Meat vs Morality

Both Pollan and Cook’s articles discuss how the meat industry affects our society. These articles talk about the moral compass of Americans when it comes to eating meat and the safety of workers who must deal with the grueling conditions that come with providing individual Americans with 75 pounds of chicken per year.

Pollan’s article focuses on the “humanity” and treatment of animals, discussing how a recent phenomenon has made cruelty towards animals seen as a form of discrimination. What I found interesting in terms of preparation and production is when Pollan talks about how animals are slaughtered, stating the decreased amount of contact between humans and animals has lead to a more demoralized attitude towards animals, thus allowing more people to be carnivores because not many people are in direct contact with animals anymore. This “out of sight, out of mind” mentality has allowed many Americans to become desensitized towards the suffering and pain animals feel when enduring the conditions of a meat farm. In contrast to this argument, Pollan also discusses how dependent domesticated animals are on humans, and without humans, these animals would have a lower life expectancy anyway. In order to propose a solution to the “either look away or become vegetarian” dilemma, Pollan suggests proper treatment of animals on a meat farm, allowing animals to live a full life as a cow, chicken, or pig. The only problem I see with this solution is larger domineering companies tend to cut corners and slaughter animals in a way that is most efficient in order to make a profit.

Cook’s article on the other hand talks about the impact meat industries have on workers. With multiple injuries, diseases, and low incomes, the fast paced, high stress conditions have made it difficult for workers to work in slaughterhouses. Both of these articles work to expose the harsh conditions that come with producing meat to our large population. I think it is important to expose more people to this type of information so our community can see how an industry focused more on profit than morality is affecting a majority of workers and animals themselves.