April Fool – Chalk Circle. A song I heard on the radio today. Shazam on my iPhone couldn’t figure it out; but I managed to somehow pull it out of the archives.
Yesterday, trying to make a hung-over friend feel better, I mentioned how beer makes one smarter by killing off the weakest brain cells like killing off the weakest buffalo in a herd – à la Cliff Claven in Cheers…
“Well ya see, Norm, it’s like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That’s why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”
Beers on the weekend. Click here for the slideshow or click on the image below to advance to the next image.
According to the mission statement on the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) website,
PETA works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.
What this means is that they produce materials and campaigns that get people, companies and organizations to take note, talk and write about what they are doing.
A recent example is the ‘banned’ Super Bowl commercial, (video above). I don’t think they meant or wanted to have that aired during the Super Bowl. If it did happen, it would have cost PeTA $3 million; or roughly 10% of their operating budget. Not the best use of money as the viewers are likely not their target audience. However, by getting the spot banned, it caused countless news organizations, bloggers and other media types to write about it as well as creating a general hubbub around the spot.
PETA is one of the world’s best marketing organizations and knew exactly what it was doing when they submitted the spot to NBC. They’ve done this before and none of spots have been aired. However, because of the interest, they’ve been viewed millions of times – far more effective than spending $3 million.
The target audience of PETA is actually quite small because when people realize the connection between the treatment of animals and their dinner plate; many cannot deal with that and become quite defensive or are in denial about their food choices. Many never get beyond this point.
Regardless, the PETA campaigns are meant to shock – so they are quite effective. They are probably more effective than mainstream advertising because the effects of their campaigns last in the (emotional) minds of people for years. PETA does piss a lot of people off, including vegetarians, but I don’t know of any vegetarian that would start treating animals poorly or revert to eating animals again because of it. PETA takes the bad with the good.
The good is that they have made someone notice – that’s their first goal. Their second goal is to get people beyond that point. Most will never get beyond the campaign; however, a small percentage will and read further. The third goal is to get people to provide support (money) to carry out their campaigns.
Mainstream marketers can only wish they could have this kind of impact.
I recently read some articles about the imperative for businesses to become green. It still seems that being green is still a fad among most people and that short term benefits and cost is a major factor – despite the potential savings over the long term.
Being green has been always been a focus for a small segment of the population because of the inherent desire to consume only when necessary, not be wasteful and ultimately save money. If all consumers had these ideals in mind when consuming, we likely would not be in the predicament we find our planet in today.
Lack of Awareness – people claim they do not have enough information
Negative Perceptions – green products are less effective
Distrust – people do not trust the message of government and business
High Prices – people do not understand the long-term benefits
Low Availability – business do not really want to sell these products
It is a bit of a chicken-and-egg game. However, the Internet is a wealth of knowledge and consumers can find the information with some effort. Consumers must also decide on their own what is right for them rather than wait for the market to decide what is right for them. Otherwise consumers will be at the whim of marketers – the very ones that help put us in the position we find ourselves.
Businesses that take a leadership role in such areas will be rewarded by loyal customers and not have to catch up when the mainstream realizes that being green is better (and essential). Whole Foods Market did this in the 1990s by stocking organic and local produce as well as other environmentally-friendly products. They are now a leader in the grocery business with strong growth by attracting informed customers.
I’ve worked in the retail business for more than 15 years (almost all of my working life) and I’ve seen what attracts customers. In North America, consumers are addicted to cheap stuff – period. We are intent on obtaining the best deal and not necessarily the best value or product. That’s why Wal-Mart is so popular.
Europeans are more concerned with obtaining the best value or product and not necessarily the lowest price. The North American strategy does not retain customers as they will flee once prices are not the lowest. However, the European method retains customers because of the value delivered through a superior product.
Unfortunately, marketers have created this problem because of the short-term pressures. Hopefully they can dig us out of this problem without more consumption. The actual answer is through reduced consumption.
A McKinsey & Company chart that illustrates that perception is very different that what is effective in reality. A surprising point at the first position is driving a more fuel-efficient car; driving less is at the fourth position. However, the biggest and most surprising gap is with eating beef – consuming less is the third most effective action people can take – vegetarians have know this all along.
Paul Watson, the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society being interviewed after a screening of the Dan Stone documentary, At the Edge of the World at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society enforces international maritime law under the United Nations World Charter for Nature – despite having no official mandate or authorization to enforce any legislation. They target Japanese vessels that continue to hunt whales despite an international ban. The poachers exploit a loophole that allows killing for scientific research, but the whale meat usually ends up in restaurant kitchens. Sea Shepherd’s goal is to stop the slaughter, even if it requires aggressive actions against the whaling pirates.
After getting psyched to try a vegan faux chicken sandwich after the Peta announcement in June, the nutrition information that I requested from KFC arrived today. It turns out that even after omitting the mayonnaise, the faux chicken sandwich is not vegan nor is it even vegetarian because it is cooked in the same oil that is used to cook the chicken. Even without chicken flesh, the sandwich is still a dirty bird sandwich. I’ll skip this meal.
Here are the nutrition facts and ingredients information that I obtained from the KFC holding company, Priszm.
I can’t recall the last time I ate at KFC – it was definitely before I became vegetarian. However, I’m contemplating going back for a visit to test out their new faux chicken sandwich that was announced after talks with PETA as part of a deal to use chickens from facilities that use controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK).
Six of us, three veg – three non-veg, are planning to go test it out because I want to know various opinions. I can’t remember what chicken tastes like so it would be good to have the opinion of someone that has eaten real chicken lately. The piece that I wrote earlier stated vegan faux chicken but the information on the link provided did not state vegan. I sent an inquiry to KFC to find out the ingredients of the sandwich. Hopefully, I get a response before I go to the restaurant. The image of the coupon appears with some white stuff which is probably mayonnaise, but that is easily omitted. Hopefully the rest is without animal products. It will be an interesting test.
Click on the image below and it will take you to the PETA page with a link to a printable coupon. I’ll post again next week after we have tried it. Perhaps you can try it and come back and let me (and curious readers) know what you thought of it.
[Update 8.7.08] This sandwich is not vegan or even vegetarian because it is cooked in the same oil that is used to cook the chickens. I wrote about it here.
All this in about a minute. Just staggering numbers and almost unbelievable. It takes about ten minutes to slaughter five million chickens and in one year, 117,687,096,000 are killed. I wonder if this includes the number of male chicks that are disposed of by the egg hatcheries that breed egg laying hens. This and other interesting information can be found here.
My diet consists of food from maybe three of the above categories. As some earlier point in my life I would have thought I was missing something. However, now, I think all that I am missing are diseases of affluence, contributing to animal suffering and the destruction of our planet. All can be read in the following books. I re-read each of them last month. A brief review of each book follows below.
Meat Market describes the animal agriculture industry, its practices and why it should be abolished. It was written mostly for vegetarian advocates, but gives a true picture of what happens in factory farms. Typically, the vegetarian movement talks about three three pillars, animal agriculture, the environment and health. Erik Marcus explains that as advocates, we should focus on animal agriculture to expose the animal agriculture industry to the general public because of the horrors that take place in factory farming. All people have compassion for animals and their treatment. If one saw how animals in factory farms were being treated, they might not want to eat animals.
Silent Spring is about the connection between all living things. Humans try to control a portion of it by adding pesticides and chemicals. However, Rachel Carson explains how the pesticides and chemical use to kill one species, actually does harm to others and the environment in general. This is evident in fish – almost all farmed fish contain PCBs and DDT which runs off from the land despite the fact that they have been banned since the 1970s. This book was written in 1962 and the claims were so shocking that the US president at the time, John F. Kennedy ordered an inquiry into the books claims. The book is still in print today.
The China Study is probably the most relevant for people. It discusses the link between diet and health. The book is called the China Study because of the genetic makeup of the Chinese population – 80% have essentially the same DNA. It was used to show health pattern based on their diets. I bought this book for a friend that was on a cholesterol drug because his doctor informed him that his condition was genetic. His father and grandfather also had high cholesterol. He read the book and adopted a vegan diet. After about six months, his cholesterol returned to normal and he lost weight that he could not shed when he was on his previous diet. It was his diet that was hereditary.
I don’t know too many people that enjoy eating at KFC – let alone vegetarians that would eat there. However, today they announced that they would offer a vegan faux chicken* item on the menu. I laughed pretty hard when I read that – then I thought WTF, who’s going to want to eat that?!
This was pulled off with some help from PETA who most (not only vegetarians) have a love/hate relationship with because of their campaigns, however, they do work despite how invidious some of them are. They did get KFC to agree to more ethical treatment of animals – before they kill them. Although, I’m not sure what the deal is with the vegan faux chicken. Who wants to go to lunch?
*sorry to our American neighbours, this will only be available in Canada.
Today is the first Sunday of the month and I’m fasting today as I do occasionally. When I do fast, I always think of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was intrigued to read that members fast on the first Sunday of each month and donate the amount of money equal to the amount of the missed meals to the church.
I’m more spiritual and not so much religious. When people ask me what religion I practice, I state, vegetarianism – because it is based on science and fact. However, if I were to practice an organised religion, it would be Jainism because their vegetarianism is based on ahimsa (literally, non-violence) which is the core of their beliefs. Jainism has been around since the 9th century BC, however, it has progressed with the times. Many Jains that I met in India have also stopped consuming animal milk and follow a vegan diet.
I prefer not to practise only one religion, but practise a bit of each religion and work it into my own life. With the money I save today, I will donate it to the Toronto Vegetarian Association.
Rescued hens enjoying a dust bath at Farm Sanctuary in upstate NY; August 2005.
I sometimes joke with my friends that if I ever started eating animal products again, it would be Popeye’s chicken. However, I’m quite sure I will never go back to eating animals again because the pleasure of being vegetarian is far greater than the immediate pleasure such a thing could ever provide.
For people looking to go vegetarian, Erik Marcus believes that the first food to give up should be eggs. A strange choice to many as cows, pigs, chickens, fish, etc. require the killing of these animals to be turned into food. However, many do not know certain types of chickens are bred specifically to produce large number of eggs; unfortunately a byproduct of this process are male chickens. They grow too slowly to be profitable to raise for meat so they are immediately put to death. In the US, I estimate the number of male chicks killed each year is pegged at 300 200 million male chicks and 50 million in the UK.
If they are lucky enough to be female chicks, they can endure the following injustices in their life:
Beak searing or debeaking – removing part of the beak to prevent birds from pecking each other – something that happens in confined conditions;
Confinement – they are confied to a battery cage and get about get about 67 square inches of floor space (that’s about 8×8 inches/20cm square) – less than the size of a sheet of paper;
Forced molting – a process to increase egg production; hens have their food taken away for seven to fourteen days, lighting is dimmed to mimic winter conditions stressing the body in anticipation of spring. This kills the weaker birds.
Most grocery store eggs come from such practices. Free-range eggs are usually derived from chicks obtained from the same source as where the factory farms obtain their chicks. Free-range chickens are usually without a battery cage, but not excluded from over-crowding in a big pen, called yarding. The conditions in Canada aren’t much different that in the US or elsewhere in the world. Food for thought.
Update (6.2.08): Jamie Oliver shows an audience what happens to the male chicks.
Advertising, Animal Rights, Couchsurfing, Culture, Environment, Music, Photography, Technology, Television, Vancouver, Video | Garry August 24, 2009 | 
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