tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9468715.post24121240621593084..comments2024-03-15T00:28:08.150-07:00Comments on Slight Detour: The Meat of the IssueMLovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05821062147483953813noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9468715.post-61815913044811371272010-11-08T10:43:28.841-08:002010-11-08T10:43:28.841-08:00I read the same article. A couple of thoughts com...I read the same article. A couple of thoughts come to mind.<br /><br />First, I remember the first slaughter (here used in its commercial sense--as in "slaughter" house) of a steer that I witnessed. It was done by the self-same Mr. Best--a man whom I respect and remember highly. I was probably 8 or 9 at the time. Mr. Best did not force me to watch; I chose to do so, somehow thinking that it was one of those checklist items that one needed to check off as part of the process of growing up. I recall the event in those terms. Nonetheless, I don't recall it as a required part of my maturation. It's not something that I felt a crushing need to revisit over the years.<br /><br />My second thought is that, with all the basic issues surrounding our society's ability to educate people in matters of readin', writin', and 'rithmetic, it seems that education with regard to matters of animal butchering might be something that we can afford to keep on the back burner for a while. I'm not sure that observing animals being slaughtered is the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars.<br /><br />Beyond that, there is a slightly related concern. I've been reading quite a bit lately about our soldiers in combat. I'm a combat veteran who has seen quite a bit. In my reading, I've become aware of a troubling common thread. Two of the books I've recently read are "Where Men Find Glory" by Jon Krakauer and "War" by Sebastian Junger. Both books deal a lot with the conduct and activities of individual soldiers working in very small units--often out of reach of high level supervision. What strikes me in these accounts is the sense that some of our soldiers seem to "enjoy" the business of killing. That's a thread that, as a combat veteran, I find troubling. I have always found pride in whatever I and my comrades accomplished in our combat activities, but I can't recall that the business of killing was a source of pleasure. <br /><br />One of my thoughts about all this is that our society is making it "OK" to desensitize people to the act of killing. My own unscientific thought about this is that video games have much to do with that. I have often shared with others that in two years of wartime combat, I did not see violence inflicted to the degree that can be seen in many video games. These games are marketed to all ages; some of them can be found on line and available without cost. Kids who are barely more than toddlers are able to find and play these games. At these impressionable ages, the risk of desensitization is very high. I don't pretend to have a solution, but I think it's something that folks ought to be paying attention to. A field trip to watch a the slaughter of a bovine ought, IMHO, to be considered in light of all that. <br /><br />Sorry for the length of this, but it is something that I believe merits serious concern. The high school event is something that I think was ill considered.<br /><br />Mike BrownAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9468715.post-53127231499740351342010-11-08T08:12:43.114-08:002010-11-08T08:12:43.114-08:00I take it you can't cook lobster either...lol....I take it you can't cook lobster either...lol... you do know they are alive when they put them into the pot of boiling water..<br /><br />I could not be there during the killing of our animals over the years, but they became objects after they were taken care of and hung to cure.Word Tosserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03519547102435672497noreply@blogger.com