Here's the thing.
When you stop eating animals, you become much more aware of the world around you. You have a heightened sensitivity to images of animals that you see. This can apply to cute kitten videos on Youtube, to horrific images of animal cruelty posted by animal rights groups online, or to photos of your friends' pets. You feel closer to all animals because you don't eat the ones that your society says it's okay to eat (one day we might get to the great horse debate. France says Yay! Canada says Neigh! Did you see what I did there? Neigh!)
One of the things that I have become most sensitive to were the images of animals that are used to sell animal products, PARTICULARLY food made out of animals. The cognitive dissonance here is stunning. How did I not notice it before? If we consume animals because we are supposedly blissfully ignorant about the suffering that they live to before meeting an untimely end, how is this marketing method not only possible, but profitable? Even more weirdly, animals in these ads are often personified. How does seeing a personified animal on a restaurant sign or bacon package want to make us eat that animal? Even more importantly, why does seeing the animal not make us question the ethical choice of eating it?
I dunno. I'm not a psychologist. I'm just an English teacher trying to live a vegan life and (full disclosure here) not always being successful. I'm still learning. But WOW does this not make sense to me. And that's what we call cognitive dissonance.
So, here's my little blog about it. Maybe no one will ever see it. But maybe somebody will, and they will think twice about eating that little piggy. Because the ads SHOULD be reminding us that these are living, sentient beings who should not have to suffer because "Bacon, Yum!"
If you read this blog, thanks a lot. You've already made my day. :)
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