I think the meat and dairy industries - like the greyhound racing industry - have largely relied on public ignorance of how animals in the food chain live their lives. I am convinced that many people, if enlightened, will do the decent thing and refuse to be part of factory farming and it's very important that they are presented with the truth and the reality of it all so they can make an informed decision. There have been concerted efforts to withhold that reality for political and economic reasons.
I read an article recently which was published shortly after the revelation that prawns (and therefore fish) feel pain. The writer gave all the reasons why he believed that the assertion that animals don't have the same physical responses or the same range of emotions as ourselves was just an attempt by people who want to exploit animals to justify their actions. But he concluded by saying he still intended to go on eating
fish and prawns! There will always be those people and there will be many people who watch Jamie's series but do not convert to veganism/vegetarianism. The point though is, surely, that they can then no longer deny that their chicken tikka is bought at huge expense and suffering and that makes them in some way accountable for their actions. The more the public knows, the better in my view, regardless of who gives it to them.
Personally, I regard Jamie as a very unprepossessing bloke who got very lucky indeed (well, you could say that about a lot of celebs) but he didn't go down in my estimation when he slaughtered that lamb on live tv, because again, I think he was showing people how it is - i.e. if you want a lamb chop, something white, cute and fluffy that gambols around the meadows revelling in its existence has to have its throat slit before it's a few months old. Who knows, that experience may have motivated him
to address this particular issue. Anyway, he may have made a living out of preparing veal tournados, but now that he's made a few bob, I don't suppose it would make much difference to him if the restaurant-going public started demanding lentil curry instead of Beef Wellington, in fact it will probably just cement his reputation as St Jamie with one foot in the AR/environmental camp and the other in Sainsbury's.
Redditch Vegetarian and Vegan Society <reddiveggie@...> wrote:
Redditch Vegetarian and Vegan Society <reddiveggie@...> wrote:
Subject : [rvv] Re: The Sun / Jamie Oliver against factory farming
Date : Sun, 25 Nov 2007 14:44:13 -0000
From : <shari@blackvelvetmagazine.com>
To : <redditchveggies@yahoogroups. co.uk>
> Posted by: "mikecreighton1966" mikecreighton1966@yahoo.co. uk
> mikecreighton1966
> Another bandwagon for Jamie Oliver to jump on and claim credit for
> raising peoples awareness.
>
> Jamie Oliver would rather kill the animals himself,tosser.
>
> Anything that man says isnt worth listening too.
Yeah, but at least the general public will become a little bit more aware
about factory farming - and that's gotta be a good thing. Even though he
himself cooks and is successful due to using animals for food, if he speaks
out against factory farming more people will listen because of his
'celeb'-ness. And that may even create more veggies.
Isn't it better that someone in the public eye exposes factory farming than
no-one at all?
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PO Box 10202, Redditch, Worcs B98 8YT
Tel: 01527 458395
Email: reddiveggie@lycos.com
Website: www.redditchveggies.org.uk
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