As this semester comes to an end, the topic of veganism has been better known. With this being my final post, I have learned that the topic of veganism is not as prominent as it needs to be because millions of animals are being mistreated on a daily basis just to cater to society’s demand for meat. This topic is important because the rate of health related illnesses continue to rise. As time progresses, more information and health studies have proven how beneficial it is to be vegan. One of the most surprising things that I learned is that approximately 16 million people have decided to make the change by becoming vegan or vegetarian according to Nadine Watters from The Raw Food World. Many decide to make this change because they are becoming aware of how cruel the meat industry is to animals and one of the main reasons for many people to make the change is for ethical reasons.
(Earthlings Poster, Documentarywire.com)
Directed by Shaun Monson, the film, Earthlings is one of the movies that creates a large impact on individuals because it reveals the reality of the meat industry. Narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, a vegan and animal rights activist, this movie is one of the most violent and gruesome films that has ever been released. It really makes a stand and educates the viewer of how animals everywhere are mistreated.
This film starts out by defining what the word earthling means, which is “an inhabitant of the Earth.” It also introduces the five ways that animals serve for mankind, which includes being household pets, victims of scientific experiments, a form of entertainment, skinned alive for their fur or eaten to help sustain a human’s lifestyle. Throughout this movie, the viewer is introduced to the harsh practices taken on animals in order to cater to any of these five purposes mentioned previously. In the end, Phoenix reminds the viewer that “what goes around, comes around” and that animals do not get anything in return for all the pain and suffering that they experience. In addition, he also reminds the viewer that animals have the same rights to be here on Earth, just as humans do.
(Pig in slaughterhouse, Peta.org)
Earthlings has such an impact on those who have not decided to transition to veganism because it opens their eyes and highlights how terrible the meat, dairy and egg industry is towards animals. For example, one of the ways that “meat animals” such as pigs get prepared for slaughter is by getting their tails, ears and teeth cut off when they are only a few days old. By doing this, it prevents the pigs from attacking each other, but as they mature, they end up resulting to cannibalism due to frustration and are more prone to diseases and abscesses. By showing the harsh conditions that these animals have to live in can make a large impact on the viewer’s eating choices. After watching this, Monson’s goal is to make meat eaters re-evaluate their choices and eventually decide to not support the industries.
In the future, I would like to see more people make the change and the consumption of meat to decrease everywhere. This is a possibility because many people are affected ethically if they see a creature suffering and it is possible that they would feel opted to make the change. If more people were aware of the how beneficial from a health standpoint veganism is, they would be more likely to make the change.
Easy Breezy Vegan 
