Letters to the Editor
Penny Barrett Hornsby
Published Letters: 36 Editor's Choice: 3
-
Missing the Point
[Read the article: Earth to PETA]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I almost understand the human need to defend one's actions, beliefs, habits by slapping at those that bring about an alternate viewpoint. Almost is actually the key word. It is easy to stereotype by the extremes - by the vegan nazis that cause the more laid back vegan to furrow his brow. But that is such a right wing tactic, so very neocon, if you will. Pointing at the extreme as the norm is just plain silly and it minimizes the effort of the majority. The majority of vegans have made a personal choice to not partake of the products from an industry that has little regard for the health and welfare of the individual American consumer. We can bring up statistics and formulas and algebraic equations that support our data - regardless of point of view. It seems so logical to me that sometimes I don't understand all the hullabaloo. We, as a society, flip out when we hear about a precious companion animal being involved in abuse yet we absently slice into the carcass of animals that have been sexually assaulted, burned, cut, thrown, stomped, torn apart while full cognizant. I dare anyone, anyone, to go into one of these plants and detoe a baby chicken, debeak a baby duck, castrate a little piglet - with no anesthesia and come out unfazed. It isn't until you witness the process that you fully understand the absolute soul destroying effect of factory farming. We wonder what has happened to our youth who seem so removed from the essence of life, so disassociated from any empathetic ability. Yet we pretend that the reality of incarcerating billions upon billions of living beings in horrific conditions is not completely rational and a necessary part of our food system. It isn't until you drive through and get out of your car around one of these "hog plants" that you realize the unbearable stench that permeates every molecule of fresh air in the entire region. Whole towns have been completely devastated by the overwhelming waste of these horrible places. The fact of the matter is that factory farming is unnecessary. It destroys our health. It destroys our environment. It perpetuates poverty. The only entity benefiting is the agribusiness corporation that rakes in the profit from underpaid worker, the exploited environment and, of course, the abused animal. The vegan message is less about eating meat than a stance against the rampant misdeeds of agribusiness.
-
The reality
[Read the article: The diet that's too good to be true]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I think about it now and, of course, it's a no brainer. I would not sacrifice my health to lose weight. When I quit smoking 6 years ago I gained about 25 lbs. I wrestled with the notion that if I started smoking again, I would get back to my original size. But I didn't because I know the cost. And I know that there are others relying on me. To die thin from lung cancer or other smoking related illnesses was simply not worth it - not worth leaving my husband, my children, my family and friends for. But even now, I vividly remember when I was in my teens, twenties and even thirties, the feelings of pride when others noticed how I had lost weight or had a great figure. Little did they know that I had been doing some form of appetite suppressant since the age of 14. Dexatrim, speed, ephedrine, anything I could do to keep my energy up and my appetite down, I did. I remember the incredible wave of shame I felt when my thighs rubbed together when I walked. When I put on my freshman "20", I went into a "Flashdance" overdrive - aerobically dancing and running and biking until it was gone. When you are young, an attractive image is not only everything it is also what draws the opposite sex to you and raises your desirability quotient. Being desirable, being attractive, being admired, for a girl is absolutely everything. You do not consider the ramifications of your actions when you are young because you simply do not understand that there is a future. I didn't believe I would live past 30. Why, for goodness sake, would I want to live to be that OLD?!! Youth is completely wrapped in the now. It is what makes them risk unnecessarily. I can empathize with the gymnast in this story but I am horrified that all the requisite blocks - the school administration, the doctors, the coaches and especially the parents would allow a child to show such obvious signs of physical deterioration and not do anything. A child is supposed to do stupid things, the parents and adults in that child's life are there to say - whoa!! What's going on? Why is this happening? Kids don't often think of the future, it is our responsibility as adults to not only care for our own children but the children in our society as they will, hopefully, one day, become adults too.