Sexism, Racism...Meat Eating (Carnism)

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism

Prof. Melanie Joy, Ph.D.

In “Why We Love Dogs…” social psychologist Melanie Joy explains carnism, the invisible belief system that shapes our perception of the meat we eat, so that we love some animals and eat others without knowing why.



Prof. Joy, a longtime activist for social and environmental justice and animal welfare, explains how "carnism," like other unjust ideologies, is sustained by complex, hidden, sociopsychological mechanisms. It is most harmful when unrecognized.



Using powerful imagery, thought-provoking analyses, and a compelling narrative, Joy elucidates how, although unjust ideologies all are unique, the mentality that enables such interlocking systems is strikingly similar. When unnoticed, these ideologies can cause us to act against our core values and interests, to sustain socially and ecologically unjust systems.



By illuminating the invisible mechanisms of carnism, Joy seeks to help viewers become more empowered citizens, informed consumers, and active social witnesses. More

• Live at CVUU, 7:30 PM, Friday, Aug. 26, 2011
• Dr. Joy is a Harvard-educated psychologist, personal/relationship coach, and professor of psychology and sociology at the Univ. of Mass., Boston. She is the author of numerous articles on psychology, animal protection, and social justice, which have been published in a variety of journals and magazines. She is the leading researcher on carnism, the psychology of eating meat. She has been interviewed for numerous magazines, books, and radio on her work, including the BBC, NPR, PBS, and ABC Australia. She is also the author of Strategic Action for Animals. Though much of Dr. Joy’s writing focuses on animal protection, she is also a longtime human rights advocate, feminist psychology, domestic violence, and psychological trauma.
  
  

"Forks Over Knives" - health is a choice

(ForksOverKnives)

Forksoverknives.com (showtimes, updates, newsletter, information) is a feature film that examines the profound claim that most -- if not all -- of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled or reversed by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.

What to do for great health? Avoid obesity, diabetes, pre-diabetes, high cholesterol, and lack of energy by these easy counterintuitive measures:

• Abandon flour (refined carbs), sugars, refined fats, Western meat (pumped full of drugs, hormones, cloned individuals, irradiated final products, rendered waste products, adulterated fat, embalming chemicals for that nice redness at the supermarket for meat so old it should be grey and festering)...
• Eat more unrefined fat, sprouts, more fiber (whole foods), greens of all kinds, uncommon fruits, natural state (unprocessed), foods... eat more. Not all calories are created equal as we have been told. An increase in fat (coconut, olives, avocados, raw soaked nuts, seeds) leads to satiation and less eating. We fear fat to our detriment. There are only three necessary food groups: fats, proteins, and greens. Life is not possible without them. But life is possible without carbohydrates. No one wanting to be healthy should ever eat refined carbohydrates.
• Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It (Gary Taubes)
• UCLA: Ancestral Health (paleo-diet) Symposium starts

Abused animals strike back: "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

New Marshmallows, Jello made of human tissue

Wisdom Quarterly

There was once a movie that said "Soilent Green" is people. In the dystopic future, people were being tricked and treated like cows being fattened through cannibalism. Now it has become a reality as Chinese scientists develop a gelatin (the stuff in marshmallows and jello, which is normally made out of boil feet of cloven hoofed animals).

A press release from the American Chemical Society for a study just off the press in which a quartet of Beijing researchers produce human-derived gelatin. Will it be put on the market secretly the way cloned meat, pesticide-laden vegetables and frankenfruit, and irradiated (enzyme destroyed foods exposed to radiation)?

Most gelatin -- hidden in many items as a stiffener or binder including cheap vitamins, cheeses, candies, soaps, desserts, cosmetics -- comes from the waste products of slaughtered animals: nails, bones, skin (collagen) broken down into protein strands that form a gel. There is, of course, a small risk of bovine encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease).

Wouldn't human cells be so much easier and cheaper, with the added benefit of, well, cannibalism?

• Stay Puft Marshmallows made of Human (Boston.com)
• New method for making human-based gelatin
• Chinese scientists "reprogram" cells to create mice (WSJ)
• British scientists admit to creating human-animal creatures
• Hybrid human-animal DNA experiments raise concerns
• Medical vivisection: torturing pigs to cure humans?
• First lady teams with grocers to provide healthy food access

The Jell-O Is Made From People! Human-Derived Gelatin Coming Soon

Ariel Schwartz (July 18, 2011)

We may not have to rely on boiled pig bones for our gelatin forever. The solution may not be any more appetizing... Gelatin is found in everything from Jell-O and marshmallows to cosmetics and candles. But the current method of taking gelatin from the skin and bones of cows and pigs has... the potential for transmitting infectious diseases like Mad Cow and the possibility of triggering immune system responses in humans.... though the newest option -- human derived gelatin -- isn't too appetizing.

Meat-Free Mondays (Johns Hopkins)

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (meatlessmonday.com)

Monday is the beginning of the week, the day we move from the freedom of the weekend to the structure of work or school, the day we set intentions for the next six days.

Why Meatless
Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.

Read about these benefits below. But keep in mind that just going meatless is not enough. That’s why we give you the information you need to add healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free alternatives to your diet each week. Further, if you do eat meat on other days, we strongly recommend grass-fed, hormone-free, locally-raised options whenever possible.

• Who's going meatless?

Health Benefits
LIMIT CANCER RISK: Hundreds of studies suggest that diets high in fruits and vegetables may reduce cancer risk. Both red and processed meat consumption are associated with colon cancer.
REDUCE HEART DISEASE: Recent data from a Harvard University study found that replacing saturated fat-rich foods (for example, meat and full fat dairy) with foods that are rich in polyunsaturated fat (for example, vegetable oils, nuts and seeds) reduces the risk of heart disease by 19%
FIGHT DIABETES: Research suggests that higher consumption of red and processed meat increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
CURB OBESITY: People on low-meat or vegetarian diets have significantly lower body weights and body mass indices. A recent study from Imperial College London also found that reducing overall meat consumption can prevent long-term weight gain.
LIVE LONGER: Red and processed meat consumption is associated with modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality.
IMPROVE YOUR DIET. Consuming beans or peas results in higher intakes of fiber, protein, folate, zinc, iron and magnesium with lower intakes of saturated fat and total fat.

Environmental Benefits
REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide...far more than transportation. And annual worldwide demand for meat continues to grow. Reining in meat consumption once a week can help slow this trend.
MINIMIZE WATER USAGE. The water needs of livestock are tremendous, far above those of vegetables or grains. An estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. Soy tofu produced in California requires 220 gallons of water per pound.
HELP REDUCE FOSSIL FUEL DEPENDENCE. On average, about 40 calories of fossil fuel energy go into every calorie of feed lot beef in the U.S. Compare this to the 2.2 calories of fossil fuel energy needed to produce one calorie of plant-based protein. Moderating meat consumption is a great way to cut fossil fuel demand.

Spread the Movement!
Get the tools you need to start a Meatless Monday wherever you may roam! We offer our tools for free so that you can take an active role in the health of your community. Please write or send pictures to info@MeatlessMonday.com and show us how you’re using them. Your efforts may even appear on our website!

Free Meatless Monday Toolkits (PDF)
With free, downloadable toolkits, talking points, information, and helpful hints are available to enlighten everyone about this growing movement.
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