Why Vegan? ~ The People (2/3)
The longer I am vegan the more I believe that this is the most ethical
and compassionate choice I could make. There are three main reasons I
live the way I do: The Animals, The People and The Environment.
This post took me a long time to write. I didn't rely on sources for the "Why Vegan ~The Animals" post because I just wanted to show you through my thought process, since it's so easy to find facts on the animal cruelty involved in the making of animal products. However, this time, I feel like it is harder to find information on this topic, and certainly not enough people talking about it. Hence why I tried my best to look for facts and present you the sources I used.
The Forgotten Victims
When people confront me about veganism, one of their arguments is how much they care for people, and that there are more important causes in the world than animal rights, such as human rights.
I agree, actually. Although I care a lot about both, I do care more about people than I care about non-human animals. If you really do care, and if you don't want to take any part on human exploitation, you should definitely go vegan.
It breaks my heart when vegans forget human and worker's rights as a reason to go vegan, and even talk about slaughterhouse workers as if they are the bad guys. Slaughterhouse workers are also victims of this violent and cruel industry. That is, in my opinion, a very powerful argument for veganism.
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| Not my picture, got it here |
The Working Conditions
Working at a slaughterhouse is one of the most dangerous jobs someone can have. Having to work with very sharp and fast machinery makes this job very prone to work accidents, from cuts and fractures to mutilations, severe electrical shocks and burns. Workers soon learn that the production chain doesn't stop: even if there is a mechanical failure, even if an accident occurs, even if someone is passed out on the floor, the chain doesn't stop.
As if this wasn't enough, the space is filled with blood and excretions which are likely to cause health problems to the workers, such as respiratory, reproductive and neurological problems. It isn't uncommon that rats are found in these filthy places, and they might even end up mixed in with the processing meat.
This job is not only physically harsh, it also takes an emotional toll on these workers. Having to kill an animal every 12 seconds makes it necessary to desensitize and to get comfortable with violence, which easily extends to violent tendencies in their lives. Slaughterhouse workers are more likely to commit crimes, particularly domestic abuse, because of the trauma caused by the extreme violence they are forced to take a part in. They are also likely to have problems with alcohol and drugs in an attempt to deal with this trauma.
To top all this, slaughterhouse workers are overworked and underpaid, which contributes even more to the already stressful life they lead.
Who are the slaughterhouse workers?
You might be wondering who would accept such a filthy, dangerous and traumatizing job. Well, many slaughterhouse workers are illegal immigrants from Asia and Latin America. These companies take advantage of these workers since they not only accept lower wages but also can't seek legal help for the terrible conditions they suffer from. This industry is also known for taking underage workers (again, immigrants, mostly teenagers claiming to be 18 when applying).
When these crimes are exposed, it's the workers that are taken as criminals, and arrested or deported, while these big corporations, that took advantage of them in the first place and put them in cruel conditions, don't suffer the consequences for their actions and keep committing the same crimes...
By consuming animal products, you are supporting these vicious companies. You're telling them you're okay with the way they treat their workers, and asking them to keep it up. The best way to stop this exploitation and to punish these vicious companies for their horrible actions is to go vegan.
Sources
None of the information on this post is mine - I learned it either from the internet or from a book.
This was the video introduced me to this topic, from one of my favorite Youtube channels. I highly recommend you watch it.
I also checked the sources mentioned in the description of that video:
As for books, I found a lot of the information I shared on this post on Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows by Melanie Joy (chapter 4 - Collateral Damage: The Other Casualties of Carnism).
Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran, is also a great book that mentions this topic.
I haven't read any book specifically on slaughterhouse workers, but hopefully I will in the future, and when I do, I'll share.
I haven't read any book specifically on slaughterhouse workers, but hopefully I will in the future, and when I do, I'll share.
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