Hope

Factory farming damages the environment, infringes on the rights of the workers, the consumers, and those that are consumed, and its ethical values, or lack thereof, are constantly coming into question. It has become clear to me from what I have been exposed to just in this first week of class that factory farming does much more harm than good, and is grossly inefficient.

The question has been asked - What will it take for society as a whole to change?

My boyfriend is a history buff and could probably tell you the details of any historical event that has occurred within the last few centuries. One day, he told me that there is a very clear pattern that is visible throughout history. A society has a set of values and traditions and ways of living. Eventually in that society, someone recognizes a need for change. They rally people together, however small the group, and eventually gain enough influence to overpower the existing notion, force, or group of people. Over time, the underdog wins if they are fighting to change a defective aspect of a certain society that is damaging, infringes on rights, or is ethically wrong.

We see countless examples of this occurring throughout history, even recently. Women's rights, LBGTQ rights, racial equality, child labor laws, health information available about tobacco, the emancipation of slaves (mentioned to me by a classmate) - even the revolutionary war - all came about because a smaller group of people that saw the need for a change, changed society.

Factory farming falls into this category as well. As hopeless as documentaries such as Earthlings and Food Inc. might make us feel, there IS hope. It may be hard to imagine, especially for me only having lived eighteen years. But if I ask my grandparents or other elderly relatives, society has constantly been changing. Sometimes it can seem to me as though society will continue exactly as how I see the world RIGHT NOW - that the world will be the same in ten, fifteen, even fifty years. This is not the case. Society will continue to be progressive, no matter how much the existing forces resist. History has proven it so.

As I offered this opinion to my class, one student mentioned that factory farming might not get as much attention and thus not fall into this category because of the influence and money that exist within the clutch of the corporations trying to protect it. However, the same could have been said about the tobacco industry which had a huge hand in the marketing industry, slavery that was perpetuated by people with large sums of money and power, or child labor that was implemented by corporations.

I believe that in order for the food industry to change - and here I'm not just talking about the meat industry, but also vegetables, fruit, grains, anything we eat, because it all to some extent can be unhealthily processed - it must hit on a personal level. Advocates must stress that many preventable diseases are caused by poor nutrition and/or badly processed foods. People must begin to notice that food can play a crucial role in the cycle of poverty. Most importantly, the connection needs to be made between animals and food - that what is being put on ones plate was once a living and breathing being, not just a piece of bacon.

All of these points of reason that advocate for a more ethical and sustainable food industry must hit home to the majority of the population to enact change. Luckily, people are already aware of these issues, and have gotten the ball rolling. As for now, we must do what we can to add to its momentum, and together look forward to the day when the ball reaches the finish line.