Grant Stewart Anthropology 17 September 2014 Professor Shasta Mother Cow In the first chapter of the book Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches by Marvin Harris, the author talks about the interesting culture and the attitude of the Hindu people’s love and passion for cows. Harris describes that the Hindu culture is made up of traditions that have been passed down from historical traditions, which consists of superstitions and opposing views. In the first chapter, Harris talks about a certain culture riddle of “cow love”, specifically the Hindus love for the cow. Their love implies the conservation of cows: not killing them for food. This is something that most outsiders don’t understand. It is made obvious that the Western people disagree with Hindu’s …show more content…
The people value cows so much that they believe the greatest sign of disrespect is killing a cow. Harris disagrees with their ideas and believes that they are wasting resources by not killing the excess cows, but he does back up the Hindus reasons for their cow love with facts. He then says that the Indian people actually are not wasting resources compared to the United States; instead they are actually being more efficient and wise about their resources. Harris also talks about how slaughtering the cows has reason for doubt due to a history of debates whether or not the benefits are even worth the slaughter. However, it is made clear that in the long run they would need it for the necessary resources it provides such as low energy substitutes for tractors. It is obvious that Hindus carry out their lives differently than the Western culture does. Through Harris’ representation of cow slaughtering, one can infer that a cow is a symbol of “mother of life”, based upon its lasting efficiency in the Indian community. This goes on to support the theory that Hindu culture has a prominent difference compared to other cultures, specifically …show more content…
Harris explains, “ It becomes easier to understand low energy, small-scale, animal-based systems. As I have already pointed out, cows and oxen provide low energy substitutes for tractors and tractor factories” (Harris 18). Harris is trying to show the substitutes and solutions for the Indian economy for others to see. Harris points out that the cow is more beneficial to the economy and is worth more than just food. He also states that the cow dung is used as a substitute for cooking oil to prepare long lasting meals and also as a paste for household flooring. The author seemingly does this to add emphasis on the usefulness of this animal. Based upon Harris’ analysis, Hindus value energy- and the cow is a valuable necessity for the Hindus to maintain a low energy
He says, “It follows that there is great displeasure in knowing about a food economy that degrades and abuses those arts and those plants and animals and the soil from which they come. For anyone who does know something of the modern history of food, eating away from home can be a chore. My own inclination is to eat seafood instead of red meat or poultry when I am traveling. Though I am by no means a vegetarian, I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable in order to feed me (Berry 41).” For instance, there is a place in Coalinga, California called the Harris Ranch. This is the home of the famous beef. One bad thing about this place is that that there isn’t enough space for the cows to move and they aren’t free to eat. They were all stuck in their own concentration camp where they were fed with hormones, and tortured, by the farmers. It is really sad when cows live their whole lives hopeless. This is because those arrogant farmers think it would be right and good to treat these cows terribly and earn money. So eating cows that were surrounded by fences is not a smart idea because their wounds and hormones contribute to poor health. “If I am going to eat meat, I want it to be from an animal that has lived a pleasant, uncrowded life outdoors, on bountiful pasture, with good water nearby and trees for shade. And I am getting almost as
Power is authority and strength, which is any form of motive force or energy, ability to act, or control. When too much power is given, a dictatorship government can form, in which all decisions are made by one authority. In the book Animal Farm, by George Orwell the author portrays how “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton).
In his book “Cattle Brings Us to Our Enemies”, McCabe does a 16-year stint in East Africa, specifically in Northern Kenya, doing research on the Turkana. He does this through STEP, the South Turkana Ecosystem Project. In “Cattle Bring Us to Our Enemies”, McCabe follows four families through his years in Kenya and notes how they live in a very demanding environment. He uses ecological data to analyze how and why the Turkana people make decisions about their everyday life. McCabe focuses on four main areas of study: how the Turkana survive and adapt to a stressful environment by nomadic pastoralism, how the techniques used to extract resources and manage livestock modify the environment, the effects of the environmental and cultural practices have on
“An Animals’ Place” by Michael Pollan is an article that describes our relationship and interactions with animals. The article suggests that the world should switch to a vegetarian diet, due to the mistreatment of animals. The essay includes references from animal rights activists and philosophers. These references are usually logical statement that compare humans and non-human animals in multiple levels, such as intellectual and social.
However, Hare’s pro demi-vegetarian argument provides an unequivocal view on the discussion of economic, ecological, and moral topics. While the look into market trends of meat is lacking Hare discusses a reality of the meat industry and its food competitors, that being the cost behind animal rearing and husbandry. While the high costs incurred does not entail permissibility the surrounding circumstances do. If fodder is grown on terrain only suitable for a pasture, then as a result husbandry and animal domestication (and later slaughter) is permissible because the economic consequences of harvesting crops would greatly outweigh the benefits and as such the community improves more from the meat/animal byproduct industry. This economical and ecological argument is one of several that Hare provides in his article Why I Am Only A Demi-Vegetarian, in addition to the market term being coined and reasoning behind
Jonathan Safran Foer wrote “Eating Animals” for his son; although, when he started writing it was not meant to be a book (Foer). More specifically to decide whether he would raise his son as a vegetarian or meat eater and to decide what stories to tell his son (Foer). The book was meant to answer his question of what meat is and how we get it s well as many other questions. Since the book is a quest for knowledge about the meat we eat, the audience for this book is anyone that consumes food. This is book is filled with research that allows the audience to question if we wish to continue to eat meat or not and provide answers as to why. Throughout the book Foer uses healthy doses of logos and pathos to effectively cause his readers to question if they will eat meat at their next meal and meals that follow. Foer ends his book with a call to action that states “Consistency is not required, but engagement with the problem is.” when dealing with the problem of factory farming (Foer).
Around the world it is acceptable to eat certain animals depending on one’s culture. “The French, who love their dogs, sometimes eat their horses. The Spanish, who loves their horses, sometimes eat their cows. The Indians, who love their cows, sometimes eat their dogs” (Foer 604). “Let Them Eat Dog” is an excerpt from Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. The excerpt explains the many benefits to eating dogs and the taboo behind it. The author also uses humor, imagery and emotional appeal to get across to the reader the logic of eating dogs. One chooses to eat meat based on what the culture deems acceptable. Foer questions why culture deems certain animals acceptable to be eaten, and illustrates why it should be acceptable to eat dogs. The
There were two religions that first accepted vegetarianism: Hinduism made the cow a sacred animal, something to be respected and admired, and over time, these ideals evolved from mere ideas to commonplace social practices. Ahimsa is the principle that teaches one to not to injure a living creature for fear of negative karmic impact and dietary impurity.... ... middle of paper ... ...
In the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, the author talks about, not only vegetarianism, but reveals to us what actually occurs in the factory farming system. The issue circulating in this book is whether to eat meat or not to eat meat. Foer, however, never tries to convert his reader to become vegetarians but rather to inform them with information so they can respond with better judgment. Eating meat has been a thing that majority of us engage in without question. Which is why among other reasons Foer feels compelled to share his findings about where our meat come from. Throughout the book, he gives vivid accounts of the dreadful conditions factory farmed animals endure on a daily basis. For this reason Foer urges us to take a stand against factory farming, and if we must eat meat then we must adapt humane agricultural methods for meat production.
Michael Pollan presents many convincing arguments that strengthen his position on whether slaughtering animals is ethical or not. He believes that every living being on this planet deserves an equal amount of respect regardless of it being an animal or human, after all humans are also animals. “An Animal’s place” by Michael Pollan is an opinionated piece that states his beliefs on whether animals should be slaughtered and killed to be someone’s meal or not. In his article, Pollan does not just state his opinions as a writer but also analyzes them from a reader’s point of view, thus answering any questions that the reader might raise. Although Pollan does consider killing and slaughtering of animals unethical, using environmental and ethical
Vegetarians are uncomfortable with how humans treat animals. Animals are cruelly butchered to meet the high demand and taste for meat in the market. Furthermore, meat-consumers argue that meat based foods are cheaper than plant based foods. According to Christians, man was given the power to dominate over all creatures in the world. Therefore, man has the right to use animals for food (Singer and Mason, 2007). However, it is unjustified for man to treat animals as he wishes because he has the power to rule over animals. This owes to the reality that it is unclear whether man has the right to slaughter animals (haphazardly), but it is clear that humans have a duty to take care of animals. In objection, killing animals is equal to killing fellow humans because both humans and animals have a right to life. Instead of brutally slaying animals, people should consume their products, which...
There are many reasons why Hindus do not wish to have beef as a source
Every enduring object or idea lasts because ordinary people focused on their goal and ignored the temptation of taking the easy path that leads to failure. History illustrates that great feats require arduous labor and wise preparation. During World War II, the Allies attacked a less than fully prepared German defense in Normandy on D-Day, which became a foothold in Europe for the Allies. The Chinese spent over 1,700 years developing the 3,700 mile-long Great Wall that successfully protected their country from Mongol invaders. The key difference in the outcomes of these events lies in the determination and preparation of the opposing sides. In the end, the more prepared side exploited the shortcomings of its opposition. Many writers have gained inspiration from the effects strong wills have had on human history, and the fruit of one forgotten author has remained a staple example of the benefits of labor since the Mid-Nineteenth Century.
Let me begin with the words by George Bernard Shaw: ‘Animals are my friends and I don’t eat my friends’. This indicates the ethic aspect of meat consumption. In fact, people often don’t realize how animals are treated, but they can see commercial spots in their TV showing smiling pigs, cows or chickens, happy and ready to be eaten. My impression is that there can’t be anything more cruel and senseless. It is no secret that animals suffer ...
We neatly separate animals into relatively artificial categories – “pets”, “wild animals”, and “farm animals”. These categories affect how we treat those within the category. For instance, our treatment of farm animals would be illegal if applied towards pets. If a shed filled with cages was then crammed by dogs so tightly that limits them to stretch or move freely, one would face strong social and legal sanction, but would probably differ in the case for chickens. According to two recent studies by Kristof Dhont and Gordon Hodson, it was observed that conservatives consume more meat and exploit animals more because they dismiss the threat that vegetarianism and veganism supposedly pose to traditions and cultural practice, and they feel more entitled to consume animals given human “superiority”. Aside from that, the study also examined the possibility of both conservatives and socialists in simply preferring the taste of meat thus consuming them. It appeared that the conservatives are more likely to consume more meat for reasons related to ideology, even after statistically removing the influence of hedonistically liking the taste of meat from the