Kai+M’s+2018+OpEd+Article

My Address to the “Animal Lovers” and “Kind People”

We all remember going to the fair, going to the pet store, printing out the adorable puppy pictures to put in our binder covers. We love animals- so why do we tolerate and even cause thousands of animals to suffer? I know that blaming the reader will not get them to side with me. So, I will do my best to keep this a muckraker, not a rage article.

Time and time again, I destroy myself. I destroy myself over the [|BILLIONS] of lives lost each year, and the unspeakable and unknown cruelty. I am so tired of feeling like the only one in a classroom to feels enough of the disease ridden, exhausted, and terrified cow’s pain to break down crying. How can you say you love lambs and gush over how cute they are, when their mom or even them become your next meal? How can you say you have empathy, when you don’t care enough to put your mind in the animals? I don’t understand how any of this can happen. What if the situation was flipped? What if it was [|you] ? You would want to be saved right from your family’s and your death that you know is coming quick, right? Pigs are one of the smartest animals, as well as chickens, so why are they being consumed? “I would be a vegetarian, but I love ___” Taste does NOT justify killing.

We turn a blind eye to the cruelty- we know it’s there, we witnessed it countless times. If you love dogs so much, why do you keep changing the channel on the distressed pet commercials? “They’re so sad!” Well, they’re sad for a reason. Forced fights, mutilation, neglect, improper care, abuse- I’ve seen the results. I do my part to the pet community by volunteering with the Ventura County Animal Shelter. I walk dogs that don’t get out everyday, socialize rabbits that have been abandoned and neglected, and complete small tasks like laundry. Anyone can help- you just need the energy to go on their website and complete the volunteer form.

I understand that in some places, and in history, people needed to wear fur to stay warm. But hello people! We are in the 21st century, we don’t need to wear the skin of animals anymore. Why is this seen as such a fashionable, luxurious thing to flounce about in? The fur trade is not a humane practice: anal electrocution, cramped, wire cages, animals skinned alive, crushed, or drowned. This is all happening right now. And you think faux fur is better? That’s still encouraging the look (same thing for leather), so someone who doesn’t know it’s a fake will spring for a real fur. Also, fake fur products open the door for manufacturers to use real fur, which happened (twice) at Kohl's. Know the difference, or even better, don’t buy at all!

So for those of you who do eat meat, turn a blind eye to cruelty, and, insist that you are a kind person who empathizes with all, I am not asking for a debate. This is not a challenge. I am weary and done with hearing you insist on meat, and saying that you “can’t live without it”. Do you think I am dead ? (I’ve been a vegetarian for 3 years and I promise you, I am alive). I am sick of hearing you whimper for the poor animal, then continue on with your day, like the cruelty does not exist. I shouldn’t have to be saying these things, and I most certainly shouldn’t have to be asking you to please think about what you are eating, and what you are doing. As Mahatma Ghandi says, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”. (Decipher that one on your own). I used to not be a vegetarian; I would profuse my love of animals to all, then pretend my fried chicken was not provided by the mass slaughter of a defenseless, afraid animal. So please, listen to me. This cruelty can’t go on, and I beg you to help me make it stop. According to the United Nations, animal agriculture is one of the largest pollutants. If every American took out chicken from one meal once a week it would be the equivalent of taking half a million cars off the road. You don’t need pollution, heart disease, and death in your life, right? So, you don’t need meat either! There are many stores that don’t sell fur or faux fur, so take advantage of that! You can even online shop, so if you don’t want to go out to, you don’t have to. Small things like these, matter. I’ve done the reports, presentations, research, and speeches. Join me in being a voice for the animals without one. Take my muckraker to heart, and HELP ME STOP THE CRUELTY. Thank you.

For more information go to the Humane Society's [|website]. .