A Cow At My Table

1998, Nature  -   101 Comments
Ratings: 8.20/10 from 30 users.

A Cow At My TableA Cow at My Table explores Western attitudes towards farm animals and meat, and the intense battle between animal advocates and the meat industry to influence the consumer's mind.




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101 Comments / User Reviews

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  1. I just can't help but think how hopeless we are as a species, we have everything we need to be at peace and enjoy this beautiful planet, plants, air, water. I can't wait until it's all gone, enjoy eating your meat then :(

  2. "Humane" and "appropriate" method is just a Cowardly euphemism for SCUMBAGY AND SAVAGE approach as far as treating innocent animals in the civilized world. We are the animals. And I hate how those low life savage red necks think they are within their right to treat those poor bulls, cows and the rest of the others in such savage criminal way. It's so sad and pathetic. I've been trying to become vegetarian and so far I failed but this year I did good in minimizing the consumption. I think the more documentaries I watch like this one and the likely I will finally succeed. Those interested you could also watch "Lucent" which is a documentary shot by Australian activists exposing the the atrocious way pigs are grown, Left to eat food mixed with their excrement, tortured, and then electrocuted for consumption. One can hear them SCREAMING their lungs out while being toasted. It's simply mad and insane. Also another good documentary is "Earthlings". This one is very broad as it speaks about all animals mistreatment and not just the cows. "A river of waste" expose American chicken manufacturing farms. It also show how they use Arsenic for some reason in treating chicken, along with other chemicals.
    Thank you to the documentary makers and posters. May God bless you.

  3. Astrastarr,

    I think you may need to do some homework on how cats and dogs were created. All animal life was created from a single organism. Dogs have evolved from wolves. Cats (tigers, lions etc are 'cats') and dogs were not created by humans and certainly would have evolved without us and would have existed without our intervention

  4. I tried going vegetarian but I was so fatigued that i couldn't function, constantly hungry and for some reason gained 20 pounds,also I was taking a multi-vitamin. vegetarianism might have failed for me because I'm allergic to legumes and nuts and gluten so it was hard to have a balanced meals

    1. Try the hindu aruyvedic diet.

    2. Check out The Wahls Protocol Diet, by Dr Terry Wahls one time Vegetarian who had MS and was in wheelchair for 7 years. While she understands some have beliefs that encourage vegetarianism, she did a clinical study on the Keto diet but focuses more on Nutritional Ketosis, is a strong advocate of why not eating meat/fish leaves humans with deficiencies, and encourges 8-9 cups of veggies from 3 categories daily, along with high fat (coconut oil, coconut milk full fat, avocado's, etc,) along with adequate amounts of grass fed, organic, meat & wild caught fish, which transformed her life, getting out of wheelchair in 6 mo. Vegetarians must combine proteins, also soak lentils, nuts to release enzymes that inhibit absorbtion of zinc, cal, mag etc, but says if a person is REALLY sick, vegetarian diet is NOT best. Get the facts, learn for yourself how the type of diet she recommends is transforming lives -people with auto immune. I myself, can testify to the benefits.

  5. This is how it seems to me:
    Activists: "Let the animals go. This is cruel and inhumane."
    Producers: "Why?...Ok, we'll give them a little more room and little more ventilation."
    Activists: "No, not good enough. Just let them go."
    Producers: "Ugh. Ok ok, we'll also give them real edible food and not let them eat eachother alive."
    Meat eater/milk drinker or not, this is just sick. Period. Any human with a soul would know that.

  6. I'm vegan, and certainly veggies do not scream, but sometimes hearing the sound of potatoes, or other stem/root tubers, spurting air from inside when they're extremely hot, sounds eerily similar to something in painful agony. Also, having stained skin from preparing wheat grass shots or juicing other vegetables, like beets for instance, feels as if it's the blood of the veggies, their essence, if you will, so full of delicious nutrients.

    Instead of a burger patty have a: Black bean, Quinoa, Sweet potato patty! It's simple to make. Just make sure all three are thoroughly and separately cooked and add what ever spices and flavors you want, then mix them evenly and form some delicious patties and cook them in the skillet with just a thin layer of light oil, maybe safflower.The sweet potatoes can be with or w/o skin. It is really up to you, the patties will hold together based on how tightly they are made.

    Food options are endless. Vegans have a bad reputation for being pompous and arrogant because many of them are:) but not every one of them. Education is the first step to helping people. It's not always easy for everyone to eat vegan, but it is possible. Making meals from scratch is fun as well! A vegan lifestyle is not about food choices only. In a simple sentence, it is refusal to use any product using animals, in any way that is harmful or unnatural to the particular animal.

    I think it's funny when people (my family included) say to me, "Oh! I'm sorry, that sucks that you can't eat this/that." so I laugh and reply with a smile, "It's not "can't" eat, it's "don't" eat." And I'm thankful for the difference. there is nothing in meat, dairy or eggs that cannot be found elsewhere. I've never really been convinced about milk anyway.

    1. The reason we have such a problem with Carnism (eating animal products) is because it starts with human babies & children, too young to make ethical choices, such as feeding several month old babies pureed turkey, or telling kids to eat their nuggets, tacos or chili. The kids inherently just trust, that adults won't give them something bad to eat. They're deliberately not taught the truth, or using animals, is so normalized that they're not seen as sentient beings. So catching a fish, is no different, that picking an apple. The industry even uses world like "harvest" instead of kill. The whole "from an animal" is downplayed, or taught as the animals "give" us, wool, milk, eggs, etc.

      One of the 1st baby books ever read to kids, is , On the Farm, where it has pictures of happy creatures frolicking in lush green fields, or stories of "helpers on the farm", where a child in a book, collects eggs, and milk, and later bakes a cake. That starts the self gratification ball rolling. I'm going too eat these things because I like them. Near here, there's an Ice Cream shop called The Happy Cow, further blurring the line. Cows are happy to make milk, so we can have some ice cream. A local dairy, used to use that as a ploy, when school kids went on a dairy tour.

      The kids are never told about the male calves being killed, or that cows even need to birth calves to make milk. So, most kids grow up just eating animal products, simply because they're just given them, as a food item, with no though about it's origins. It's simply absolute ignorance. It's also been proven, kids will virtually only eat, what the parent eats. Take grown children, who's parents never ate asparagus or mangoes. Then give the grown child those items on a plate. Some might try them, but most would reject them, even though they have no one stopping or encouraging them to eat them. They weren't raised, seeing them as food, so in adulthood, they still don't see them as food, even though they know that they are food.

  7. humans are omnivores, therefore anyone who is vegetarian is denying their humanity

    1. youre denying your humanity by advocating that its ok to treat another creature the way we its done now. cages full of s*it, shameless abuse, neglect of the sick, crippled and dying to dwell among the "healthy." if you think not wanting to be part of that mess is what goes against someones own humanity then you need to take another look at what humanity means

    2. Humans may be omnivores, but just because something is natural does not mean we do not have every right to make a different choice. You know polio is natural too and that doesn't stop people from seeking vaccines. Pregnancy is natural too but that doesn't stop me from attempting birth control. Does that choice mean I am denying my humanity? Also at what point was it decided that not denying my humanity ought to be a priority?

    3. Humans are only opportunistic omnivores, not obligate omnivores.

    4. Let's take this "logic" to it's logical conclusion.

      Steven is basically saying that anything humans do that is not "natural" is denying our humanity.

      How about seeing a dentist? Wearing clothes? Working at a job? Riding in car? Using the internet? Or living beyond 40 years old?

      As to food: is it natural to shop in a supermarket, and buy mangoes in the middle of winter, even if you live in the far north?

      In fact, if you look around the produce section of your supermarket, practically nothing you see was even available 10,000 years ago. Oh sure there were apples 10,000 years ago - tiny bitter crab apples - but there no such thing as nice big Fuji apples.

      So if you want to live in a way that is entirely natural, then fine, do so. Most likely, you will live a short, and miserable life.

  8. If you eat dairy products and animals, you should be denied insurance coverage for the following diseases:

    1. Diabetes
    2. Cardiovascular disease
    3. Cancer

    1. No one should be denied health care (or insurance to get that care) for any reason. I've seen plenty of my fellow vegans engage in unhealthy behaviors where would such silliness end?

  9. I couldn't finish watching this because of the reliance on ancient footage and (modern footage made to look ancient). Only managed to hang in for 28 minutes.

    But for those who believe the human body has been designed to process or modified to eat meat is either misinformed or intentionally denying the scientifically substantiated evidence to the contrary.

    A plant based diet has been proven to control many ills including; diabetes, heart disease and hardening of the arteries. It is also strongly associated with a huge drop in the risk of contracting many types of cancers and the reduced risk of suffering from Alzheimer's later in life.

  10. Dan. Post sources for your "scientific facts" and I will double as many as you provide with scientific facts to the contrary. Don't get caught up in the scientists who say the world is flat or the doctors who said smoking is good for you just because of their "credentials". There a lot of people making a lot of money keeping us eating processed meat and dairy to keep us sick to buy their drugs and medical procedures. We are only "omnivore" in that our bodies can survive for a short time if we HAVE to through eating meat, but sustained intake of it makes us sick. Pure and simple. I'm sorry that you'll have to go through the illnesses you will because of your belief. I hope you learn the truth in time.

  11. People who want to be more informed about where the products that end up on their table come from, need to do more research. Don't watch one documentary and think that you know everything about animal welfare or what really happens on pork farms. Don't be so ignorant people.

  12. I am not a vegan/vegetarian..... yet. I am in the process of changing my diet and eliminating a majority of processed foods, including meats. I find it amusing to see other people's reactions to my eating healthy. IT actually makes them angry at me as if my healthy eating is solely for the purpose of showing them their own unhealthiness. This message board is full of comments full of bitterness towards those people who have taken control over their taste buds.

  13. Our bodies break animal minerals and proteins down differently, human beings are meant to eat meat,despite you valient efforts to fabricate such a claim. some ethnicities bodies are built to survive almost solely on meat ei the Inuit. If people want to eat meat..let them. don't try and convert them to veganism or the like, get them to support local, organic meat,ethically treated animals that have had good lives..roamin' around and doing what they do. And yes the world's population as big as it is now couldn't be supported on organic ethnic farming. f*ck it, bring on the apocalypse/shift of era what have you, less people=better. but thats another story. And people who eat just vegtables, fruit and grains, have to eat supplements, and are skinny and get sick quite a bit, I know this, I live in a city where everyone's gun-hoe about being a vegetarian or vegan. Learn the ways of the earth that will ensure your survival in the chaotic looking future. I hunt. I fish. I love the mother earth and all the universe has to offer. I have really ranted. sorry : p

    1. sorry "cheyenne", the human body is set up for an omnivorous diet, as is scientific fact. just because just because people in the vegetarian "movement" claim otherwise, does not make it so.

    2. I sure as hell didn't mean to come across as suggesting otherwise..wrote that awhile ago, possibly influenced by wine : I Anyways, I'm an omnivore, I <3 meat and veggies, and believe the human body is set up for an omnivorous diet like you have stated as well. Sorry for the misleading jumble of words, i rant and sometimes forget key points of view as such

    3. Watch the documentary Forks over Knives and witness retired US scientists who held preeminent positions in both government and research universities say otherwise. Animal products according to their lifetimes of research directly cause disease in humans. Plant based foods not only don't cause disease, they have been demonstrated to reverse it. The reason this isn't information that is more widely disseminated is the relationship between meat and dairy interests, money, and the fact that government food and health policy is often determined by industry lobbyists. It is politics and power with ordinary people as the collateral damage

  14. I did not read all the posts, but i read enough. I see people mostly have a black and white outlook on things. Yet again with most humans, a limited field of view, with a linear, singular, and false perception of individuality.
    Humans need to realize that we are part of the earth and all life on it. Regardless of how we have evolved. evolution is an ongoing process in which life forms change with the environment. Humans tend not to adapt to environment but instead play on there ability to change environment to suite them. At the same time they still have to change in one way or another to the ever changing conditions.
    The key points to this debate are.
    1.we are overpopulating, with thinning resources being a major survivability issue, we need to considerate what is most efficient. seeing as the amount of land, grain, water, and transporting these items,..it becomes wasteful. In short, the amount of resources needed to produce a pound of meat, could have been used to feed a lot more people, if it was veggies we used the resources on.
    2. not only can we survive on veggies,..we can grow them ourselves(given it would be easier if we had abundant solar energy). I have survived with no soy at all and mostly locally grown produce,(90% organic), for the past 11 months.
    3.You want to talk about evolved to eat meat!!?
    Well , the amount we have evolved to eat meat is pathetic, veggies on the other hand. We are locked into a major symbiotic relationship with plants.
    One we can live without meat, but we cant live without the vitamins from the plants.
    Two, we have evolved hand and hand with plants so long, that plants have turned us into an external sex organ. We incubate, nourish, and plant the seed, just from the process of eating the plants.
    So with that in mind,..these are my thoughts.
    What works better? A death cycle that could eliminate a species, or a symbiotic relationship that perpetuates the survival of biodiversity.
    We are in a changing point of epic proportions. We are to the point where if we dont change with environmental stimuli, a large percent of the life on earth will falter.
    As much as humans would love to think of themselves as individuals, everything we know about the fields of science tell us WE ARE PART OF OUR ENVIRONMENT AND ALL LIFE AND MATTER WE CAN SEE.
    So it stands to reason that every action we take, effects everything in one way or another.
    I offer this perception of reality. (my theory is more complex then this simple analogy but this is something everyone can understand). I want you to picture the universe and all matter in it, as a life form in which we are part of(on a subatomic level). Picture all particles as alive and partly as one or potentially part of everything at different times( shared).Then picture the black holes, star, and other bodies as internal organs of the universe. Then picture all life forms with a brain and central nervous systems, as the sensory organs/brain cells/hard drives of the universe. Apply that to your lives.

  15. Whether we like it or not, we all one day will have to depend on ourselves or our neighbors to eat.

  16. Not the most compelling, uses a lot of old footage.....a bit dull, did not watch to the end. Might have gotten better........

  17. Of cause these huge farms are factories. I just can´t see how anyone ever could argue against that.

  18. @JOA0

    If we haven't *yet* evolved enough to abstain from eating meat, that implies that so far we're still evolved to eat meat.

    Not necessarily arguing that we should eat meat, just that I think your statements contradict each other.

    Personally I think all the arguments about what we are 'evolved' to do are vague and should be left out of it. There's evidence that humans used to scavenge the kills of large carnivores because the human tapeworm is more genetically similar to the tapeworms of lions and hyaenas. That indicates that we *have* eaten meat for a long time, and we're still here. Whether that implies that we *should* is another thing.

    Perhaps someone should base a 'natural' 'roadkill' diet on that research.

    1. The (cruelty in) meat industry still exists because of profit and largely because things aren't known to majority of the consumers. If they knew how much bad stuff goes on behind the curtain, they would not choose to support it.

    2. Not entirely. I have herd many times someone say "I choose not to think about it". Humans, as with all animals, for better or worse, don't tend to focus on things they don't see, or things that don't affect them daily. I personally am disgusted by the way these animals are produced. Does that mean I'm am going to stop eating delicious delicious cows? Certainly not. For the small percentage of us who are logical and mostly good to stop eating meat is not enough to change anything. The only hope for the world is for humans to somehow evolve greed out of their being, or for someone like me, who's only goal in life is to stop at least one injustice in the world, (whether that be stopping the torture of animals, or stopping the oppression of a people, or the unbanning of certain things made from the earth) to become the richest man in the world, and campaign militarily against oppression and for logic. And even then, power would probably get the best of me.
      Sorry sort of went off on a rant there at the end.

  19. WOOOw, a lot of shity coments there.
    We are frugrivorous and not meant to eat any kind of meat.
    When humans evolve they shall not kill any animal

    1. Humans are capable of eating and processing meat. Whether you like it or not you are still an omnivore.

  20. This is to the highly intellectual being that explains how grain is specially grown for farm animals. I believe the point that you missed was that if we took all the land that was used for grown animal feed and used it for growing conventional crops in rotation, we would not only grow enough to feedd everyone on the planet, we would also stop ruining the soil by stripping it of all those nutrients. By rotating the kind of crop grown, the soil uses different nutrients allowing the nutrients that were stripped from the crop before to be rejuvinated. I believe I was taught this in grade 6 science class....
    To the person that said these animals have no soul. You should watch a cow protect its babies sometime. For an animal to show that kind of love it must have a soul. If you can't get a chance to see that then maybe seeing the fear as its about to be slaughtered will convince you.
    Veggies on the other hand have no soul. They don't show emotion or have the capacity to think. They also don't scream or bleed when they are cut into. So to put them on the same level with animals just shows off your itellectual genius, or lack there of.

  21. @ Anthony

    In answer to your questions:

    1- How do you go about obtaining your food?

    I go to the grocery store or farmer's market, just like anyone else.

    2- Do you impose the same sort of “humane” harvesting of your food, as you wish for meat eaters to attain?


    3- Are plants not living things?

    Yes, they are living things.

    4- If they are, then how can you justify that eating of once living plants, is any better than eating of once living animals?

    However, unlike humans and animals, they don't have pain receptors or nerve endings so you they can't be killed. Plants are alive and when we eat them they remain alive in our bodies. Plants are raw living foods that require little to no preparation for us enjoy eating. Meat on the other hand is the dead flesh of an animal. It requires cooking at high temps, seasoning and condiments for it be edible and consumable. Eaten raw would result in illness or possibly death.

    Ironic thing is, eaten cooked, it still results in illness and possibly death, due it's high levels of cholesterol and saturated fat. The main components of our North American diet that is making everyone sick and sending health care cost out of control.

    In anycase, what you choose to eat or not eat is you're own perrogative. Hope my answers help you understand this debate a bit better.

    1. Most plants are SELF SACRIFICING, animals are not. An apple tree, will make apples,, and they'll all drop to the ground, if no one picks them. The same goes for tomato, squash, cucumber, and other edible plants. Alimals don't just drop dead, so people can eat them. Plants make way more fruit and seeds than they'd ever need to perpetuate their species. I planted 1 bean seed, which grew into 1 plant, that made many bean pods, that contained 200+ seeds, from ONE original seed. Why would it need to make 200 seeds to survive? It's purpose, is to feed the creatures of the world, AND propagate itself. If 1 seed, makes 200 seeds, and all 200 seeds made 200 more seeds, there'd be 40,000 bean plants. Think about the power of plants, when you realize how much plant based food, is fed to billions of animals EVERY DAY. Now, erase the animals, and give the "animal food" to humans. How many humans could you feed with the same amount? U.S. could feed 800 million people with grain that livestock eat.

  22. no offense, but i cant help but notice how so many people are creating parallels between humans and animals. humans are animals, and we definitely aren't the best at everything. dolphins have larger brains, cows never forget a face, pigs play video games. humans think we are superior, by nature even, but we should always consider animals as likened individuals

  23. Soo...we should treat animals [HUMAN]LY? Good one. Impossible too.

    Animals may suffer needlesly, but If we really didn't care, we would threat them in a hole diffrent way. It's a fact that we allready go way out of our way to ensure that animals are treated well. But of course thats not enough for vegetarians...animals need to be treated [human]ly, which as one might have guessed means: To treat someone as a human. You can treat Prisoners of War humanly, you can treat Hitler & Goebbels humanly and of course you can treat criminals humanly, however you can NOT treat Animals humanly, as they are not human.

    Eating Plants is not: Moraly superior, natural, ethical, healthy and it does certainly not change "the Industry" for Industry is responsive only to popular oppinion, and even then they prefer to do things in the most profitable manner. And as you will never get everyone to eat meat, there will allways be a need for cheap meat.

    Yes, slaughtering Animals is a bloddy mess, that why we kill them before slicing them up... Is it pretty? No, but does that make it evil? Again...no way.

    Never mind that there are humans dying under horrible circumstances, never mind the large number of humans suffering, look over there! Someone is holding animals in a cage!....Some of you have written that they are ashamed of humanity...I wonder why the shame is creeping up on me too right now.

    1. *Whole....different way.

    2. humanly or humanely?

  24. The whole vegetarian/vegan thing has become an annoying evangelical religion.
    You are not elite because you eat veggies.
    Soy production is killing rainforests.
    Those veggie burgers your buying are made by the same company that owns factory farms.
    Pig parts are in everything, even those vinyl lps so many hipster-vegans collect.

    1. You do realise that an overwhelming percentage of the rain forest killing soy crops you speak of actually is produced to feed cattle..
      I'm tired of this argument too often pulled out by meat eaters as a way of attacking people who choose to adopt the 'whole vegan/vegetarian thing' as you dismissed it. You should really do your research.

  25. the human body is not made to eat meat, or meat specifically. if you look at the evolutionary make up of a human body in comparison to that of a canines body you would see alot of differences. canines have sharp teeth, and short digestive systems. they can pass meat in hours. humans have rounded teeth, large molars, and especially large digestive systems made to get the most out of what is consumed. this is why a steak can take up to 48 hours to fully digest. while a dog couldnt live on a plant diet, humans atleast have the possibility, soy products contain mass amounts of protein, like meat. soy and almond milk have been shown to be excellent alternatives to milk.
    i ate meat growing up. i understand the love for sausage in the morning, burgers, bacon, ribs,..but i became a vegetarian for various health reasons. mainly meats leading role in many causes of cancers. but i would never judge someone who eats meat. its a large part of culture.

    me being a vegetarian for myself is a good enough reason for me.

    1. Actually, dogs can do fine on a vegetarian diet! That's according to numerous cat books I've read. Cats are considered not to be able to be vegetarian because they need a dietary source of taurine, which generally comes from meat. However, I have learned that the taurine is wasted or broken down (not sure which) during food rendering, and that cat food companies are able to synthesize taurine from non-animal sources and add it back into the cat food.
      I am thinking about becoming vegetarian or vegan, because I find the cruelty abhorrent. I also find the benefits of eating more vegetables to be enticing. This film helps cinch that drive. I would be disappointed if people don't feel compassion for those animals in the factory farms or on the slaughter line. The domestic violence skyrockets when 'meat packing plants' move into a community. As for the soybean cutting down trees in Brazil's rainforest, keep in mind that most of that soy is going to feed cows. You need a lot of soy and corn for cow fattening, even for pasture-raised beef.

    2. remember cats and dogs are something humans created- breeded. they would not have existed outside of our intervention. So using then as an example of nature is incorrect because they would never have evolved. They are in a sense- products. sad but true.

  26. Just a quick story:
    I was driving down the 401 on route from Kitchener to Toronto one freezing cold day in january.My son was in the passenger seat,he was about 11.A huge stock truck was beside us carrying pigs.You could see their snouts sticking out of the holes.My son asked"Mom,aren't those pigs cold?"I said "Yes,they are probably freezing".He asked"Then why are they in that truck?"I said"Some people are just plain cruel and don't think about the pigs being cold".He had this look on his face the rest of the day,a sad look.

    1. When I grew up my family raised cattle, pigs, and chickens. I used to help butcher them when I was half your sons age. My family, neighbors, and loved ones gathered for a boucherie. Those are some of the fondest memories of the times together

  27. I watched the documentary because I wanted to learn what actually goes on behind the scenes.We are an incredibly misinformed society therefore,I want to be informed.I don't think the message was "don't eat meat",it was don't allow,accept or condone the mistreatment of any animal whether it be a cat,cow,sheep,dog,bird ect.The way the animals are treated as shown in this documentary is disgusting.From the beginning of their lives until the dreadful end.It's horrible,despicable and makes me ashamed to be human.Then again I'm proud that some people have the balls to stick up for animal rights.I would like to see this documentary televised during prime time hours(after dinner).I can feel the shock waves now.

  28. Hi.
    To be vegetarian is surely in modern times the most logical diet to follow. I say that purely based upon the environmental hasards created by both the production and transportation of meat. The energy and resources needed to run an intensive livestock factory are astronomical. For example; it takes an incredible 13,000 litres of water to produce just 1 kilogram of beef, compare that to 4,000 litres for a kilo of rice and 100 litres for a kilo of potatoes. Most land cleared by deforestation is used to produce soy beans, 95% of which are then converted into animal feed. Would it not be better if the millions of tons of water and food currently used to feed animals was diverted to feed the 1 billion humans currently starving to death, who would argue with that?
    On a different note concerning those who are prejudiced against vegetarians, i'd like to mention a recent discovery made in Italy that might challenge your perceptions. Archaeologists uncovered a burial site that contained many skeletons of former gladiators. After examening the remains, scientists on-site concluded that the low zinc content of the bones was due to the lack of meat in the gladiators diet. These fearsome, ruthless fighters whose lives depended on being at the peak of physical excellence, ate little more than carbohydrate rich barley. They didn't need meat and neither do we.

  29. uscareme,

    people eat food from trash, I am sure they did not eat buffaloes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And they did not eat eggs.

    Eating is cultural phenomenon.You can find many population vegetarians as you can find meat eaters. You have the flexibility to adapt to think on our environment. It is exactly about environment and flexibility what we are talking here. Look the way things are now? It is clear it is not good. It is not good for your health and for the environment (I am not talking about animal sufferings). It is a simple fact as customers we most change the way we buy. If you are around 30's you are the first generation who has been eaten just farm animals, with all the hormones, chemicals etc e tal. So wait until you are 60's to see how many diseases it will be linked with. That is not about vegan/vegetarians x meat eaters. That is a scientific fact. We do not buy health in the hospital we buy it from our groceries, hopefully not from the big retail lobby. Which has massacred the little shops (terible for the economy, terible for workers) terible for companies and farmers who are on their hands, depends of their amazing deals. You, worker think they are amazing when they really f*** up all the system. Again you don't need to be brainy,just get evidence and make the change you want to see in the world.

  30. If meat is so wrong to eat,then why do the people that where one with the earth (native american) eat meat?

    1. Maybe because their populations were quite small. They killed their own meat and therefore respected the animal. They also did not keep then in confinement systems and in overpopulated buildings for the entirety of their lives, as happens with hens and sows.
      If you watched the film, you'd notice there was a lot of post-war propaganda about 'needing meat'. Yet, the position statements of the American Dietetic Association and the Canada Association of Dieticians state that a well-planned vegetarian or vegan diet is suitable for all life-stages, which clearly contradicts the industry's marketing.
      I wouldn't go so far as to say that eating meat is wrong, but I can say that eating factory farmed meat is unethical. These animals are under a lot of stress, and do not have healthy bodies. Therefore, the meat is not going to be best for your health. Personally, I don't like the idea of hiring someone to kill the animals for me, I don't like the cruelty I have learned about, and I just don't like the idea of killing. I make my eating decisions based on my values, and these have changed over time.

  31. Factory Farmed meat is so nasty and chewy and it is a greyish color.The carcass is so nasty after a factory animal has been slaughtered they have to use red food coloring to make the meat look bloody and healthy.
    You can buy natural beef for the same price or less money then nasty ole Kroger and Walmart Meats ect..
    You can go to your local farmers market and buy direct from the farmer or get some friends together and pitch in on half a cow.You will have the best healthiest protein rich meat all season- you will never turn back.
    Don't be scared- it takes a bit of effort to become the grill master!

    1. Why eat dead corpses, if you can eat vibrant, and alive, beans, nuts and seeds?

  32. I eat meat on a daily basis.... i do agree that its terrible how these animals are treated/killed, but i am not going to stop eating meat because of it. all you p@#$% vegetarians get a life . you don't need to eat meat ! but us meat eaters don't want to listen to your rants - no matter what you tell me / provide me info on will not stop me from eating meat THE HUMAN BODY IS MEANT TO EAT MEAT!! with the population the way it is - theres not much other choice other than factory farms - i don't want to pay $40 for a steak at the grocery store.

  33. ...hitler was a vegetarian.

    And we all lose by godwins law.

  34. By reading these comments I'm more certain than ever: meat makes you dumb!

  35. Ha I have to laugh at the people in here. The "meat eaters" calling the vegans Nazi's etc etc etc. Why cant peeps on these sites have a normal mature debate. Each to their own I say.

    1. I think it was the vegans calling the meat eaters Nazi's .

  36. I think the Jews got it right with there KOSHER ways.Safe,tested,quality foods in every way is where we SHOULD be at.
    Well treated & raised animals is what most people think they eat- but it is not.You must make a special effort and seek out farms and companies that way of life for the animals.
    You can find companies that produce meats that are CERTIFIED-Humanly treated.Pay the extra .50 for the cage free eggs.
    I try to find a realistic balance with the meats i eat.
    During the day i get my protein maybe from eggs or sliced Avocados.Usually I eat 1 regular serving of meat 1 time a day with tons of veggies.
    These are the products that I buy.I am trying to support companies that do the best by the animals they raise and slaughter and gives me the healthiest and less processed nutrition.
    *I do not have a Whole foods where i live so his is the LIST of the healthiest products that i buy, can afford- and are available to me:

    ~Brown Natural Preferred Cage Free eggs-Krogers
    ~Sanderson Farms Natural Chicken(chickens are inside- cage free and not plumped up with additives and DO taste better and no fake blood put in the pack)_HEB
    ~HEBREW Hot Dogs-Kosher certified- no animal by products and must be humanly slaughtered by regulation-KROGERS,HEB,most anywhere
    ~Kroger Naturally Preferred Turkey Sliced deli meat-no Sodium Nitrates in the meats(would prefer organic Turkey if it was available:(
    ~ Chapel Hill Venison Sausage-they raise there own dears on there own farm.Very good sausage and I am not a sausage person-KROGER
    (by the way have you checked your lunch meat lately,did you know companies use the cancer causing preservative in meats called SODIUM NITRATE.Did you know there are several natural cheaper preservatives that could be used,they even put it lunch meats packaged for kids)

    So what do you think of my list?I know Vegans will disagree totally but you have to realize people are going to eat meat no-matter-what so why not help them support companies that are NOT factory farms...
    Thanks for reading my ideas!

    1. I believe it is the Mercy For Animals video called Farm to Table that shows the numerous infractions of a big Kosher slaughterhouse. Kosher does not assure humane treatment. Even Humane Certified does not assure humane treatment (See Supermarket Secrets on this website, I think it is in Part 2).
      I have served the soy products to meat eaters, and much to my surprise they ate and liked them! I have found the best thing of all is a quiche that you bake in the oven from tofu. I did a spinach one with cheese (you can use vegan cheese if you are vegan), and one with leeks. I couldn't believe it wasn't made with eggs, and it was so easy too. I put it in muffin cups to bake, so the portions came out very elegant and I didn't have to cut to serve.

    2. Farm to table not for the weak heart- it made me cry uncontrollably :(

    3. "Cage free" hens, still live in warehouses, 30,000 birds to a warehouse. I really don't think pastured chickens, that are put upside down in those cones, have their throats slit, and then bleed to death, seems very humane to them. Killing "Kosher" & Halal" "meat", is just as cruel. Their throats are slit too. Then they are hung upside down, still trying to breathe, dying in terrible pain, while bleeding to death. They are NOT stunned first.

      "there own dears on there..." There (exists) are deer (already plural) over there (non specific place) on THEIR (possessive aka belongs to them) farm. Oh, dear! The lambs escaped! I hope the little dears (term of endearment) will be OK. Dear Superintendent, how do so many graduates, not know proper English, including a FIRST grade "teacher" who didn't know the difference between there, their, and they're, and yet was hired to "teach" the next generation??

  37. @ Anthony

    I myself became a vegetarian because I didn't agree with the way animals the animals suffer, and with much healthier options around which replace meat e.g quorn products etc...
    It was logical to me not to eat meat.

    Now to answer some of questions with my opinion.
    1. I go to the supermarket and a fruit vegetable shop.
    2/3 No I do not impose humane harvesting as I’m not sure how you would do it and yes plant are living things, but unlike animals plants aren’t conscious in the same way and don’t feel pain or mental anguish or other emotions like animals. For example if you chase a pig in the wild it will run as it sees you as predator, but if you chase a cabbage, well it aint gone move is it.

    4. Plants don’t feel pain or emotions and we have to eat something to live. And yes morally eating vegetables is better as no animals have died or suffered for the food. now for some science stuff. A report by the UN found that animal agriculture is a leading cause of climate change(more than all of the worlds transport) and air pollution; land, soil, and water degradation; and biodiversity loss.



    So now you can see why I became a vegetarian and that it is allot more logical that eating meat. Hope this has answered some of your questions. Oh to answer Q5: opening a new slaughter house would only add to climate change, poverty etc.. (read up).

  38. @Superpescado - I eat colon cancer and quacks/hacks for breakfast. Fear-mongering liberal pansy, that you are.

  39. @ Anthony

    Enjoy your colon cancer

  40. I feel that its unfair to categorize vegetarians by the more radical perspectives. Most do not believe that it is fundamentlaly wrong to eat animals (though I can respect thoughs who do) For me, I find the solid arguments regarding ecological and health repercussions more compelling then ones relating to unethical treatment (though, of course, it is in all ways appalling). However, if the treatment of animals is foremost in your decision to be a vegetarian, then really you should be vegan because the living conditions of animals involved in the production of eggs and dariy products is equally appalling. Thus, I am a hypocrite. At this point in my life, being vegan is somehthing I just don't feel I can do. and I've heard that alternative food products such as free range eggs and milk etc. is total bullshit. so I don't know how to determine which dairy food sources are reliably humane or if such alternatives would even exist in Ottawa (Canada) at all...

    1. I have looked into the issue of milk and eggs. Milk is easy because soy milk is cheap and readily available. You may have to try different kinds. And if you don't mind spending a bit more, oat milk has a fresh, clean taste. The problems with milk are: they now remove the newborn calves from the mother at one day of age. The males are not needed for the dairy industry, so the male calves are sent to auction. If the calf survives the trip with the older cows, it is not a good long-term cow for meat production, so it is bought for veal. It is kept in a very small space where it is lucky if it can reach its own shoulder there is so little room to move. It is fed a nutrient-deficient diet and is killed after 12 to 22 weeks. So purchasing milk means you are essentially supporting the veal industry.
      Similarly, when chicks are born, only the hens are good for laying eggs. The males are not needed and not economically viable for producing meat. So they destroy them at birth, including pounding their heads against concrete and putting them in chipper machines. So, while I still eat eggs, I pay 2.5 times more the price for certified organic. But I use them sparingly as I know my demand is causing the death of male chicks. I hope to eliminate them from my diet.

    2. Really Soy Milk? please look into this before advocating it's usage.

    3. If soy milk isn't your thing... There's rice milk, hazelnut milk, sunflower and flax seed milk, hemp milk and almond milk (my favorite) --- Any other plant-based choice besides cow's milk, goat's milk, giraffe milk, donkey milk, etc. is fine!

  41. Some questions for the vegetarians and animal rights activist.

    1- How do you go about obtaining your food?

    2- Do you impose the same sort of "humane" harvesting of your food, as you wish for meat eaters to attain?

    3- Are plants not living things?


    5- For the animal rights activists, instead of pointing out problems you see, why would you not establish your own meat production facilities and lead by example? Guess it's easier to find fault in others, then open the flood gates on negative propaganda.

    I say we boycott soy products, corn, wheat, rice, sugar cane, lettuce, cabbage, peas, beans, broccoli, cabbage, potatoes, etc, etc...

    Well, if you'll excuse me, it's lunch time. I'll throw a couple of bacon wrapped fillets onto the grill. May the creator of the universe bless this MEAT I am about to partake of. May it nourish my soul.

    And, when Deer season opens this year, I'll be sure to do as I've done every year, for the past 25 years. Take my allotment established by the Game & Fish Biologist. Tag them and provide the necessary info required by them. Fill my freezer with nutritious lean meat to feed my family. And, to enjoy every last ounce of meat I take!

  42. @Sarah

    I *have* thought about it, and one of the thoughts I had was that the 'some reason' that people are more concerned about the welfare of their pets than of farm animals might be that we simply owe dogs more loyalty than we do farm animals.

    You might not *agree* with that ethic, and there may be a higher one, but it seems valid to me none-the-less--- isn't it reasonable to feel loyalty to a creature that we have been in some kind of partnership with for eons?

    If we started eating dogs *now*, we'd be breaking the terms of our unspoken contract. If that's inconsistent, then it's also inconsistent to be more concerned about friends and family than strangers.

  43. Unbelievable. "I'm not sure if farm animals constitute 'nature & wildlife'". Lets just think about that for a minute. That is an extremely disturbing comment. It just blows my mind, so much stupidity in these posts. I find that people have such messed up ethics. Most people want to save the whales, and most people love their pet dogs. Yet for some reason 'farm animals' are lesser beings than dogs or other wildlife. For one moment now, please just think about how messed up you are ethically. I mean open your mind and really think about it.

  44. Sorry, this is the section for 'nature & wildlife'. I should have double checked first. 'The Cove' arguably belongs to this category, but I'm not sure if farm animals constitute 'nature & wildlife'.

    That said I still feel that militant animal conservation documentaries deserve to have a category of their own. When someone wants to spend a peaceful afternoon looking at wildlife videos, they do not necessarily want to look at films where animals are being slaughtered and listen to animal activists condemning someone.

  45. I think there should be another category for documentaries, i.e. Environment & Animal Conservation or Environmental/Animal Politics, or Environmental/Animal Lobbies. I don't think that a documentary of this sort should be classified as 'science'. The same thing goes for 'The Cove' and some others.

    Unfortunately environmental & animal conservation have become highly political and/or even like fundamentalist religions and they have departed from the objective realm of science.

    1. Yes, you're right YH. This one is filed under Nature.

  46. Hi there, have you ever seen a baby raised entirely on plant food? They look so frail, weak & skinny by the time they reached the age of 12 or 14. This I saw from my neighbour who's a sworn vegetarain. Its different if you convert to vegeterianism when you're already adult than being a total vegetarian from birth. The breast milk from your mother is some how a mammal product.
    To put that in perspective; even tigers, leapords or such animal have rights to eat meat. Why not humans? These people think humans have "Lower Rigths" than, say a meat eating cats. As our digestive system is fully capable of processing nutrient out of it. So these "Vegetarians" are just hipocrites. If so when you harvest wheat; the entire plant is killed as well. How do you harvest potatoes, same thing right. What if someone come up with a so called "Plants Rights Movement". Will those "Animal Rights Movement" people feel threatened to their establishemt? The doctrine being ... "you can't eat plants that has to be killed when they are harvested"? What's the view of those vegetarians, eh?
    In short, in my personal opinion those so called "Vegeterianism" in itself is just another form of "....ism" against meat eaters, which treat fellow humans loweer than animal that eat meat, in which humans don't have right to eat meat. What human needs is a balaced diet of both meat & vegetation. Excessive consumption of any kind is not good in anyway. Be it "meat" or "vegetation".

  47. I agree with the thrust of some commenters to the effect that some vegans are self-righteous and unpleasant, and I personally think that that probably undoes any cosmic brownie points that they may have earned by their veganism. I still think that everything has consequences- but see moral choices as a game- but no less valid for that. Nothing is 'perfect' is it?
    I read that in pagan meditteranean culture, when animals were slaughtered, it was with a sense of the import of what was being done. I think there should be more of that attitude now. Less puritanical extremism, and also less flippant indifference.

  48. WOW. .... I just have to say that again. Wow. I am deeply depressed. Not by the information in the video, (It's pretty much common knowledge amongst half the people i know) But by the comments left by the vegan nazi's. I am ashamed i am the same species as erik and healing café. It's a shame i can't eat them.

    They like to suggest that anyone who eats meat is by proxy a sadistic torturer, and that unless you weep tears of remorse while eating your KFC and praying to Xenu for forgiveness that your a terrible person.

    I understand Erik. You've made a choice. You have chosen to take a radical stand against the facist omnivores. (Of which your entire species is naturally a part. Including you. Like it or not.) And anyone who doesn't hold the same beliefs is morally, or intellectually inferior. (LOL)

    Nobody, even us evil beef-eaters likes to see animals in pain. But if all of a sudden i couldn't buy meat at the grocery store, I'd go find a cow and kill it with a spoon if i had to. Much like your ancestors did, and animals in nature still do. (They must be sick-minded too.)

    Oh! and Tabitha - your wrong about the hormones in beef spreading estrogen into the environment. They DO affect sexual development and increase the risk of several types of cancer, and there IS increased estrogen-mimickers in the environment, but not because of BGH, or others. The Increased estrogen in the environment is the byproduct of petroleum products (Mainly plastic)leaking compounds that mimic estrogen into the environment. Its called Bisphenol A (BPA). And it's been around longer than factory farming. The decrease in sperm count amongst men as well as increased levels of cancer have a strong correlation to it that dates back to the start of its wide-spread usage in the early 1900's. And Fruit is not immune either.

    But c'mon. Did you really need me to explain that to you? Not eating meat makes you more of a man? Whens the last time you saw a healthy-looking vegan? .................................Exactly. They all look like people who suffer from AIDS. Unless your one of those chicks that thinks being 5'8 and 60 pounds is healthy.

    Oh! and BTW i wouldn't eat MY dog, but i would try A dog. And i imagine it would taste alot better than beans and corn wrapped in seaweed, or whatever you vegans are trying to pass off as food these days ;p

    1. Look up vegan athletes. Many are taking fist place in their respective sport. That wouldn't be possible, if they were weak and deficient.

  49. EAT MEAT

    1. No thanks, I am not a zombie, who likes to eat dead bodies.

  50. such a sad, touching documentary! I can't believe such inhumane people that treat animals like this exist!

  51. I dont see why they are allowed to torture animals. they feel pain just like humans do.The people who do this to
    animals are evil low lives. i guess this makes them feel powerfull to torture animals that cant protect themself.

  52. @young. Youth allows you a certain amount of stupidity. I would say don't abuse it, but you seem to be incapable of much else.

  53. Eric, what you´re saying is both false and horribly stupid. There are very few animals that are actually aware of themselves, if they´re not, then there is no capacity for happiness and suffering, it´s just neurons firing. They just happen to have expressions that mimic our childrens´, so we naturally feel empathy for them.

    "to kill a living thing like that can only be done by a sick mind", does bacteria count? If not, where do we draw the line? All animals have different levels of consciousness, while they may not suffer as we do, some are more aware than others. So agree that torturing them is probably an unethical thing to do. But not kill them for food? Get some perspective.

    "free" animals are constantly under pressure from the environment, predators, need to eat, etc. , and very often live shorter lives than those bred to be eaten. And dies a less painful death than freezing or starving to death. Or being eaten alive.

    That living beings have a "spirit" is a pleasant thought, but sadly it has no correspondance in reality. So we really shouldn´t something that silly dictate public policy.

    @ healing café, i just watch this so i can laugh at deluded PETA a--holes.

  54. @ young

    You know, I saw an advertisement suggesting that the drop in testosterone levels in American men in the past few decades was a result of them being "pussies" and that a remedy for this was to consume more manly foods such as steak and porkchops.

    How ironic considering that the hormones they inject into animals grown for meat is causing an increase of estrogen in the environment and in those who eat factory-farmed meat! Perhaps the most manly thing to do would be to give up meat in hopes of reducing the effects of synthetic hormones on the human body.

    Go vegan: For the animals, for the planet, for your balls.

  55. Vegetarianism, a common trait of the pussified western man.

  56. sometime i wish that this life is just a dream and anytime now i would wake up and found myself in a world that doesn't require me to eat other living beings. But while i'm stuck in this world, i think i'll start being a vegetarian

    1. Eat plant based, & save not only "meat" animals, but laying hens, who are killed around 2 years old, male chicks killed after birth, and male calves, killed immedieatly, or around 3 months old, as "veal". Their mothers, the cows, are killed around 5 years old, after birthing, and having taken away 5 calves. 4 out of her 5 calves will be killed, because only one female calf is needed, to replace the mother cow. Ever wonder why dairy cows do not have horns? Their horn cells are killed, by BURNING their "horn buds" to kill the cells. This is done without any pain killers. This is done, when they are CALVES. To be vegan, is to eat without cruelty. Plants are self sacrificing, animals are not. Many plants, that bear edibles (tomato, squash, pumpkin, beans, peas, corn, broccoli, lettuce, etc) are ANNUALS. This means that the plant will die on it's own, with in one year. Other plants, are "cut & come again" perennials, (rhubarb, chives, lovage, etc). They'll live on perpetually. Fruit bearing trees and bushes, will also live a long time. They'll drop their fruit on the ground, if it isn't picked, before that happens. Others can regenerate, from cut pieces, like carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, etc. Most veggies, make 100s of seeds, way more than they need for survival. Plants, are meant to feed most of the creatures of the world.

  57. That Documentary is full of lunatics...
    It almost hurts me to listen to their absolutely crazy ideas.
    Example: Threat Animals as fellow beeings. Yeah Human Rights to Animals, what a terrific idea.

    The fact is that we have a need for cheap mass-produced food and with so few peaople willing to work in that kind of buisness automation is necessary. Not wanting Animals to suffer...ok lets do that but only if we don't have to pay to much for it and if it doesn't damage productivity.

  58. I'm a meat-eater, and I saw this documentary at my own volition, however, I still don't believe, as most of you do, about the "sanctity" of life; if that were true, then I'm afraid, you'd be Vegetable Nazis, as veggies have just about as much right to life as the animals do. We could, perhaps, try and make a diet of rocks and sand seem to work. Water also has a lot of microbes and micro organisms that die when we drink it, do we stop drinking water? Or should we go about saying that "since we can't see them, it's ok" (thereby debunking the whole "it's not your pet, that is why you're okay about killing it" theory, which is already debunked as far as I'm concerned, because a lot of us do have "pet" animals that we love and yet still choose to eat them)

    I do agree with the whole "unnecessary" torture bit in the film. There's no need for slaughterhouses to be so inhumane, and all this could be done in a much better way, especially since animals are sentient beings (for you hardcore vegans, new evidence shows that so are plants).

    And another thing, the whole "taking grain away from poor people, to give it to animals" bit is totally false; animals are fed grain that is SPECIALLY grown for them, and which is not consumed by humans, as it is too low grade. The high grade grain that is fit for human consumption is far too expensive to be a viable source of "food" for the cattle, and because the farmers are in this for profit, they don't really want to opt for that.


  59. All I know is that it was meat that provided the catalyst for human evolution and without it we would still be proto. Our bodies were designed to be Omnivores. It's a fact of the natural world that things eat other things. The so called circle of life. And to think that we are so much above the rest of the beasts is a pompous assumption. In times of fear or panic we all resort to our basic animal self.

    I would never wish for an animal to be cruelly treated but that does not give the excuse to act as if cows are filled with a soul or whatever you believe. If you don't wish to eat meat, well that's fine and dandy with me. I have nothing against you. However for those who think of others that eat meat as lesser beings, I think you should take a good look in the mirror first and remember the acts man is capable of.

    1. Mass destruction? Genocide? Environmental exploitation & degradation? The Great American Dust Bowl? Slavery? Oppression? Racism? Pedophilia? Human Trafficking? The Atom Bomb? The Gatling Gun? AK-47? TAXES? Ordinances? Greed? Lies? Killing endangered species, for selfish reasons? Killing animals for fur? Exploiting animals for angora, mohair or down? The Inquisition? Ordering people "drawn & Quartered"?
      The Crusades? Causing the extinction of animal species from over hunting FOR SPORT, or stupid selfish beliefs (tiger whiskers will bring me good luck, rhino horn will fix my health) THOSE "acts man is capable of"?

  60. Every life has spirit. This spirit powers the life in every being.

  61. "Physiologists should think again before postulating the drive to self-preservation as the cardinal drive in an organic being. A living being desire's above all to vent it's strength - life as such is will to power - : self-preservation is olny one of the indirect and most frequent consequences of it" - Friedrich Nietzsche

  62. Healing-Cafe, that was an ignorant statement indeed. I eat meat (not on a daily basis, but every couple of weeks) and I watched this documentery as well as others like it. I don't believe that animals have a "spirit" as you put it, but I do believe they need to be humanely raised to be eaten (in the words of the video "responsible animal care"), which is one reason why they are on earth. However, there is no need for an inhumane death.

  63. Beef is my favourite meat, but I hardly ever eat it. It's a treat for me. I can easily go for days without eating any meat or fish. Homemade beanburgers are tasty enough.

    To me, the most evil thing about what was shown in the documentary is the pointlessness of the suffering, and the indifference to it. We don't need to consume so much meat. I think that we all live at the expense of others, one way or another, meat-eaters or not (and I know I do, far too much). It's when the self-indulgence is mindless, joyless, and based on false beliefs, that it seems most obviously 'wrong' to me. The justifications given by the apologists for the meat industry seemed ridiculous to me.

    Then again, the ways that I might justify occasional consumption of meat, if asked to do so, would no doubt be ridiculous to many vegans and vegetarians.

    I think that self-restraint and moderation is a more realistic thing to ask of the public than total abstinence from meat-eating, personally.

  64. As far I know deep down no meat eater will even come close to watching these types of films unless that person is coerced to watch by a peer or a family member.

    So in contrast these films only serve to enlighten those who already are somewhat vegetarians or have become concious that Animals, plants and other natural things are endowed with spirit.

    It is very difficult in a world bestowed with evil that these films will have much of dent in the fabric of life.

    Bless the animal kingdom...

  65. for those of you that eat meat and can care to watch, then you may find that to kill a living thing like that can only be done by a sick mind and to not see that one is responsible is quite delusional, and part of what it means to be primitive, which is not the geographical region but ones understanding of what life is, this is said not out of judgment but when one looks at one self deeply then we may stop the same Atrocities we are doing to each-other, many of us that watch these documentaries think on many of the topics, on science on AI the things of interest, however this is a very sensitive problem, and requires a great level of seriousness, and intelligence which is not anything like intellectual curiosity