Bodies Don’t Belong on the Australia Day Barbie
No bodies belong on the barbie. That’s the point PETA made outside Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market today as we “cooked” an activist and urged passers-by to go vegan.
In advance of Australia Day, we must all remember that a corpse is a corpse – whether lamb, dog or human. All animals are made of flesh, bone and blood, just as humans are, and eating meat entails ingesting the corpse of an animal who had feelings, a family, a distinct personality and a will to live.
Luckily, there are many cruelty-free alternatives out there – most of which can be found in your local supermarket. If you’re hosting an Australia Day barbecue, why not delight your guests with some meat-free treats?
Most of us grew up eating meat, but only rarely did we consider what meat really is. This Australia Day, we challenge you to think about why the idea of eating dog or even human flesh is repulsive. Flesh is flesh.
When we interact with animals, our natural reaction is to smile, stroke their skin or fur, cuddle, play with them and protect them. We do not instinctively salivate or feel an urge to kill or bite into a cow or chicken, and we recoil in horror when watching footage from an abattoir. Most Australians also condemn trophy hunting and could never imagine taking the life of a lion, deer or duck. We share our homes with cats and dogs and react with horror upon hearing of cruelty cases involving companion animals.
Chickens, fish, cows, sheep and pigs feel pain and fear just as intensely as these animals – yet they’re abused in ways that would be illegal if dogs and cats were the victims.
On today’s factory farms, chickens’ throats are cut while they’re still conscious, piglets are castrated and have their tails cut off without being given painkillers and cows are hung upside down and often skinned while they’re still able to feel pain. On the decks of fishing boats, fish suffocate or are cut open while they’re still alive.
The good news is that you don’t have to contribute to this suffering! Not only are mock meats and other vegan barbecue foods delicious, they are also free of , are rich in protein and fibre, and have a much lower carbon footprint than animal flesh.
Choose compassion this Australia Day and keep your mates off your plate.
