
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March 13th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
I have been a vegetarian for 31 years (am now 34) and a vegan now for 1.5 years. I recall the conversation when i was 3 and went up to the dinner table and asked my mum, “could that thing have been my pet” (it was chicken) - and she said “yes”. Since that moment, i have not eaten meat.
That conversation has stuck in my head and impacted my life deeply. Should it have ended there though… being a vegetarian, or should i always be diligent and work to better myself. A years and a half ago, i decided to evaluate my decision in more depth and turned a vegan. I have never felt healthier or better both physically or mentally, but that is another topic.
I also vigilantly don’t wear leather or buy animal products. However, i have no doubt there are numerous things i do (knowingly or unknowingly that make me a hypocrite) - but hypocrisy is something that embodies all of us - life is not about being or not being a hypocrite, but about always wanting to improve every moment of our lives.
With the animals being used for food… i thing we can sit on our high horses and say that we can treat them with respect when they on our plates, but seriously, if we are serious about the issue, we will not ignore how they are treated when they are alive - and they are treated very very badly indeed. Also, who are we to take a life and assume its okay to do that. I know we can get into arguments about life in vegetables etc, but like i said, its not about hypocrisy but about constant improvement - and we need to take the next step even when we don’t know what the final goal might be.
Think about it peter… i can tell you one thing for you… i can gurantee you this - “your thought process itself will improve and you will become a much more (even more than you might be now) balanced person” if you become a vegetarian. I also an gurantee you that physically you will feel stronger and healthier and fitter.
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March 14th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Sorry, this is the first time I dislike one of your posts. It did not motivate to even think about the subject…Depressing
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March 14th, 2008 at 1:25 am
Peter, the obvious question is how do you not get angry about all of this. People covering their flesh, with flesh? Happens every day.
Why not go read some literature on the matter?
Why not do some thinking time on the subject?
Scratch the surface a little more!
Go on I DARE you to take 30 days to try out something new. Try being a vegetarian, even if it is just for 30 days.
http://getactive.peta.org/camp.....gpledgegen
Need more encouragement? 30 reasons to go veg… http://goveg.com/feat/chewonthis/index.asp
Think about your little boy.
Perhaps do a blog (or series of blogs) on it. It would fit either ’self improvement’ or ‘making a difference’ or ’stories of change’ or ’success & habits’ or ‘health and fitness’ or ‘wellbeing’… basically any of your categories - that is if you do take some time to read, think about the topic and really contribute to The Change.
Give it a shot - 30 days…
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March 14th, 2008 at 1:35 am
Hi Valerie,
I appreciate your feedback. This is a different article for me (although I have been prone to the occasional rant in the past), and I knew when posting it that some of my regular readers won’t like it.
I would like to say one thing though: dead meat isn’t really a topic I want to think about either….. does that mean I shouldn’t think about it?
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March 14th, 2008 at 1:36 am
Peter,
Very well said.
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March 14th, 2008 at 1:45 am
Hi Pam,
Thanks for the suggestions.
In short, I will take some more time to read and think more about the topic. I gave an honest reply to John’s questions, in that when I see those things at the moment they don’t instinctively make me angry. But when I think about them then, yes, I do get disgusted. I think it comes down to awareness. As we become increasingly aware, we are able to make better decisions and choices.
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March 14th, 2008 at 1:53 am
John,
I was thinking further about your comment in regards to the models wearing meat and whether or not it is art (and good or bad art for that matter).
Looking at it another way, perhaps the photo shoot in the meat packing plant was the perfect example of art. After all, it got a reaction from me and prompted to write this article. Isn’t that what the very best examples of art do….. make us react and think in ways which we are not normally accustomed to? I wonder if the photographer who set up the shoot wanted to actually make a political statement, or whether they were just chasing a cool shot?
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March 14th, 2008 at 1:59 am
Thanks for sharing your story Ringlerun.
I’m very interested in these reports of feeling fitter, stronger and healthier after becoming a vegetarian. You certainly aren’t the first person I have heard that from. In fact, I believe “The China Study” puts forward a very strong scientific case as to why Westerners should be eating less meat.
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March 14th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Peter,
First let me start by saying I hope my comments did not come off as attacking, merely thinking in print with no real emotion at all. I have been a reader here for a couple of months and typically enjoy some of your posts.
After re-reading my comment it can seem as though I was trying to call you (or anyone else) out as being hypocritical, and I had not intended that; merely trying to get a gauge for where animal use becomes acceptable. I agree with Ringlerun in that everyone is a hypocrite.
Personally, I enjoyed this article as it was one that moved me enough to write a comment (or more).
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March 14th, 2008 at 9:36 am
The thing we also need to remember is that the *only* reason these animals are alive is to be used as food. Typically, the farmers are not going out into the wild and hunting the animals. If the animal was bred, raised, and harvested strictly for the purpose of becoming meat, I see no difference than what our farmers do with corn, wheat, or any other plant. With that line of thinking, I believe it is ok for us to take the life of the animal.
While yes, the way they are treated while alive is unfortunate, it is also just the way it is. Fed hormones, and forced to live in conditions that are disgusting (by human standards), and then led to slaughter. I am certainly glad I’m not a farmable animal. But I also enjoy my steak, as do quite a number of other people. And in order to meet the demand while still making a profit, the farmers must pack as much live meat as they can into their stables.
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March 14th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
hi john,
if we follow your logic, i suppose you would be okay if humans were farmed in the same way animals are and bred to be eaten…
lets extend that to suicide bombing now… according to your argument, its fine that this happens, i mean the bombers are bread to be bombers…
so weather its corn or animals or humans, in “logic” there is no difference… and so logic should never be used to justify it… if it is, then there is no way you can defend the position that humans should not eat humans and suicide bombers are not okay.
if logic is not the answer, then we can progress to values such as hope and intuition and compassion… tell me this, is it compassionate to grow and animal to eat it?
you might think so… i personally think not…
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March 14th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Peter,
Your last comment, regarding self-awareness, is wise. You infer that following your own path can never be wrong. Just keep doing what you feel is “right.”
I have found that saying something that provokes thought will attract challenges to your ideas from readers. Any person with an average or better education can form a good argument for or against anything. Opinions are never wrong. The “truth” is only within ourselves…
Thanks for the post…
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March 14th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
ringlerun,
Suicide bombings would seem to be akin to the wild hunting. The suicide bomber did not grow/raise his victims. I do not care that the bomber killed himself, though it is unjust for him to kill the “wild” humans. As for eating other humans, if the meat was grown/raised (say in a lab or as organ replacement clones) for use (food, clothing, etc.) who am I to say how it is used?
Just as some people seem animals being equal to humans, I see humans as being equal to animals. It is all meat. And just like some animals’ meat, I may personally choose to not eat human meat.
Notice, I again am going strictly with the “farmed” human meat. Not meat made from slaves or prisoners.
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March 14th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
oh john,
how little ye know of things outside your well… are you so sure that suicide bombers are not raised from birth for those missions…
if you do not care about why the bomber killed himself, why do you care about who else he effected… i mean, what have any of them to do with you… why compassion for the other people without any effort to understand why the bomber might doing what he is doing… why no “compassion” for his fate… does not mean you have to agree with “what” he is doing… but surely you can be compassionate towards his circumstances, just like you are to the others around him!
and your argument about meat grown in labs does not stack up… its the same as… hey, i just produce the missiles and sell them to others, who am i to say how they are used!!! they are missiles, surely you will want to put controls around how they are used… if you do not, its just negligence. the same way, if organs are being grown in labs, surely you want to put controls around how they can be used… if not, its negligence.
any why would meat from slaves or prisoners be different? its identical to farmed animal meat… so why the distinction
i think my friend, we get stuck in logic once again… and are forgetting the values of compassion and kindness… and trust me… when you apply them diligently, you will find that they apply equally to animals and humans.
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March 14th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
This is an interesting post and it’s nice to see you stepping outside of the norm of what you usually write about. I never saw this episode of America’s Next Top Model, so I can’t comment on it. I’m curious as to what the purpose their wearing meat was?
Perhaps it was to show that we too are “made of meat” just like all other animals. I think there’s a big chance that this was done to raise the awareness of realizing that when you’re eating meat, you’re not necessarily eating a human.. but you are eating what was once a living animal. This is just coming from the perspective of a 6 year vegetarian. Who knows.. I could be wrong on their intent, but it makes me wonder. =)
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March 15th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
I am a meat eat, as far as I know humans evolved to have some meat in their diet (of course if you choose not to, happy days), my personal opinion is that the treatment of the animals while they are alive is far more important than what happens to the meat once they have been killed. Meat (and other animal products) should be a luxury item so that we can enjoy it only if we are willing to pay for the animals to have half decent living conditions.
As far as applying too much emotion to everything (us humans can get a bit carried away with too much emotion), rather just avoid causing unnecessary suffering and try to avoid wasting all resources unnecessarily.
The only way us humans could have a totally clear conscience about our impact on the world is if we were to all cease to exist (maybe never have existed in the first place either).
Of course I have restated some of the above comments and contradicted others, but these are just my personal opinions, make of them what you will. :+)
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March 15th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Gav,
I agree with what you say about the treatment of the animals while they are alive being far more important than what happens to the meat once they have been killed. Perhaps I should have mentioned something about that in the article, but there is only so much that can be covered in a blog post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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March 15th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Peter,
I see the value instilled from your dad’s philosophy of the respect for the food not just because an animal was slaughtered for your meal but also for the fact that there are millions human beings in this world still sleeping with hunger. When we insult food in front of us, we are showing lack of compassion for all of those who are in dire need of this very same meal. As always, I love your writings…
Shilpan
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March 20th, 2008 at 6:31 am
Well an animal has not actually given their life, we have taken it. Im sure if it were up to them they would choose no. But this article was great and I couldn’t agree more.
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