I would bet that if I asked most people if they are offended by slavery, they would respond with a indignant diatribe on the immorality of one human exerting superiority and control over another.
A remake of “Roots” was recently aired on The History Channel. I couldn’t watch it. It repulsed me to know that some humans were able to justify treating others in such a deplorable way. People were torn from their families, tortured into submission, and forced to live in an environment that was hostile and foreign, all because they were considered inferior. They were often forced to entertain their masters and fight against their will. Some ran away, and some died trying to run. Many were born into slavery and never had the opportunity to change their destiny. The very thought saddens me immensely.
Most of us are outraged by the very notion of slavery, and rightly so. However, slavery still exists in our society and is condoned more often than not. We enslave animals on a daily basis and never think about the consequences of our actions. Ignorance is bliss. If we don’t know about animal enslavement, we can’t be offended by it.
I grew up before the Internet, which is a testament to my advanced age. Circuses were fun, and Sea World was the epitome of entertainment. It was exciting to travel to the beach and stop for the day to marvel at the antics of animals that I had never seen before. However, with the capacity to travel and the magic that is video streaming, it is possible to experience creatures and places that many of us will never visit. There is no need for animal enslavement for our personal gain. Now I know.
I never thought about the fact that animals were ripped from their native environments and social groups, confined in small areas against their will, and transported for miles to entertain humans. It never occurred to me that they might be tortured with bullhooks or other “training” devices. Confined animals are often made to endure temperature extremes and encouraged to fight with other animals. When the occasional rebellion or mishap occurs, the animal is dealt with mercilessly. Pain and death are often the result of insurgence. Chalk it up to animal enslavement. Now I know. Please take a minute to re-read the first paragraph. You should be able to extract some obvious parallels.
My mother and sister owned fur coats. Owning such a luxurious item of apparel implied status. When my sister and I were young, my wealthy grandfather presented us with white fur hats and matching fur muffs. My ex-husband skinned mink for a mink farmer. I still didn’t bother to investigate the details. Most mink are raised exclusively for fur, confined to small areas, receive the bare minimum of care, and are electrocuted to death. My ex-husband also likes to hunt anything with motor skills, which is one of the reasons that he is my ex.
Leather jackets were cool, and snakeskin purses and coonskin caps were in demand. Many of us had a severed rabbits’ feet on our keychains for good luck. Ivory goods were unique and beautiful. There was never a thought that the creature that was the original owner might need their skin, fur, feet, or tusks worse than we needed them. Now I know.
Dinner was often something that had once been alive. It was thought that it was necessary to eat animal products to remain healthy. My uncle was a butcher, and he scared me. He seemed angry and abusive. He died of cancer. My grandmother had diabetes, my aunt passed from heart disease, and my mother died with severe osteoporosis. Two aunts and an uncle died from cancer, and another uncle died from a stroke. All those diseases can be linked to regularly consuming animal products. Now I know.
The pursuit of perfection and vanity has a huge cost to animals. There is no valid reason to enslave animals and test toxic products on them. There is also no reason for personal care products to contain animal ingredients like lanolin, milk or gels. There are plenty of good alternatives available today. When I was a teenager, I used whatever my friends used. Peer pressure was alive and well and animals paid the price. Now I know.
I could go on. But hopefully by now, you realize that many humans use and abuse animals for personal gain and profit. Animal abuse most often leads to human abuse. There were and still are times when I just didn’t want to know. It is not easy to change and deviate from the familiar. Who we are and who we become reflect our experiences and consequent choices. I am offended by slavery of any kind and have made my choices to not condone animal enslavement. Factory farming of animals is a huge industry that contributes to animal misery and the degradation of our planet. Now you know and the ball is in your court. Just saying.
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