The chicken or the egg

Who came first? The chicken? The egg? The same question can be asked of slavery, were "the slaves treated like cattle (Speigel, 159)," or are the cattle treated like slaves? Before this class, I would not have spent a minute to think about this question. I had become hardened to the abuse of animals because I saw it so often and it was easier to stifle my feelings against it. "I had forgotten the depth of feeling one could see in [animal's] eyes (Walker, 169)."

Throughout this class, the readings, and Earthlings, the same ideas keep resurfacing when I digest these texts and ideas. People allow bad things to happen for two reasons, one: they are too cowardice to actually feel something in response to bad things happening around them, or two: they do so in fear because they would rather oppression continue as long as it does not happen to them. The second option is illustrated by a quote from an ex-ranch hand, in a personal interview with Speigel in A Deathly Comparison, "Sure, we used to throw 'em on the ground and cut their balls off with a pen-knife... And that's not all; at the same time we'd brand 'em and cut off their horns. And you know what? It didnt bther me... I never felt anything for them (Speigel, 149)." Initially, I rebuked the comparison between the Jews in the Holocaust and the treatment of animals today because, as a Jew, I "fe[lt] that it [was] insulting to compare the suffering of non-human animals to that of humans (Speigel, 148)," but looking back now, as G.B. Heron, my mind has somewhat shifted. 

We can help one another, all earthlings alike.

My new distinction is not between human animals and non-human animals, but rather the oppressors and the oppressed because "pain is pain, whether it be inflicted on man or beast (Dr. Humphrey Primatt, 1776)." I accept some of the disturbing similarities between that of the human and non-human experience such as their shared experience of pain, loss of family, loss of personal choice, constant fear, terrible living conditions, oppression, and "inability to establish personal security or safety (Speigel, 153)." Their is no loyalty of the slave master to the slave for their long hours and service to them. They get no rewards. But there is a way to fix this, to spread information and force people to face such things they try to avoid...to see things feelingly.

Reading The Dreaded Comparison by Marjorie Spiegel, made me feel helpless then frustrated then inquisitive then doubtful then a bit hopeful. I found hope in the chance we have to use "our [newly] heightened consciousness (Speigel, 147)." With this, we "shall know the truth and the truth shall make us free (UT Tower)." Speigel also mentions steps we, as a society and as individuals, must take in order to fix the tyranny. For example, "Advances towards releasing animals from our domination and control of their lives will also serve to lessen the oppression of blacks and others who suffer under the weight of someone else's power (Speigel, 151)."

Furthermore if we accept the "philosophy of universal respect for others' lives, treating anyone--human or non-human-- in a cruel manner beings to be unthinkable (Speigel, 151)." Another mention of hopeful change is illustrated in the section about animal testing, "Many firms have again begun manufacturing products from natural, nontoxic ingredients, and do not test their products on animals (Speigel, 160)." Also, we could prevent much animal testing by lawfully instilling a "mandatory or established system for sharing protocols or experiment results, [in order to prevent] vast duplication of [similar] research (Speigel, 162)."