Comments on: Who Pays the Emotional Cost of Killing Animals for Food?

By: The “Joy” Of Killing The Family Pet

The “Joy” Of Killing The Family Pet — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:29:56 +0000

[...] Pig-eating is remarkably similar to dog-eating. Pigs are so adorable, so smart, so dog-like. Pigs are social, they wag their tails, they communicate. Pigs are often docile and playful, just like dogs. A slaughterhouse employee recalled: “Pigs down on the kill floor have come up and nuzzled me like a puppy. Two minutes later, I had to kill them — beat them to death with a pipe.” (source) [...]

By: NuVegan.com » Blog Archive » Slaughterhouse Workers

NuVegan.com » Blog Archive » Slaughterhouse Workers — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 06:12:13 +0000

[...] “You may look a hog in the eye that’s walking around down in the blood pit with you and think, God, that really isn’t a bad-looking animal. You may want to pet it. Pigs down on the kill floor have come up and nuzzled me like a puppy. Two minutes later, I had to kill them — beat them to death with a pipe. I can’t care.” Slaughterhouse via Vegans of Color. [...]

By: Violence is violence is violence : Elaine Vigneault

Violence is violence is violence : Elaine Vigneault — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:40:25 +0000

[...] the book Slaughterhouse, quoted here: http://vegansofcolor.wordpress.com/2008/03/30/who-pays-the-emotional-cost-of-killing-animals-for-foo... Which brings up another issue: the interconnectedness of oppressions. Well, just go read the VOC [...]

By: Veganlicious

Veganlicious — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:01:34 +0000

Building on noemi’s comment–not just in TX, those raids have been going on across the country. Boom, one raid and a devastated community left behind– tons of families left destroyed (normally it’s the dad, who may be making half or all of the family’s income in addition to being father/husband). I don’t know how that’s supposed to help anyone.

By: vegansofcolor

vegansofcolor — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 05:03:15 +0000

Thanks for all these comments, folks! I’m glad so many of us are thinking about these things.

I meant to put in the original post that I know that migrant workers picking crops are exploited & often work in unsafe conditions too (pesticides, etc.) — but it does sound like slaughterhouse work is even more dangerous, & obviously also has the dead-animal aspect.

Making a Killing didn’t really have specific demographics, but I bet Slaughterhouse does.

By: noemi

noemi — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 05:35:18 +0000

in reference to poc and slaughter houses, do a google search on Cactus, Texas- Swift packing & immigration raids.

By: VegChub

VegChub — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:48:58 +0000

Should add to the above–Spanish-speaking immigrants is what I mean to say. Maybe there are others, but I am primarily familiar with immigrants from Mexico (and some other Spanish-speaking countries).

By: VegChub

VegChub — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:40:13 +0000

I haven’t read the book, but the workers are often undocumented immigrants. I work with undocumented immigrants in the city–they are so poor back home that $7/hr allows them to send money home to their family, money their families are so desperate for. I have never met anyone that doesn’t dream of going back home.

A slaughterhouse job pays even better, because it’s such awful work that no one wants to do. It’s awful, but it helps them help their family, and hopefully make enough money to go home to that family (sometimes young children) even more quickly.

So when they are mistreated–what are they going to do? Complain and get deported? And let down their families? After risking their lives to come here? They are commodities as much as the animals they are killing, though they are more likely to make it through alive, at least physically.

Great post.

By: cat

cat — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:52:00 +0000

Does Making a Killing outline how poor people of color fall into these jobs?
Do you know the demographic of POC in this line of work?

I was just wondering cuz my sociology mind is thinking about statistics.

By: Joselle

Joselle — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:51:27 +0000

I found a link to your site from Elaine Vinegault’s blog. This is just what I’ve been looking for. Can’t wait to read more.