You’re What’s Wrong With the World
Being wrong never felt so right!
The call to Animal Place came on a week-day, about two years ago. A woman told me about a feed-store cramming adult hens and roosters into cages so small, they could barely turn around. He was selling them for $5/bird, mostly to people who were more interested in the flesh on the bird’s bodies than the birds themselves.
She was concerned about the welfare of the birds and, could we possibly check it out?
A co-worker and I headed out to the feed store. Indeed, chickens and pheasants were jammed into rusty wire cages. Some could barely stand upright. They had clean water and food, but they were overcrowded and clear as daylight to me – they were suffering. I did not have to be a genius to figure that one out.
We approached the feed store owner. I knew right off this wasn’t going to go well. He looked smarmy, smiled in a creepy manner, and was clearly not interested in anything I had to say that involved “welfare” and “chickens” in the same sentence. I asked if he’d be willing to give the birds some room. He laughed, rolled his eyes and his posture became that of a defiant, angry person. Defenses up, doors closed, no eureka moment for this man.
Perhaps I should not have intimated that I would contact animal control and perhaps I shouldn’t have implied he wasn’t taking very good care of the birds. But as we walked out the feed store, he made it a point to yell something to the effect of, “Honey, you and people like you are what’s wrong with this world.”
It wasn’t an enjoyable experience. I’m not the hugest fan of confrontation and the man was a big fan of intimidation and patronization. Not a winning combination. A call to animal control changed nothing and there are still chickens being sold at this feed-store, housed in a cruel, inappropriate manner and being sold for horrible purposes.
But the experience stayed with me. Those final, parting words, meant as an insult have been words I rely on to keep trucking, keep advocating, keep trying. If being compassionate and caring is wrong, sign me up. If choosing love is wrong, let me give you a hug. If advocating on behalf of the oppressed, voiceless and subjugated is wrong, let me write and speak out and stand up strong.
When I walked out of the feed-store, the adrenaline fading, the fear subsiding, I smiled and realized that being wrong never felt so perfectly right! So to all of you wrong-hearted, silly compassionate people – Happy New Year! May you continue to speak up, change behavior, improve yourself, move the world forward to that very, very, very wrong place where kindness to others means not eating them, testing on them, enslaving them, oppressing them, murdering them – no matter the species. It’s the kind of wrongness that is so very good for us all.
Stephanie Ernst
Marji
Kelly G.
Deb
Mary Martin
This must have been so difficult for you to have to leave not being able to help those chickens. I had a difficult ringing in of the new year. I found it difficult to celebrate knowing at the very moment people all over the world were celebrating, the horrible exploitation of animals continued.
I find comfort in my effort to help animals and in those working to help animals. Knowing that I will be helping raise awareness and hopefully create some vegetarians along the way. Thank you for all your efforts and compassion!
It’s crazy how the little things can really get to us sometimes. I remember when there was a giant horrible cat rescue thing out here (google “tiger ranch”) and there were all of these supporters of the place calling all of us who participated in the rescue horrible demons from hell basically. It really got to me for a while. The survivors today have homes or are awaiting adoption, but it took a fight for years.
I think when you put more effort into something, and you see how horrible things are in the situation, it is a lot harder to hear someone saying YOU are the one who is wrong. It sort of shatters one’s faith in the planet.
Luckily, there are people like you and other “problem” individuals out there, willing to make the world a better place.
not to criticize your efforts, for they were surely commendable but would it have helped to push the issue to the public by protesting outside with posters revealing what was happening inside this store?
Hi John,
That’s a fair question. The feed store is located on private property so publicly protesting it would not be feasible or legal. It’s located off the beaten path, so accessing it would be difficult. And getting people there would be hard. The feed store is located in a very animal unfriendly area of town, which is already not all that animal friendly.
Perhaps if you post the address and name of the place on here, some locals will be willing to do some protesting and other things if you and others aren’t interested. You never know :-)
I identify with what John649 asked. I know its hard, very hard to confront a human beast like this man. But I have to say that, ofcourse, he is the symbol of the pest species called Homo Sapiens. Mankind destroys and put to misery everything that surrounds it.
Push the issue to the public!
I find it very hard to express myself regarding meat, animal rights, veganism, etc. except on the Internet. Face to face, emotions are too high and meat eaters refuse most of the time to listen and agree upon common-sens. I keep trying. Let’s keep trying.
No action taken in the name of animal rights can be judged as wrong. Indeed an action can be improved to help achieve its goals.
“A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral.” -Leo Tolstoy
You are what is wrong with this world? YOU!?!?! Someone who cares about those who cannot defend themselves is wrong? Someone who wants to protect the most helpless among us is wrong?
Well then, I don’t ever want to be right.
Man, I got totally creeped out when you described the jerk you had to deal with. Men like that send my rage into overdrive in about 2 seconds flat and unlike on the internet where I can measure my response and wait a few hours to reply, in real life it is much harder to be coherent, much less calm and rational.
I’m glad you spoke up for those chickens, roosters and pheasants, but I’m sorry it ended like it did. You did not deserve to be treated like that, just like the animals do not deserve to be treated like that.
It made me nauseous to read this. I’m w/ SuperAstro. I’m not good at this stuff in person yet because I get so unglued. I heard on a podcast recently that vegan anger can be different because it’s so much about the pain you know the animals are experiencing, which for me is so so much more awful than any pain of my own. Knowing that this man could be so smug about something so genuinely awful is just chilling and makes me so sad and angry that I’d have never stayed calm. Knowing how upset I am just reading this, I can only imagine how terrible you must have felt. That you can put on a positive spin on it says a lot about your ability to look on the bright side, and it says a bit about how discouraged I often feel too.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! for sharing this! I had a similar experience on Fur-Free Friday during our annual march down Chicago’s busy shopping district. An older man, probably in his 70′s or older took my shoulder, squeezed it and said ” Honey, I feel sorry for you.” Of course it upset me, at first hearing such a ridiculous thing, but when I gave it some thought, later on. it made no sense. How could a person “feel sorry” for another persons’ dedicated compassion & activism? I suppose the same way “you are what’s wrong with the world.” They are both absurd! Thank you and let’s keep fighting the good fight!:) XOXO
You’re what’s wrong with the world! Uh… That man wouldn’t happen to host this web-site, does he?
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/sermons/vegans.html
We all need a laugh now and then…
But seriously, about the birds – There’s a small “farm animal market” where I live – There are signs posted at the entrance and the owner confirms the message loudly: “These animals are for meat and sacrifice only”. He gets around any “welfare” issues this way.
While it’s true all animals are “property” – The ones raised for “food” have an extra disclaimer for any “kind treatment”. It’s sickening.
What’s wrong with the world is that more people are not “guilty” of empathy! :(