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I used to work on a farm run by vegetarians. As the only meat eater, they all thought it should be my job to do the dirty deed when any animal required killing.
by Daub 6y ago
I used to work on a farm run by vegetarians. As the only meat eater, they all thought it should be my job to do the dirty deed when any animal required killing. One thing I learned pretty quickly was that no animal wants to die. Killing the chickens was bearable, by I came to the end of my tether when I was called upon to help in the killing of a pig. It knew it was going to die, and fought it with all its might. Left the job shortly after.
- nradov 6y agoWhy would the pig know if was going to die? I've seen pigs butchered on a farm. The butcher just shot then once in the forehead with a .22. Instant lights out.
- TylerE 6y agoPigs are extremely intelligent, on par with dogs at least, and I've seen rankings that place them as high as 4th, behind only apes, dolphins, and elephants.
- nradov 6y agoSure pigs are intelligent but a pig that's never seen a gun before doesn't know it's going to die.
- jessaustin 6y agoIf there are regular slaughters, smart animals might notice a pattern. "We never saw Fred again after he went to that strange shed. Then we never saw Tom after he went there. Why the hell are they dragging me over there now?!??" This doesn't mean that any pig could articulate "I'm going to die". That isn't necessary. Nearly every ungulate (maybe not moose?) has a built-in mortal fear ready to surface at any time. New events, or repeated events with bad associations, bring out that fear. It takes a great deal of training to relax that.
- TylerE 6y agoIt's reading emotions/social cues, not objects. Animals are frighteningly good at that.
- nradov 6y agoMaybe dogs. Not pigs. I've seen it happen several times. The pigs didn't put up a fight or act at all abnormal.
- aivisol 6y agoThe whole concept of thinking about animals dumber than they are makes killing them more acceptable.
- Daub 6y agoMy memory is hazy on this. I remember the pig being hung upside down, and this would have been a clear cue that something was going to happen. However, this may have been after it was killed. The reason it was hung was to drain the blood. Related... the silence of the lambs thing I witnessed first hand. A bunch of sheep taken off to be slaughtered, standing in complete silence. Welsh sheep are never silent, so it spooked me a lot. No visual cues as to their impending doom, yet they all stood there like ghosts.
- hutzlibu 6y ago"One thing I learned pretty quickly was that no animal wants to die" I would say, no healthy animal wants to die.
- Daub 6y agoAgreed. I have not worked with animals for much of my life, but recognize an animal that knows when it’s time is up. For my experience, there is something very dignified about such cases.
- nickkell 6y agoWasn't it a bit hypocritical of the vegetarians farming animals?
- Daub 6y agoCould not agree more. I was young (18) and was easily impressed by fatuous reasoning. These people would feed the farm animals, profit by their sale, yet not eat or kill them. Weak reasoning at best, hypocrisy at worst.
- nickkell 6y agoI'm curious as to whether you still eat animals, knowing that you couldn't stomach slaughtering them?
- Daub 6y agoGood question. Shortly after that experience I became a vegetarian and stayed one for many years (with many small relapses). Around five years ago I rescinded, mostly because of health issues. Also... it is very difficult to be vegetarian where I now live.
- brigandish 6y agoThere’s a scene in the film of Jude the Obscure where Jude helps slaughter a pig. It looked pretty real to me even if it may have been the magic of movies. I think they show the full horror of that moment because it's an important moment for the character[1]. Anyway, I've been a vegetarian since not long after seeing that, going on 25 years now. I can understand and sympathise with feeling as you did. I understand but don't sympathise with the way your colleagues left the dirty work to you, very hypocritical of them. I've known a few vegetarians like that, it's more about their personal disgust and hence, comfort, than it is about anyone else's suffering. They're also the most fickle, in my experience, hunger will soon overcome less important emotions, like notions formed as child. They're the ones you'll hear saying “I was vegetarian for years but one day I was famished and all I had available was a burger… never looked back”. You have principles they are yet to know. [1] http://www.gutenberg.org/files/153/153-h/153-h.htm#chap10 http://www.gutenberg.org/files/153/153-h/153-h.htm#chap10