When viewing these two pictures, which chicken's welfare might we care about more - one of the chickens among the mass of chickens, or the one being cuddled by this beautiful little child? If the white chicken became snagged on a wire, or were trapped, might you rush to help it? What about one of the ones in the factory?
It's well known that human beings are challenged when it comes to feeling compassion for multitudes, even if the multitudes are human beings. And this is yet another problem with factory farms. Even when we're allowed to see photographs of the living conditions - and the horrific transport and slaughter - each individual is in a sea of other individuals, and our brains go numb with it.
We need to stop. We need to quietly consider the feelings of another living creature. If we had a pet chicken, and she sat on our lap while we read, and ate a banana from our hand, and followed us around the yard, would we turn on her and strangle her, slit her throat, and eat her? If not, what right do we have in eating any chicken? Each chicken we eat WOULD sit on our lap, eat from our hand, and cock her head at us with curiosity, if we offered her the chance.
These are living creatures who want to live. When I ate chicken, I never thought about this. I never thought about the fact that someone had to confine a beautiful bird in practically a straight jacket, sear her beak off, and then sometime later snatch her in terror and murder her, cut her up, and package her. But now nothing could be more obvious.
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