PETA Recap/Summary

[Trilby]

I just watched the PETA pig video that garnet linked. Oh, god...the people who do those things are sick, sick, sick. If they can do that to a pig they could do it to a person. WHY beat an animal? The men on that video enjoyed torturing those pigs. I'm not going to look at that stuff again. It's too disturbing.

[Troubleshooter]

Originally Posted by Brianna

I'm not going to look at that stuff again. It's too disturbing.

Just so long as you don't forget it or ignore it.

[glatt]

I watched the pig video too, and I admit it was disturbing. I eat pork regularly, and I don't like to see the pigs being treated that way.

I'm glad PETA was there to film it, and I'm glad the animal abusers were punished.

I wonder how frequently this happens? I have the impression PETA would exaggerate about the frequency of these problems. The video was clearly edited for length. I assume PETA removed all the footage of those workers treating the pigs the way they should, and only focused on the shocking images. One image in particular, the worker shooting the bolt into the pig's head behind the ear, was shocking to watch, but I think it didn't show abuse. It showed incompetence. The worker didn't intentionally torture the animal. The worker later tried to put the animal out of its misery, but it was thrashing around too much. As soon as the pig calmed down a little, a properly lined up shot put it out of its misery. The workers who held the other pigs down with their feet while lining the bolt up for a clean shot were also criticized. I'm sure the pig didn't like being stepped on. But a clean shot that instantly killed the pig was the result. Much better than the thrashing around in the other segment.

The worker slamming the runts down on the floor to kill them, the other one who was beating the pigs, and sick pigs left to die were all inexcusable in my opinion. Those workers are sociopathic. I would keep my eye on them if I were the local cops.

I have a difficult time believing that most pigs are treated this way in the industry as a whole. It's financially in the best interests of the industry to take care of its pigs up until the day they are slaughtered. If a pig is a runt or is sick, it should be slaughtered in a humane way, not beaten or abandoned.

[garnet]

Originally Posted by glatt

I have the impression PETA would exaggerate about the frequency of these problems.

Why? have you spent any time on these types of factory farms? Or is it because you already have a negative opinion of PETA?

Originally Posted by glatt

The video was clearly edited for length.

Probably because there's literally HUNDREDS of hours of video tape

Originally Posted by glatt

I assume PETA removed all the footage of those workers treating the pigs the way they should, and only focused on the shocking images.

Do you think these same guys hit pigs with metal rods, slam their heads on the floor and torture them, and then the next day they're sweet and gentle to them? If they do, I'm guessing they've got pretty severe mood swing disorders.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by garnet

Probably because there's literally HUNDREDS of hours of video tape.

That's my point exactly. You take hundreds of hours of videotape, and cherry pick the few scenes that make your point. PETA is trying to sway public opinion here by tugging the debate towards the extreme. For the most part, pig farmers/factory workers treat the animals in a detached, matter-of-fact, and possibly somewhat rough way. They don't beat the crap out of the animals. That would waste money. Nobody wants to buy bruised meat with infected sores, etc.

I'm not saying these conditions are happy ones for the animals, just that the blatent abuse isn't anywhere near as common as that video would like us to believe. It's propaganda.

[garnet]

Originally Posted by glatt

I'm not saying these conditions are happy ones for the animals, just that the blatent abuse isn't anywhere near as common as that video would like us to believe. It's propaganda.

Again, how do you know that it's "propaganda"? I know people who've worked on these types of farms and say it's very common for the animals to be abused. These are low-paid workers, and they simply don't care if the meat ends up "bruised." That's not their problem. If this video had been made by a local news station rather than PETA, would you also say it's propaganda? Are you basing your conclusions on WHO made the video, rather than the CONTENT of the video?

[glatt]

Originally Posted by garnet

If this video had been made by a local news station rather than PETA, would you also say it's propaganda? Are you basing your conclusions on WHO made the video, rather than the CONTENT of the video?

Yes. I would trust local news over PETA to present a less biased report on the conditions in a slaughterhouse or factory farm.

You admitted yourself that hundreds of hours were edited to come up with a couple of minutes of footage. If there were more damning scenes in the raw footage, I am certain that PETA would have used them. You have to admit that as well. PETA was not attempting to make an unbiased documentary. PETA was attempting to make a film that shocks and horrifies people and makes them think eating meat is bad. That's called propaganda.

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by garnet

. These are low-paid workers, and they simply don't care if the meat ends up "bruised." That's not their problem.

besides being low-paid workers they seem to be sociopaths in the making. I don't understand the wisdom of allowing an hourly worker to waste time/money by beating a sow for an hour. The people who would do something like that--beat an animal for an hour--are seriously depraved individuals. I wouldn't want to sit next to any of those winners.


The man who sodomized the pig with a stick--OK, how sick is he??

[Cyber Wolf]

There's a tendency for any cause to focus on the worst of the worst. It gets the point across, sometimes ad nauseum. News and informative media regardless of origin tends to do that. When the priest sexual abuse scandal broke, all you heard about were priests who abused kids or had a long history of abuse and were still in the priesthood in contact with kids, you heard about the bishops who ignored the kids and families of victims, etc etc...during that time, you rarely heard any news about a priest doing anything good for anyone. For that time catholic priest = horny bastard with a 'special' liking for children.

Advocates for eliminating the pit bull are the same way...all you hear about are the few dogs who have attacked people and usually it's attacks that end in severe dismemberment or disfiguration or death that you hear about. You never hear about the sweet natured pit bull who's never gone after or attacked anyone except for the would-be theif she heard outside trying to break into a downstairs window (true story).

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by glatt

BIG SNIP-- Those workers are sociopathic. I would keep my eye on them if I were the local cops. ---BIG SNIP

Sociopathic? Well, they are professional killers.


disclaimer- No I don't approve of their behavior. Yes they should be prosecuted.

[garnet]

Originally Posted by Brianna

I just watched the PETA pig video that garnet linked. Oh, god...the people who do those things are sick, sick, sick. If they can do that to a pig they could do it to a person. WHY beat an animal? The men on that video enjoyed torturing those pigs. I'm not going to look at that stuff again. It's too disturbing.

Sorry Brianna. Those videos are disgusting, but they are also very powerful. After seeing those videos I knew I couldn't continue to support an industry that finds behavior like that acceptable. I'm not telling everyone to become vegetarian, but I hope it'll make you more aware. Watch it and make your own decision.