kazu googoo

this beautiful creature must die...

each thanksgiving i get a little more than depressed thinking about the 300 million turkeys that will die for no better reason than a tradition that goes back to queen elizabeth ordering a second goose after hearing of a spanish ship (on its way to attack england) had sunk. the tradition of a late autumnal celebration featuring a large stuffed goose was replaced with turkeys by early colonists who found an abundance of wild turkeys while geese were scarce. never mind that the real thanksgiving meal was likely made up of seafood and wild venison. none of those options are very compassionate.

i realize that most people see vegetarians as mildly over-sensitive, too impassioned, or zealous, but for me it's simply a matter of compassion. if you can think of the 300 million lives that will be taken after a short life pent up in a cage, pumped full of hormones, after an infancy of clipped beaks and removed claws, and still eat these social creatures, more power to you. I may not have that ability to disconnect, but i don't fault anyone who does make that choice. provided they understand why they do eat turkeys (most would simply reply tradition), and what it means in terms of suffering.

so this is a reminder, think before you eat, and perhaps a little more thought than light or dark meat, because that meat was once a very social animal that would have loved to spend this holiday with its family. a great place to better educate yourself on the plight of the turkey is:

http://www.gentlethanksgiving.org/

happy thanksgiving!

posted by kazuhank @ 8:33 AM