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Jessica Mogg
Long-Kish
English 111
16 December 2015

Consumption of Animals on Our Conscience

Lets face it, a majority of humans consume and utilize animals for their benefit.
Whether it is for nutritional value, to satisfy the need for hunger, or simply convenience of what
animals and their by-products offer, most humans do this unconsciously. Is this a viable excuse
for our behavior or is our lack of acknowledgement the reason its acceptable? This awareness is
what separates vegans and/or vegetarians from those meat-crazed individuals in society.
According to Gary Steiner in Animal, Vegetable, Miserable humans are asking the
wrong questions. Questions such as were animals treated humanely? or how was the animal
raised? and did they have a good quality of life? are irrelevant to the topic at hand. He feels
the real frustration is that animals in the end ultimately suffer and are murdered for human
benefit. But humans convinced themselves unconsciously that their benefit or desires are far
more valuable than that of the animal. Steiner goes on to point out the lack of conscious efforts
put forth by humans and that is reason so many people are not vegans or vegetarians. To quote
The simple answer is that most people just dont care about the lives or fortunes of animals
really ties in the theory that we act unconsciously.
No one can deny the fact that the animal rights movement is taking place and becoming
more relevant than ever before. However, this movement is not due to pure empathy for the
animal or due to our conscience. The article Beyond Morality written by Maxim Fetissenko
provides some examples of whats being done regarding the treatment of animals but points out
that its most likely personal gain and politics as the reason behind this. Fetissenko writes about

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The European Parliament and The United States taking a stand for animal rights by banning
certain goods from importation, such as seal products, or by proposing new laws in defense of
animal living conditions. However he claims the first warning sign is that all of the major
successes achieved by the movement have been in areas where voters or other decision-makers
did not have to make any significant behavioral changes or give up anything of importance to
them. Again, supporting the claim that human benefit outweighs the importance of animal
welfare because we do not consciously consider animal welfare.
The challenge isnt to eliminate the use of animals for human benefit but rather to change
our conscience and the way we value animals. This seems daunting to some but necessary to
others. The conscious minds of most humans will not accept or equate the concept of mass
murder as Steiner would put it, with consuming animals for their personal benefit. Rather,
humans will justify their behavior my not consciously thinking about what really happens for
them to enjoy the tastes or products animals have sacrificed for.

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Works Cited
Fetissenko, Maxim Beyond Morality: Developing a New Rhetorical Strategy for the Animal
Rights Movement
Steiner, Gary Animal, Vegetable, Miserable