As an animal rights advocate, I just have to share this revolting message Chipotle is stamping on their to-go bags. When you order an entrée to go, the company gives you one of about four or five artistic bags with a few sentences about the company's values. Here is one such bag I picked up:
(Cartoon pig drawing, pig with speech bubble: "¡Viva la Revolución!") Okay pigs, it's time for us to get together and start fixing this system. We see the way that our pig friends get treated at their factory farms, and it's time we fight so all pigs can have the same rights we have! No more tight confining pens! No more antibiotics or non-vegetarian feed!!!!!!!! We can do it! Yours truly, el Pig. P.S. Clear your calendars for next months [sic] Talk-n-Trough mixer....We want equality and we want it now!
Here's an image of El Pig and some of his friends.
I have noticed there is a kind of "whatever we can get" drive in animal people who defend Chipotle's exploitation of animals. The company and its management are very public and self-congratulatory (as you can see) about their supposedly revolutionary treatment of animals and I believe animal people see Chipotle as a kind of diamond in the rough--a company who is willing to take an extra step to ensure animals are cared for. "If Chipotle, a big company, is willing to open their hearts to improve the lives of animals, we should support them for taking this step in the right direction."
But let's be real here. Chipotle is a company who employs animals into slave labor. They exploit animals in order to sell parts and secretions of their bodies to their customers for profit. How on earth are non-antibiotic, vegetarian-fed practices indicative of Chipotle having a big heart? Is it not clear these practices are great for business?
I do not know the intentions of the administration of Chipotle but my charitable guess would be that these individuals do have good intentions. I believe they do believe they are doing a good thing for animals. But does this matter?
How can people who care about animals read this packaging without repulsion? Chipotle is calling the killing of defenseless sentient beings "revolutionary," they are teaching their customers that they are being revolutionaries for ordering chopped body parts of these beings for who Chipotle demands "equal rights."
Too many animal people are regarding the actions of Chipotle and so many companies like them as "steps in the right direction." Yet no one seems to be able to explain how this is a step forward or how it leads to a victory for animals.
There are two possible scenarios here: 1. Chipotle and animal welfare organizations believe customers, who are now eating "humane" slaughter are on their way to becoming vegan as a result. If this were plausible, it would make sense as the demand for animals would gradually diminish. Diminishing demand for animals to be exploited surely is what "gradual steps in the right direction means."
2. These parties believe slaughtering and enslaving animals for forced labor omitting just a few conditions (which are being phased out by the industry anyway) is the nadir of fairness for animals. In this case, diminishing demand has nothing to do with the ultimate goal. In fact, making exploitation more consumer friendly can only increase demand.
My gut is telling me the latter is the case. This is the main position held by animal people over the years and was popularized by Peter Singer in his book "Animal Liberation." Singer literally argued animals have no rights. He states that humans merely have an obligation to make sure certain safeguards are practiced when exploiting animals. You might say going vegan--not exploiting them in the first place ought to be the safeguard. While Singer agrees with veganism as one possible way to be compassionate, he and the rest of the animal movement believe veganism is unnecessary, just a swell idea.
I'm sure some of my readers are not going to be comfortable with my objections to welfarism and that is unfortunate. However, if you have been thinking about going vegan, please introduce yourself in this new forum for vegan helpers and helpees.
Going vegan is the first step in recognizing animals are not things for us to use. It's easy and there are plenty of people ready to help you in your unique situation.
Comments
Oh Adam, I'm sorry you can't see the forest through the trees.
Here's the point....you have to meet people where they are. By just telling them that eating animals is wrong, you are instantly turning people off and they will not listen to a thing that you are saying.
Chipotle does a remarkable job as a NATIONAL CHAIN to source ingredients locally, buy only free-range, pasture-raised meats and still keep it at a price point that consumers are willing to pay.
Getting consumers to realize HOW their food is raised is a very important first step in the path to becoming a meat-free society. Getting people to switch over to pasture-raised meats is beneficial to the environment because the higher the demand for pasture raised meats, the less we'll have toxic lagoons of animal feces from factory farms and the other nasty stuff that comes with it. From there, people can move to vegetarianism and eventually, vegan. But you have to take steps to get there.
I'm an avid organic foodie, but growing up I ate the same crap that everyone else does. There's usually something that triggers a behavioral change. Most people don't wake up and say, "I want to be a vegan." We are meant to eat meat and like caffeine or junk food, it is an addiction because of the fat content in meat. There's usually something that someone reads or is exposed to that changes their perception of what they put in their mouth. I applaud Chipotle on their campaign. It's not easy trying to educate the public on why this is better for them and they have taken a bold leap that I think has really paid off and is to be commended rather than criticized.
If you really want people to see your point of view, you need to meat them [pun intended] where they are in their evolution. And leading by example rather than criticizing people is the best way to move forward.
BUT.....you are missing a huge point, Chipotle is in the business of making money, not saving the world. The trend may be getting people in touch by where their food comes from but Chipotle, as others are simply capitalizing on that.
I see some other issues coming from the logic above. How is switching everyone to pasture-raised meats going to benefit the enviroment if the quantity remains the same? If someone was eating X ounces of factory farmed beef and now eats X amount of pasture raised beef where is the improvement? Where is all this new found grazing land coming from once the cows are free and "happy" from the factory farm hell?
Also, as far as I have seen Chipotle is not meeting people where they are, most of the people I know (co-workers, acquaintances, etc) don't really care about what Chipotle is trying to do. They walk in, not caring where their food came from and leave saying; "wow...i didn't know where my food came from but I sure feel better about myself now that the pigs, cows have a marginally better existence"
I don't think these people are moving from vegetarianism to veganism. If anything I see people who once were vegetarian thinking it's ok to eat meat again because factory farming doesn't happen anymore - yes I really heard this being discussed. This is the type of thing happening with some now that their is some raised consciousness around what is on their plate.
"It's not easy trying to educate the public on why this is better for them and they have taken a bold leap that I think has really paid off and is to be commended rather than criticized."
- When you say "this is better for them" are you referring to the people or the pigs because I thought this was about the pigs?
All my conclusions on veganism, welfarism, etc have really come from my own train of thought. I know people tend to jump on this or that bandwagon and I have found Veganism to be lots of the same. The problem I have is I know where I was at 3+ years ago (I had no clue about what I was eating) and where I am today and I didn't get there through being introduced to welfarism. I also was not a vegan overnight. Once you put enough thought into the subject and educate yourself enough I just don't me arriving at any other conclusion then where I am at now.
What I have yet to figure out is how to package my 3+ years of evolution from the most stereotypical un-vegan you can imagine to where I stand today into something I can explain to someone in 5-10 min. Telling someone to go to Chipotle and feel good about it because their pigs are "happy" just doesn't make much sense to me anymore.
Animals have the same rights as us? The right to be slaughtered for the tastes of consumers of fast food? I'm not sure I want that right.
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