We just watched the Animal Rights episode of 30 Days and it was amazing, although we kept our eyes closed for most of it. I have to give a huge shout out to George the hunter from North Carolina.
George had amazing insight into the animal rights movement, He was a brave person. George was quick to pick up on the rhetoric of some of the activists. There was a lot of talk comparing the Holocaust with animal cruelty as well as in your face videos from PETA and their activists.
Steve and I had a lot to say about the video after seeing it and what we had a hard time with was exactly what George did, hard core, do it this way or your wrong, mentality. Being mean to someone or spewing out facts isn't the best way to get someone to listen to your ideas. The most effective parts of the video were the footage from a factory farm and the kill shelter. These scenes, although sad and sickening made us remember why we are vegan and glad to be so. These were also the turning points for George and his views on animal cruelty.
Will George give up hunting? No, he said he wouldn't in the show but he did say that he wouldn't stand for animal cruelty anymore. I support George. Steve and I joked that PETA would probably revoke our vegan status for saying that we can understand George's point of view about hunting. Even though we can understand George, we went vegan because we didn't want to be party to the suffering of animals. So, we think that it's awesome that George saw for himself how animals are treated and that he changed his view about factory farming. We say end the abuse of animals first and then let's talk about going vegan.
3 comments:
I get what you're saying, but I think hunting is cruelty to animals. An animal is going about its business and someone comes along and murders it. That's pretty cruel.
Don't get us wrong Go Vegan, we too think that hunting is cruel and unnecessary and we don't condone it at all. But, we could get our heads wrapped around George's way of thinking and understand where he was coming from- we haven't always been vegan. And regardless if his view towards hunting is sincere or just a wall to keep him from feeling anything towards animals he has a right to think his way. All we were trying to say is that from an objective stand point we could hear where he was coming from.
We think life is a journey as is going vegan. Some of us are going to do it right away other's are going to take longer and some may never reach being a total vegan. But all those steps help in some way. In front of our eyes George made a huge leap in his personal journey regarding animal welfare and we think that's pretty great. I think that you have to start somewhere and if George is going to continue to hunt but also change the way he buys his meat and hopefully speak out against animal cruelty then I am all for George. Hopefully, by having been given total access to exactly how animals are tortured this information will keep peeking it's head up in his brain everytime he kills an animal with a gun. Who knows, maybe in time George will give up hunting. But, until then I support the changes he has made and the changes, whether small or large, that other people make that help reduce animal suffering. Thanks for your comment!
I cringed at the beginning of the episode when George meets his first animal rights activist and she "takes back" her handshake. I got a tinge of fear that vegans were going to get portrayed as crazy extremists.
When I tell people I'm vegan for the first time I can imagine them saying, "But your not crazy." I actually have had people say to me, "You are the first normal vegan I have ever met." We get a bad wrap, no doubt.
As the episode continues, George hears all of the shock rhetoric that as vegans we know is happening but to George he "shuts down just as quickly as anyone else."
What is it that enlightens George to the issue of animal suffering? It wasn't being treated rudely, hearing shocking analogies, nor was it watching Meet Your Meat. George worked with rescued animals, saw first hand the unnecessary cruelty, and lived for 30 days with a kick ass vegan family that earned his respect.
It is painful to watch the portrayal of vegans on tv and in movies because the vegans I know are far removed from those stereotypes. All of the vegans (well most), I meet are kind compassionate people to both non-human animals and humans alike. Well done 30 Days.
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