A few days have now passed since the panel discussion I participated in and I have learned a few things.
The first thing I learned was that I was naive. I didn’t do my research on my co-panelists. Even if I had, I never would have seen the fact that two of them were vegan as something that should cause alarm. I still believe the film was done by dedicated animal lovers and is a very valuable tool to help in stopping animal cruelty. It turns out that the organizer, Isa, was in the same boat as me.
The second thing I learned was that Isa was as surprised as I was when the panel got mean and accusatory. She and I have been exchanging emails since the event trying to figure out what happened. I questioned whether she purposely set me up, and she didn’t. So I am close to being as guilty as my co-panelists in terms of vilifying before understanding. Isa is one of the good guys who is organizing an impressive range of films, which I recommend attending if you are in NYC.
So I’m going to stop licking my wounds and move on to talk about all the great things people are doing to raise awareness.
Green Screens is the Lincoln Center film series organized by Isa. There are two upcoming events that look to be interesting. On July 22nd they will screen Climate Refugees by Michael Nash and on August 10th they will screen Vanishing of the Bees by George Langworthy and Maryam Henein. I had trouble finding information on the Lincoln Center website, but maybe you will fare better.
On the information table at the film screening I saw materials from The Meatrix. They are a group that is working to raise awareness about the inhumane conditions on factory farms. Take a peek at their website and here’s one of their videos below. They suggest reducing the amount of meat you consume (Meatless Monday), which is very reasonable. Westerners consume way more meat than is good for them (or the animals).
Certified Humane. I found a description of the Certified Humane program on the ASPCA’s website, so I am confident that it isn’t some bogus marketing ploy. They say, “The Certified Humane Certificate Program is an inspection, certification and labeling program designed to ensure that animals raised for food are treated humanely throughout the entire production process. Producers who display the Certified Humane Raised and Handled label on their products have treated their animals humanely at every stage of the food production process.” You can read more about it on their own website. You can even find sources of certified humane products near you on their website.
