Pigs in a Blanket

April 7, 2014

This week, while getting gas at the gas station, I saw something that very likely has forever changed me. What I saw was not that unusual, but what I noticed about it was disturbing. I saw a tractor trailer with pigs in cages on the back, crammed into the tiny metal cages, and stacked on top of each other. The following picture comes pretty close to what I saw. The only difference is that the truck that I saw had cages about as long as each pig, and twice as tall as each pig. The cages were barely big enough for one pig to stand in, but on this truck they had wedged two pigs into each crate so that the pigs were laying on their sides, one on top of the other. Each pig was facing the opposite direction, and not able even to stand, but forced to lay on their sides. This blatant abuse (on a trailer where every passerby could see) was sickening to look at, and made me wonder if this is how we treat all animals meant for consumption. I made a mental note to avoid eating bacon and ham, or at least make sure it is organic when I do.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The very next day while eating a sandwich in a restaurant, I realized that there was both ham and bacon on it, and became sick to my stomach. Now, I could ignore what my conscience has been alerted to, try really hard to not think about it, and continue to eat whatever food comes my way and looks appetizing, but inaction is what fuels the horrible treatment of animals in these cases.

I decided to do a little research on the treatment of pigs which, honestly, has been very difficult for me because any article or picture google brings up is pretty traumatizing. For that reason, I will refrain from including actual videos or pictures of pigs being mistreated and will instead stick to writing about this subject. Please stop reading now if hearing about animal abuse is too upsetting for you, and maybe just switch to organic or free range meat if you want to be part of the solution.

In an undercover video shot by an advocacy group called Mercy for Animals, workers at a pig farm were shown kicking and shoving pigs, pulling and yanking their ears, and even worse- slamming younger pigs into concrete to kill them. Apparently, this form of “blunt force euthanasia” has been an acceptable form of euthanizing sucklings in the industry (Pork Checkoff, 2008). Debate over this method of killing these animals aside, these particular pigs were not always killed by the initial slam, and, according to an article about the video shot by Mercy for Animals by Anna Schecter of NBC News, workers left the pigs there to die slowly, sometimes taking up to thirty minutes for them to die on their own  (2014).

In the swine industry, this form of euthanasia is considered acceptable as long as it is followed with a “secondary step,” which is an additional measure used to quickly ensure death if the first measure does not work immediately (Pork Checkoff, pg. 14, 2008). There is debate, however, over whether blunt force should continue to be an acceptable form of euthanasia of swine, and other methods have been suggested (Daniels, n.d.). It also seems that the blunt force should come from an object, and not from being slammed into the ground, at least that is my understanding from reading the pamphlet, “The Proper Euthanasia of Swine” (Daniels, n.d.).

In the article by Anna Schecter, Lonnie Herring, the owner of the farm, claimed that his farm euthanized animals in a humane fashion, and followed the methods used by the industry “to a T” (Schecter, 2014). He admitted that the employees in the video engaged in a “callous” treatment of the animals, and he fired them (2014). However, I am concerned at his claim that a farm that so openly partook in this behavior supposedly follows all of the industry’s standards. I am also concerned with “industry standards” if blunt force by slamming animals into the ground is the method by which those standards are carried out. The problem with this issue is that we are often left to take the word of the ones who stand to gain the most from cutting corners about the treatment of the animals, since videos are usually only obtained in under cover situations.

In another undercover video shot at a Hormel, workers were caught engaging in similar abuse of pigs. These workers appeared to take particular delight in hurting these animals, and made multiple references such as “hurt ‘em!” and “There’s nobody who works for PETA out here” (Hormel Supplier, 2008).

While we can’t control what goes on inside pig farms or how workers treat animals when we are not around, we CAN control where we put our dollars. And we can also email, mail, or call companies like Tyson when something like this is brought to light, and let them know that we expect and demand the humane treatment of animals bred for consumption.

free range pigs       piggy getting a bath

When we have so many issues surrounding the abuse and mistreatment of humans, advocating for animals can seem  like a waste of time. However, I believe that how a person treats animals often reflects how he/she will treat his/her fellow man, and that people who are allowed to continually mistreat animals in this fashion will eventually mistreat humans. Let’s all take a small step in the direction of demanding the fair treatment of animals bred for consumption, and look into the policies of the companies we support with our dollars.

References

Daniels, S. (n.d.). Proper euthanasia techniques. Retrieved from http://www.pork.org/ filelibrary/ conferencesandseminars/Euthanasia – Scanlon Daniels.pdf

Hormel Supplier Caught Abusing (2008). PETA. Retrieved from https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1131

Pork Checkoff (2008). On-farm euthanasia of swine : Recommendations for the producer. Retrieved from  https://www.aasv.org/aasv/documents/SwineEuthanasia.pdf

Schector, A. (2014). Tyson foods changes pig care policies after NBC shows undercover video. Retrieved from http://investigations.nbcnews.com/news/2014/01/10/22245308-tyson-foods-changes-pig-care-policies-after-nbc-shows-undercover-video?lite

Out With The Old

March 3, 2014

What do you picture when you think of older people?  The little old man who cut in front of you while crossing four lanes of traffic without using his blinker, only to go ten miles under the speed limit, and weave ever so slightly back and forth over the center line?  The little old lady who arrived at the express checkout just before you, only to pull out thirty-seven coupons? Your neighbor down the street who has to use a walker to go to the mailbox?  When you picture these people, what do you associate with pictures? Do you consider them to be savvy, intelligent persons, capable of making valuable contributions to society? Or do you consider them to be “old people” who are “not with it” and “do not know what’s going on” ?

 

I have painted a picture of persons well past retirement age. The problem is that our society often views persons anywhere over fifty as old.  And old is bad. Old means unproductive, slow, senile, and out. As we become more and more obsessed with being young, people are being thought of as incapable due to age at much younger ages than they were in the past. In the business world, persons over forty are often being treated as though THEY are  “old people” who are no longer “with it” and “do not know what’s going on.” In a few short years, a successful business executive can go from the person being envied, to the person being cast aside.

Confident Businessman

Why should this bother us, as long as we ourselves are not old? We all know the answer to this question, which is simply that we will all be old someday, unless, of course, some tragedy takes us before then. For me personally, this thought is extremely depressing. I cannot imagine how heartbreaking it would be to study so long, begin a career around thirty, and have possibly only ten years before some people would want to put me “out to pasture.”

 

Maybe you have a healthier view of what it means to be old, and are more apt to view people in their fifties and sixties as being part of the team, or maybe as mentors that you can learn from. The reality, however, is that this age group and over are often edged out as younger employees are given their positions, and forced into retirement, if not simply fired for some made-up reason. One distraught IT employee in a large company who described themself as “high energy” and as always receiving “excellent reviews,” said, “I was given a ‘token’ position as a business analyst. Since this time, I’ve literally been twiddling my thumbs.” (O’Donnell, 2013) This person wanted to leave the company, but realized that finding a new position at 57 would be difficult.  And, similar to others in this age bracket, retirement was not an option for several years.

femaleexecutive1

 

 

Another employee, age 59, said, “It has become painfully clear over the past year that I am being excluded from projects for which I once would have been eagerly sought out as the leader.” (Miller, 2013)  

 

These stories are disheartening because the only thing “wrong” with these employees is the fact that they are no longer 30 or 40 years old anymore. The experience they offer from having worked twenty-plus years in their fields is easily tossed aside in order to hire younger employees who will work for less compensation. These are the cold, hard, facts. Surely, we can do better, and treat people who have devoted so much time and energy to their fields with more dignity and respect. In Discrimination Against Older job Applicants, Ajay Choudhary says that according to the United Stated Government Accountability Office (GAO), it is more difficult for older employees to find a new position once they have been let go than it is for younger employees( Choudhary, 2013).  According to Choudhary, the GAO found that “only 31 percent of workers between 55 and 64 who were displaced between 2007 and 2009  regained full-time employment by January of 2010.”  (2013) For persons not yet ready financially to retire, this is disturbing news. What can older employees do if they believe they are being pushed out and/or replaced because of their age?

 

A possible mode of action for older employees who believe they have been discriminated against is to take legal action against their employer. According to the Age Discrimination in employment Act of  1967, it is illegal for employers to discriminate against employees who are over 40 years old (ADEA, 2013)  The drawback here is that proving discrimination can be difficult, and sometimes, impossible. What can we do to change how older persons are treated in the workforce, when discrimination is illegal, and still it goes on?

 

For starters, we can change how we view older employees, and older persons. When I asked a fellow student what he pictured when he thought of an older employer he said, “Someone in their forties.” I asked him what he pictured when I just said older person and he said, “Someone with gray hair….maybe in their eighties.” We talked about what caused the differences in the ages of the people he pictured, and he said that while he had “older” professors and was used to thinking of them as older, he really just did not picture someone over forty being an employer in charge of other employees. The truth is that older employees, similar to older professors, often have vast knowledge that is invaluable to those around them. They often have knowledge about the company or their area of expertise that could help make younger employees more productive. Often, their knowledge of things that have NOT worked in the past can save time and money for the company, and their relationships and reputation in the field cannot be easily replaced.

 

happy_older_worker-300x240

 

The U. S. Equal Opportunity Commission. (2014). The Age Discrimination Act of 1967. Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/adea.cfm

 

Choudhary, A (November, 2013). Age Discrimination Against Older Job Applicants. LexisNexis Legal Newsroom and Employment Law. Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com/legalnewsroom/labor-employment/b/labor-employment-top-blogs/archive/2013/11/01/age-discrimination-against-older-job-applicants.aspx

 

Miller, K. ( February 27, 2014). @Work Advice: Older Workers Being Edged Out or Denied Entry. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/atwork-advice/2013/12/03/5455bc08-8ae5-11e3-916e-e01534b1e132_story.html?hpid=z5

 

O’Donnell, J. (December 24, 2013). Why Older Workers Should Expect Age Discrimination. Retrieved from http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/12/24/fighting-age-discrimination/  

Working in a Boy’s World

February 24, 2014

 

Growing up, I did not have to deal with attitudes and stereotypes that said, for instance, that girls are not as good at math and science as boys. I was homeschooled until the eighth grade, so the strongest influence on my perception of my capabilities as a female came from my parents. Both of my parents taught me that I was capable of becoming anything I wanted to become when I grew up. My mom, who was my teacher, never did anything outside of expecting excellence from me in every subject. And my dad told me every night that I was beautiful and intelligent and could be anything I wanted to be when I grew up, with the Lord’s help. Having grown up in that atmosphere, I do not ever remember thinking that boys were smarter than me, or should be better at any particular subject than I was.

Having said all of this, some time between growing up in my supportive household and entering the real world, something changed for me. I was surprised after watching the following anti-sexism video, that I could personally identify with and feel that I have experienced something similar to every example in the video.

 

 

The positive thing about the video, is that the females are presented as having all of the same career positions as the males. The negative thing, of course, is the negative perception the females receive when they engage in the same activities as their male counterparts. I am sad to say that, after entering the job market fifteen years ago, I received the same sexist treatment over, and over again. Whereas this treatment used to surprise me, now, equal treatment is often what surprises me. I cannot begin to count how many times male peers in college, after hearing that I received an A on a project or assignment, have asked, “Yeah, but is your professor a man or a woman?” These men were the same men who knew I was often in the library until 3 am studying, and on Friday nights when they were out with their friends, yet they still dared to hint that my grade was based on my possible attractiveness to the opposite sex, and not my hard work and intellect.

Gender roles and gender bias are something we all encounter or interact with everyday in one way or another.  You cannot step foot on a playground, or walk into a restaurant, shopping mall, or even college campus without examples of gender roles confronting you. Some gender roles stem from the differences in our physical capabilities, some stem from differences in how we relate to others. For instance, it makes sense (in my opinion) that more men would be found working in construction, plumbing, auto repair, etcetera, because of the physical strength those jobs typically require. It also makes sense that more women would be found working in jobs that require nurturing, such as teaching, nursing, or childcare, since women are typically considered to be more nurturing than men. There are plenty of other, more negative, reasons for gender roles that women have been fighting against for years. The reasoning that men should always be in charge, because they are stronger and if not smarter (which is often part of this reasoning),  are at least more logical and less emotional, and therefore more able to make better decisions under pressure, is behind gender roles that keep women from being promoted in certain industries, or from receiving equal pay.

“Just because this is the way things are, doesn’t mean it’s the way things have to be.” ~Debra Sterling (2013)

 

For one thing, women need to continue to ignore gender bias and stereotypes when it comes to choosing a career to pursue, and recognize that it might be more difficult for those of us who grew up in places where science and math were considered boys’ subjects. Both in high school and in college I have felt hindered by my lack of spatial understanding, which I believe would have been improved if some of the toys I had played with would have had moving parts and been aimed at more than just playing house or dress up.

Besides not preparing girls for jobs requiring spatial skills, only offering girls dolls and dress up toys sends a not-so-subtle message that this is what they are meant to do in life. While my parents sent the right message in how they treated me and how they educated me, I likely would have been better prepared if I had grown up playing with toys and playing sports that would have enhanced my spatial skills. Debra Sterling, inventor of Goldie Blox toys, said in a TED talk that “kids that score better on spatial skills tests grew up playing with construction toys”(Sterling, 2013). For this reasoning, Debra has invented  a line of toys aimed at helping girls develop spatial skills, and develop an interest in engineering and male-dominated careers.

“Yeah sure some girls like princesses and tiaras, and I like that stuff too, but there’s more to us                    than that. There’s so much potential.” ~ Debra Sterling (2013)

 

While I do not agree with every line in the previous commercial (“That’s all we really need is girls,” “To bring us up to speed is girls,” “ Our opportunity is girls.”), I think providing little girls with toys that encourage them to develop some of these skills, and possibly peak their interest in these skills, will help them later if they choose to pursue some of the male-dominated careers. I also think that putting toys like this out there will slowly change boys’ perspectives of what girls are capable of, without putting boys down. If boys see girls playing with building and construction toys like their own toys, but in more feminine colors, they will be more likely to think of these careers as suitable for both males and females later in life, rather than thinking girls should stick to fashion design and nursing.

(Novemeber 9, 2013). Labels Against Women # Sine Strong Pantene retrieved on February 23,2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOjNcZvwjxI

(Novemeber 19, 2013). GoldieBlox, Rube Goldberg & Beastie retrieved on February 23, 2014, from http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/11/19/goldieblox_commercial_rewrites_the_beastie_boys_urges_young_girls_to_pursue.html.

Sterling, D. (April 19, 2013).  Yesterday’s Frontiers, Tomorrow’s Horizons. YouTube video retrieved February 23,             2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEeTLopLkEo.

The Man in Plaid

February 17, 2014

Driving though Waco this week, I came across the second hitchhiker I had seen within a three block radius in seven days. Normally, I feel pretty compassionate towards the homeless or “poor” people I encounter. For some reason this time, however, I felt annoyed. Maybe because it was the second time within a few days I had been confronted with someone else’s discomfort when I was simply trying to take a break from my already emotionally draining internship? I am not sure. At any rate, I was annoyed until I took a closer look and noticed something about the way he was holding his arm: he was cold. Immediately the sense of annoyance disappeared and tears welled in my eyes as I drove past him feeling completely helpless.

cold homeless man

I prayed for my cold neighbor and continued to the Chick-Fil-A parking lot where I drove past him, again, and saw him making his way towards a Walmart parking lot. I briefly wondered if he was going there to beg for money before I parked and went inside. After I had been seated for about 10 minutes, the same man came into the restaurant and sat at the table next to me. Super. Now my heart was sad and worried again…I kept looking to see if he had money to eat or was simply sitting to get warm for a few minutes. After a little time passed, I was pretty sure he did not plan on buying any food. I wrestled with whether or not to give him money, how much, when, etc.  Before I could decide whether to give him money while I was still eating, or on my way out, a woman sitting at a table on the other side of him motioned her head towards him and gestured for him to follow her to the counter where she bought him lunch. His lunch was taken care of, and maybe a meal for later, but I wondered as I left what he would do tomorrow…And the next day…And the day after that.

And he’s only one person.

In an effort to put a number on how many homeless there are in the United States, who is homeless, and why they are homeless, cities across the U.S. give out the Point-in-Time Survey (PIT) on a single day in January of every year. While this survey gives us valuable information about the homeless persons who are interviewed and counted in the survey, it cannot possibly give us a reliable count of just how many homeless there actually are (“Suncoast Partnership”,  January 27, 2014).

I don’t think you’ll ever get an accurate count of the number of homeless people, especially if they have children. They tell their children, ‘You can’t tell anybody we’re sleeping in the car, because that means you’ll be taken’  (Garner, as cited in Ellis, 2014).

How many are homeless in Waco?

This year’s Point in Time survey in Waco counted 30 chronically homeless persons, and 250 currently homeless persons (Hammons, 2014). These numbers may not look exactly staggering, but I have to wonder how many more homeless there might be in our city who avoided or missed being counted in the survey. And when you think about finding and funding housing, food, medical services and transportation for 250 plus persons, you start to get a real grasp for just how much money might be involved.

Tent City

How do we begin to make a difference?

I believe that the only way to truly make a difference is to act and to act now. As humans, it is so easy to do one of three things when confronted with human suffering. First, it is easy to let our hearts become hardened in an effort to cope as we continue to be confronted with the suffering of our brother. Second, it is easy to become hardened and blame the person for causing their own situation. For some reason, we feel better if we can say “They brought it on themselves.” As if we have received everything we ever deserved. Third, it is easy to remain tender and tell ourselves when confronted with suffering that we will help…when we have more money, more time, more…? The hard part, which often is not nearly as hard as we originally thought once we get started, is to act, and to act now. Jimmy Doreell, founder of Mission Waco says it this way:

There is a big step from general caring to knowing the names of       people. There is nothing more life-changing than knowing the names of other folks. The reality is when you know someone’s name, they become more real, more special (as cited in Wallace, 2014).

As people preparing to work in the helping profession, the suffering all around us can be overwhelming. We are students with little time, but if instead of becoming hardened to the suffering of those around us in an effort to deal with the pain that we see, we instead allow the pain aroused in our own hearts to spur us into action, we can be part of a real solution. How many problems could be solved if each one of us got involved? This is my challenge: to get involved in something outside of your internship responsibilities to help bring change to the poor in Waco. Let’s get close enough to know people’s names, and to let knowing them change our hearts and show us how to help. It doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment, but most of us can find a little time to do something. There are a lot of cold people in Waco waiting for rides.

Homeless waiting for ride at bus stop

References

Ellis, B. (2014). Counting the homeless in America’s poorest city. CNN Money. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/12/pf/homeless-count/

Hammons, A. (2014). Federal grant helps pay $39k annual cost for Waco homeless. News channel 25 HD. Retrieved from http://www.kxxv.com/story/24593516/federal-grant-helps-pay-for-39k-annual-cost-for-waco-homeless

Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness. (2014, January 27). Point in time survey. Retrieved from http://suncoastpartnership.org/about-homelessness/point-in-time-survey/

Wallace, D. (2014). Mission Waco: Caring for poor means knowing their names. The Baptist Standard. Retrieved from http://www.baptiststandard.com/news/texas/16098-mission-waco-caring-for-the-poor-means-knowing-their-names

 

 

 

 

 

Death with Dignity

February 10, 2014

This is a post that I hesitate to write because of the strong emotions and opinions I believe it might elicit from readers. However, as I searched through articles to write about in this blog, I kept coming back to this one. I believe the potential changes in policy surrounding this subject warrant the scrutiny of my colleagues (who are currently my fellow classmates), whom I respect and immensely enjoy learning from both in and out of the classroom.

Another reason this post is difficult for me to write is because it is tied up with so many personal stories from my family. Policies often do not affect people emotionally until they have had a personal connection, or seen what it can look like in real life.

In the article, “ ‘Aid in Dying’ Movement Takes Hold in Some States, ” a man named Robert Mitton, who is dying from a heart condition that will be terminal without a radical surgery, is asking for the right to “die with dignity,” a right that he says “should be a basic human right” (Eckholm, 2014, para 9). The topic of physician assisted suicide is by no means new to the American public. Going back to the case of Terry Schaivo in 2003, the subject received prolonged national coverage (Roig-Franzia, 2005). Since then, five states have implemented laws making it legal to aid terminally ill persons in ending their lives (Eckholm, 2014). Arguments over differences between aiding terminally ill persons in ending their lives and ending life support in persons in a chronic vegetative state can be made. However, similarities in the policy making them both legal are obvious.

“ ‘Aid in Dying’ Movement Takes Hold in Some States, ” cites the advocacy group Compassion & Choices as drawing a distinction between those seeking a “dignified death” and those seeking suicide, by classifying those seeking suicide as those who have mental problems (Eckholm, 2014). OxfordDictionaries.com defines suicide as “the action of killing oneself intentionally”(Suicide, 2014). I fail to see how a person being terminally ill and possibly having their families’ support alters this definition of suicide.

I agree with Mr. Mitton that people should be able to “die with dignity” (Eckholm, 2014), I simply disagree with his definition of this phrase and am alarmed at the implications that adopting laws making his definition of a dignified death legal in the United States could have on terminally ill patients and their families. The danger in advocating for people’s rights is a lack of education on what some of those rights could mean, and in how many people’s rights you could be taking away.

Picture, for instance, an elderly man in the hospital for the twentieth time, dying from kidney failure. He has no family to support him or to consult with, and his well-meaning doctor mentions the possibility of assisted dying as an option for care because it is now legal in his state. Picture a right for him to be informed that assisted dying is an option. This elderly man, who has every right to every medical help until he draws his last breath, is alone and worried about his mortgage payment and the debts he knows he is unable to pay. He is afraid of dying, and does not really want to die, even though he is sick, but feels that under the circumstances he does not have the right to ask to live. Suddenly, through the normalization of assisted dying, he is made to feel that he is putting others out by asking to live.

elderly-man-lying-in-hospital-bed

I believe that persons who are suffering from illness, are often not operating under their normal mental state, and might have trouble remaining positive in the midst of their illness, or being able to picture what their life might look like if they actually come out of their illness. Offering an alternative of assisted dying is offering very weak and possibly sad and depressed persons a route to give up. How many people would suggest that a college student struggling with grades give up and quit college altogether? Or how many people would tell a child struggling to read or learn math that there is an option where they can give up?

The article talks about the dignity of the person, dignity in death, etcetera. My fear is that we will or have become so obsessed with respecting people’s individual rights, that we forget to fight for life, and forget to really scrutinize new policies before we implement them. I am not necessarily arguing that someone should be forced to have life-saving treatment that they do not want to have. There is an enormous difference between being forced to seek life-saving treatment, and being allowed to seek life-ending treatment. What I AM arguing is that there is potential for more harm than good with laws allowing physicians to help persons die.

Eckholm, E. (2014). ‘Aid in dying’ Movement takes hold in some states. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/  08/us/easing-terminal-patients-path-to-death-legally.html?&_r=0

Roig-Franzia, Manuel. (2005). Long legal battle over as Schaivo dies: Florida case expected to factor into laws for end-of-life rights. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15423-2005Mar31.html

Suicide. (2014). Oxford Dictionaries.com. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/suicide?q=suicide