Exploitation of man and animals for economic reasons
In the sixteenth and seventeenth century western people used to travel
to Africa to enslave black people and take them away to
work on plantations in the "New World".
Nowadays some people in the Third World work voluntary for western entrepreneurs
while tempted not to grow crops for the local market but
to grow fodder for the western factory farming industry.
In countries with factory farms animals are exploited
as modern slaves, just as inhuman as the "old" human slaves
were treated and just as invisible.
The majority of the Westerners have pulled out of the developing areas, however their investments have remained.
Developing countries
can free themselves from the burden of debts when they
agree to produce for western countries. The former yoke
of bondage has been replaced by the leading strings of
our economic doctrine. The Third World still is under
the spell of our economic conviction: "produce fodder
and thou shall be rich soon and freedom will result".
The flipside is that the local economies have become disrupted
and the local population has little to eat or is forced
to destroy a new part of the rainforest in order to grow
some crops for themselves.
This way the Third World not only has sold out its raw
materials but the local market has also become the place
to sell off western overproduction. When they object to
this unequal competition Western governments offer to
take away limitations for the Western market, while subsidizing
their own entrepreneurs by their own taxes.
Automation has brought about an increase in production and higher profits
Meanwhile factory farming in the western hemisphere is no longer restricted by small-scale production: the farmer is given the opportunity to keep a great number of animals.
He often lives away from the farm, in order
not to be constantly reminded by the smell and ugliness
of the stables and the way he earns his money. Laborers
are scarce in demand and the banks and fodder industry
cooperate in financing and building big stables. This
way it is much easier and cheaper to supply fodder and
collect products and animals. The only thing for the
farmer to organize is a location to dump the manure,
which is injected into the ground as soon as possible.
The whole world has become a global market for meat
consumption; only legal restrictions to protect the
environment sometimes limit the unbridled growth of
factory farming. Nobody is confronted with the abuse
that takes place in factory farming.
Because of the hidden production behind closed stable doors the public
is unaware of what is going on and is unlikely to protest.
In contrast to the modern way of farming and reminiscent
of the old way there are often little goats and swag-belly
pigs in the front yard of the factory farms.
Many of the changed circumstances have a positive component:
a lot of hard intensive labor now belongs to the past.
The negative side is that the gained energy is not put
into positive goals, but directed to gaining more money.
A small group of entrepreneurs profit directly. The public
profits indirectly because of the low prices for meat.
Greed, easy money and ostentation (another reason to keep
exotic pets) make the animals in factory farms groan under
the yoke of modern slavery. It is the animal that is paying
a high price for the profits of modern farming. In exchange
for good care, though limited and completely focused on
fast growth without problems, the animals are left with
nothing but boredom, awaiting slaughter. No action is
undertaken that does not serve the purpose of making more
money, leaving the animals in conditions of utter boredom
and misery. As modern slaves animals have a right to freedom
too. It is the same freedom that is misused by the factory
farmer in order to build his empire.
Freedom
used to violate animal freedom must be curbed, otherwise
freedom will turn into the opposite direction. Revolution
on the part of the animal is not to be expected; in
turn we get scandals like harmful hormones, resistant
germs, dioxin contamination, BSE and swine-plagues.
It is everybody's task to defend the borders of freedom:
government, consumers, meat producers, banks and the
business world. In the old days one would call up for
solidarity with the weaker party, but nowadays this
would not help, because responsibility is spread over
too many parties.
It is easy to avoid responsibility and the animal is unable
stand up and fight for its own rights. The consumer cries
out "I don't have time to buy ecological meat" and states,
together with the farmers, that "it is up to the government
to make factory farming less attractive and make ecological
farming more attractive". Because of this attitude the
lives of farm animals are expected to improve only slowly.
People in our society, quite rightly, are unwillingly forced into moral norms
and values Society is likely to function properly when
it consists of individuals that behave in a responsible
way when not being monitored all of the time. For example
when consumers stop buying factory farm products, when
animals from the wild are no longer hunted for pleasure
only or when it is no longer practice that harmful components
are mixed with fodder. The solution is to actually implement
freedom in our society and our minds.
This means that freedom:
must be limited (no import of fodder from the third
world, just like the ban of exotic animals) and the export of animal
products
must be made explicit (what are minimal requirements
for animal freedom)
must be guarded and monitored (the freedom of a
factory farmer ends where the freedom of animals begins).
People should free themselves from all kinds of
enslaving habits that prevent them from taking responsibility
for their own behavior and they should learn to act
effectively to improve the lives of animals.
Human action tends to be motivated by economic interests. Improving conditions
for animals should therefore be positively linked to our
economic interest, whereby the goals and methods are directed
to enlarging the freedom for as many parties as possible.
Factory farming should be economically unattractive and
ecological stock farming should be given a fair chance.
This way real freedom is implemented in the whole range
of our society.
This article is part of a series on falsities and demagogy.
Some arguments used in debate on the topics in the title simply are invalid.
That goes for pro and contra.
We selected a few of the most rigid arguments from
different situations and placed an appropriate counterargument.
Because a more clear and honest way of reasoning helps improve the circumstances animals live in. Mail us if you encounter other or new (counter)-arguments.
Apart from the specific issues there are the types of
arguments in general.
Fallacies are deliberately or accidentally used in a debate.
So be aware of the principles and the integrity of an opponent.
Click here for tips on how to react to animal-unfriendly behavior of others.
Non-valid arguments (deceptive arguments) for different groups
