How many cows in Macy’s alone? How many vast acres would those cows fill,
grazing contentedly? How would they
spend their days with other cows?
The cows at Macy’s probably
outnumber those at Saks Fifth Avenue, where they’re more spread out on display
and typically cost more.
In both stores, the cows come in
myriad designs, colors and prices. They may not even be native American cows;
some are described as “fine Italian . . .” while others, as “designer . . . ”
What began as a day trip to NYC
for art exhibitions wound up with my wondering about cows. Except that they were described as handbags,
backpacks, purses, wallets, pocketbooks . . . .
How many cows does it take to
stock Macy’s and Saks, even for a day? What
about a season, or a year? Multiply that number by all the stores that sell cows
(in their many guises) the world over. An
unimaginable, probably incalculable, number.
And just as slaughterhouses exist
to kill animals that people eat, there probably are also “purpose-bred” cattle facilities
set up to produce “leather” for people to lug their belongings around in.
And that’s just carriers of various kinds. There are
also cow belts, cow shoes and cow clothes, as well as cow furniture and cow car
upholstery. (What am I forgetting?)
All this is a universal case of “Dominionism” -- the worldview or belief held by one species
that it has a divine right to use animals and everything else in the living
world for its own benefit.
“ . . .Then they came for the [pigs]”
You may have thought it couldn’t get worse for pigs – the
animals people love to eat. (See http://www.aplnj.org/blog/2017/02/22/poor-pigs-loved-for-all-the-wrong-reasons/)
Well, you were wrong. Dominionism once again rears its ugly head, folks.
The newest goal for how pigs might serve humans is
“donating” their organs for human transplants. It’s been talked about for years, but only now
is it becoming a real possibility. Isn’t that great?
“Editing” pigs’ genes may be the step that makes the
difference. If pigs’ genes can be
“cleansed” to rid them of retroviruses that could cause disease in humans, a
newspaper story reports, “that could be a real game changer,” making it “possible
one day to transplant livers, hearts and other organs from pigs into humans.”
 |
| Piglets whose genes were edited NYTimes |
Hoopla! Hey, you
lucky pigs: there may be even more
you can give your lives for: You could fill the gap between organ supply and
demand!
But, the story mentions, “the prospect also raises thorny
questions about animal exploitation and welfare. Already an estimated 100
million pigs are killed in the US each year for food.” (Animal
welfare be damned!)
However, “To some, the idea of growing pigs to create
organs is distasteful.” And why is that?
Not, alas, because more pigs would then be purpose-bred and
killed to serve human needs, but because “Many patients may prefer a human
organ.”
Given the chance, pigs would agree.
Dogs catch a break
A writer recently asked New York Times readers, “Is there nothing nice you can say about
the man who, after all, is our president?” The best response had to be, “He doesn’t have
a dog, which is a service to all dogs.”
Reminder:
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| Billy |
Thursday, August 17 is Black Cat Appreciation Day.
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Happy Black Cat Day Billy. Enjoy yourself!!! Once again another thought producing blog. All those poor animals. When did they change the name of pig meat to be bacon or cow meat as beef. Did they think people wouldn't remember where it came from?
ReplyDeleteAs I read on I was thinking of the blatant rugs made from cows that one would put in their homes or purses that have the animal skin clearly showing that it came from a cow. We're so use to seeing leather shoes, bags and belts that no longer look like the animal it came from.
Back in the 70's my father was the 3rd. person in the US to have a pigs valve placed in his heart. They have been using animal parts for years.
Joyce Allington
Very interesting reading, indeed!
ReplyDeleteA.K.