Hope and Frustration

Has anyone ever seen that episode of South Park where Cartman goes to teach at an inner city school? The kids are just about given up and Cartman turns around and says to: "How do reach these kids?!"

Just in case you haven't:

That's exactly how I feel when people ask me about veganism. They clearly get it, animals should not be abused, but are unwilling to end the cycle of violence and exploitation. At which point I cradle my head in my hands and scream "How do I reach these omnivores?!" Although admittedly, my accent is significantly more British!

A few days ago I had my dad visiting me and we had gone out for meal. He's sat there, enjoying his pork dumplings and chicken curry while talking about how much he loves animals.

I hear this sort of thing from so many people, I can only conclude that either the whole world is totally f***ing insane, or it's just me.

It's like pausing mid-rape to express your devotion to women's rights.

I can only think of one solution - forget GMO labeling for now, instead let's have a label showing the moment of harvest, photographed by an independent organization. I would have absolutely no problem looking at a picture on my food package of a combine harvester working its way around a field, or a farmer's hand reaching up to pick some fruit. In fact I think it would be a great idea! That way I can ensure that there's no child labour, no sweatshops, no burning rainforest in the background. It would really make my food producers think about the ethics of their operation.

By the same token, if you're buying beef then it would reasonable to show that cow being bolted or having it's carotid slashed. Why not? Surely you'd want to check that your meal was being 'ethically' slaughtered. If you don't like what you see, then go vegan.

We live in a society where we are fed lies about where our food comes from. We see fried chicken places with a grinning rooster, dairy products with winking cows and BBQ places with pictures of pigs working the grill. At the entrance to death camps, do they have statues of prisoners grinning and giving the thumbs up?

It's very important to know where our food comes from and what we are eating - or am I somehow unique in this viewpoint? Maybe I'll start out with a petition to help make this reality, please give me any ideas you might have...