Giving Up a Vegetarian Diet as a Form of Activism

     I do a lot of flying and have done so for many years.  The consequence of that is I have lots of orphaned frequent flyer miles on airlines that I rarely (or may never again) use.  Four thousand miles on Thai Air are next to worthless to me so I gave in recently to a letter warning me my miles were about to expire and offering magazine subscriptions as a way to use them. 

     Four thousand frequent flyer miles won't even get you to the boarding gate much less allow you to fly anywhere but they will buy you five or six annual magazine subscriptions.  One of the mags I ordered was Food and Wine (www.foodandwine.com).  I love food and wine so I thought this was a good choice.  The recipes look pretty intriguing too but when you get half way through them you realize you have to travel to Indonesia to get two of the spices required since the local HyVee has never heard of them.  Regardless of that I find it an informative and relaxing read.

     A recent article grabbed my attention and I thought you ought to take a look since it is very revealing of some of the disturbing "facts" that are now becoming widely accepted about your vocation if you are a modern swine producer. 

     The interesting twist on this piece is the notion that some principled vegetarians are giving up the meatless diet when they can find meat produced by family farmers vs. factory farms. (http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/why-vegetarians-are-eating-meat).  The idea is that a growing number of people are vegetarians not simply for health reasons but as an act of protest against so-called "factory farm" raised animals.  You can read it but the bottom line is by giving up their vegetarian diet and purchasing from small scale farmers they are engaging in an act of activism in support of the small farmer which is more powerful than simply refusing to eat meat at all.  Thats an interesting twist...however

     The thing which I find more intriguing is how easily and without any fear of contradiction, the so-called factory farm is written off and delegitimized in this piece.  The emerging belief being widely promulgated is that its not the behavior in scaled up farms that is the primary objection, it is the structure itself.  This is a critical and more fundamental condemnation since it attacks the very existence of the modern farm rather than only the behavior within it. 

     The conventional wisdom which seems to be emerging is you will not become acceptable just by changing your behavior in the farm, adopting the latest animal welfare protocols, rearranging the furniture in the gestation and farrowing house or by stopping any form of odor whatsoever from escaping from the farm etc. as there is a largely unchallenged conclusion being drawn up out there that something more fatally flawed is lingering in your operation.  It is the farm itself.