Journal 18
Question 1
In this passage Foer explains essentially the pros and cons in giving up meat and how it has and will effect him in the future. He explains the memories he has made with family member and at possible dates that were created by the meat filled food that was involved in the process. He states that this would inevitably not happen because these foods were an essential part of how and why the memories were created and that without them the pleasurable moments would never occur. The pros of giving up meat, in his eyes, are the values that he perceived to be a part of him staying in tact and believing what he values. To respect himself to an extent when it comes down to his individual morals. He explains that by losing the cons that represent great memories he needs to find an alternative to create what he is essentially losing.
Question 2
Foer poses the question about the reason why us as a society are able to drown out the consequences and exempt our personal beliefs when it comes down to using animals for food. I believe that as a society we give ourselves false representation of what we need and in order to justify the use of animals for food we use the excuse that we need it to survive and that we essentially just like it. It comes down to what we are willing to turn a blind eye to and what we are not. I feel we are able to do this to animals because we reveal a sense of high superiority against them which in fact we do. Although we do feel a sense of superiority we are still killing innocent living breathing animals that have a sense of reality and we don’t seem to fully acknowledge that because we block it out in order to satisfy our own personal needs.
