Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer

[Gamow]

Run time: 29:59 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjbS8pM57tY   Posted on YouTube: January 26, 2011 By YouTube Member: theRSAorg Views on YouTube: 623   Posted on DU: January 29, 2011 By DU Member: Gamow Views on DU: 745

 
Award-winning novelist Jonathan Safran Foer challenges us to face some uncomfortable facts about our eating habits, and probes some of our fundamental instincts about right and wrong.

[Dennis Donovan]

1. Slightly OT: Have you seen the movie "Everything is Illuminated"?

...it was "most deranged".:rofl:

[FedUpWithIt All]

2. Premium film.

:)

[Dennis Donovan]

3. hahaha!!!

:D

[FedUpWithIt All]

4. Excellent clip.

I appreciate that he is making a point for moving in a more responsible direction. He doesn't seem to want to debate the ethics, he wants to encourage a discussion on food responsibility. I cannot think of many people, i personally know, who are not starting to have these discussions. We are at a point where positive change, and there are many ways to implement this change, has to happen. :thumbsup:

[Charleston Chew]

5. K&R

Earthlings

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x546854

[customerserviceguy]

6. We omnivores don't have a problem

with the animal-worship religious beliefs of our vegetarian and vegan friends, let them eat all the tofu and bean sprouts they want. What we worry about is them being able to make the laws someday that prevent us from practicing a lifestyle in the way that fits with our beliefs.

After watching all of this (yes, it was tedious and grueling) I have little fear that Mr. Foer is going to do anything but preach to his own choir. It took him about three or four minutes of mindless rambling even to get to the point of why he was being interviewed, fortunately, most people don't have the length of attention span to allow him a chance at being convincing.

His examples are offputting: the starving Jewish grandmother who refused a piece of meat offered by a Russian farmer while she was fleeing the Nazis because it was pork, his description of someone who would refuse to cut one meat meal a week out of his/her diet as 'pathological', his descriptions of the self-manufactured fear he had of being retaliated against fom putting out the book (apparently he has no idea how boring he is), and his descriptions of his own 'hypocracy' when it comes to not going fully vegan.

It seems like he's just mumbling about his own uncertainties, and I have no apprehensions about him changing enough minds to prevent me from enjoying a steak someday. He wishes to be congratulated for his self-denial, and I thank him for helping to keep the price of meat down.

[Charleston Chew]

7. lifestyle, beliefs?

I doubt I will read a more ignorant comment all day.

[customerserviceguy]

8. Yes, lifestyle and beliefs

Eating or not eating meat is a lifestyle. One's belief system about animals is usually the key to figuring out which of those two lifestyles a person with have.

What's so difficult to comprehend about that?

[Charleston Chew]

15. Animal Agriculture is Deteriorating Our Environment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I6-2TX1tZw

[Gamow]

9. Um... what? Did we watch the same video? Where did he say he wanted to outlaw or restrict meat?

I am an omnivore as well, and I have zero plans of becoming vegetarian, but I don't eat fast food meat for the reasons described in the video (environmental impact of factory farms). I also try to buy free range whenever I can afford it. That's as far as I will go.

I found his message to be well-considered and intellectually honest. Your post seems to be a personal attack against a perceived attack on your lifestyle.

He was very clear about his most important argument: factory farms are destroying our habitat (and I would add that it produces inferior meat as well).

[customerserviceguy]

10. He didn't get there yet

Hell, he couldn't even convince himself to commit to veganism.

Still, it's on the minds of us omnivores whenever we see someone get up on a soapbox for vegetarianism. Simply entitling his book "Eating Animals" tells me right there what his mission is, and how he intends to go about achieving it.

Like I said, his self-absorbed stammering is not going to change any minds, so I'm not worried about him in the slightest.

[Gamow]

11. And I'm sure your over-the-top attacks won't change minds either. nt

[Charleston Chew]

12. calm down

chill out

[Gamow]

13. self delete oops

mixed up poster's responses... self delete

[customerserviceguy]

14. I'm not trying to convince anyone

to change the laws so that people must eat meat. I'm perfectly secure, living in a world where omnivores and vegetarians co-exist, without one side needing validation from the other for their position, especially forced by government.