Animal Rights

Prop 2 and Pacelle on Oprah: A Reaction Preview

by Stephanie Ernst

Published October 14, 2008 @ 03:30PM PST

Update 10/17/08: The promised post is coming later today or first thing tomorrow. Really.

I'm afraid (and a bit frustrated) that I am out of town with commitments this evening and tomorrow morning and have to run off before I can write all the many, many things I want to say in response to Oprah's program today on Proposition 2. I am glad that farmed animals are getting attention on a national, respected program such as Oprah's, but I am livid and disappointed by what was—and was not—said on today's program and what misconceptions were allowed to stand or even promoted as truths in the interest of getting Proposition 2 passed. Wayne Pacelle and the HSUS betrayed the animals today, on a grand, nationally televised scale when they had a chance to both promote Prop 2 and offer a truly humane alternative and did not take it. For Proposition 2 to pass, consumers and voters must be able to see a clear good and evil, and Pacelle and company just sold out all the animals suffering—yes, suffering—immensely in supposedly free-range and cage-free operations and in slaughterhouses as well all the traumatized cows and calves who pay for humans' love of dairy, by showing people what they want to see, by fabricating a clear good. The farms you saw today on Oprah's program were the extremely rare exceptions and do not represent what most supposedly humane farms are like. Showing people what they want to see and letting them believe what they want to believe in order to achieve the deceiver's agenda—isn't that what HSUS has been accusing the factory farms of doing? That's exactly what Oprah's guests did today—her guests on both sides of the issue.

I'll elaborate more on this in a later post, hopefully by tomorrow afternoon.

In the meantime:

Photo courtesy of Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary blog post "Coming Home"

Comments

  1. Tracy H

    I taped "Oprah" but likely won't watch it because of what I've read about the perpetuation of "happy meat" and the lack of a discussion about veg*anism.

    My dad watched it and is now interested in finding a local farm where he can get pork. My mission now is to introduce him to some faux meats. I think a good, old-fashioned (vegan) BLT is in order.

    Posted by Tracy H on 10/16/2008 @ 09:38AM PST

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  2. Adam Durand

    The Center for Consumer Freedom - a industry-funded group - quotes you here: http://consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/3745 They're trying to use your blog post to somehow prove that Wayne Pacelle is in line with your beliefs. However, I would think such robust criticism from the animal rights movement would tend to indicate that Wayne takes a more mainstream "welfare" position.

    Posted by Adam Durand on 10/17/2008 @ 07:29AM PST

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  3. Stephanie Ernst

    I noticed this too. Ahh, to be quoted by the Center for Consumer Freedom--this is what I've always dreamed of. *sigh* I hope they noticed my post about them too while they were in the neighborhood!

    The actual post on this issue, promised a few days ago, will finally be making its appearance later today.

    Good luck with your dad, Tracy! Keep me posted!

    Posted by Stephanie Ernst on 10/17/2008 @ 07:41AM PST

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  4. Michelle Cehn

    I missed it!!! :( Probably saved me some frustration, but still. Anyone know if it is available online anywhere?

    Posted by Michelle Cehn on 10/17/2008 @ 12:52PM PST

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Stephanie Ernst Stephanie Ernst
St. Louis, MO

Stephanie is a vegan, a tree hugger, a freelance editor and writer, and an animal rights advocate. She lives in St. Louis with a motley pack of three dogs and two cats as well as the world's most adorable foster pit bull.

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