A Steer Who Escaped Slaughter
The news of a steer in Long Island,
who captured the attention of people by escaping a terrifying and
fatal fate at an abattoir, prompted Ralph R. Acampora, associate
professor of philosophy at Hofstra University, to write an article
about the ethical relativism of raising animals for food. He talks
about the "(dis)assembly line" at slaughterhouses and encourages
readers to visit one and see for themselves the horrifying end
farmed animals suffer. Acampora also notes the subtle tucking away
of killing and corpse-processing plants to the renaming of animals'
body parts once they are offered for consumption: steak and beef -
never steer or cow; sausage, pork, bacon - not pig.
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The steer who escaped into our conscience
Most of us would be horrified if
presented with the images of the procedures during life and death to
which we subject farmed animals. It’s not surprise then, that the
meat and dairy industries do their best to hide from the consumer
the reality of animal agriculture. Therefore, it is the consumer
that has the responsibility to make informed choices when buying
animal products. These choices should ideally be prompted by a sense
of compassion and justice.