Animal, Vegetable, Miserable Analysis

Gary Steiner penned the piece, “Animal, Vegetable, Miserable” and had it published in the popular newspaper, The New York Times a few short days before Thanksgiving, in 2009. The article was written to raise awareness to the cruelty of the meat industry and generate a reaction from the general public. Steiner starts the article off by listing some common concerns of many meat eaters when they are purchasing their meat products, “Were the animals humanely treated? Did they have a good quality of life before the death that turned them into someone’s dinner?” He then points out that the questions intensify as shoppers are picking out the traditional centerpiece before quickly being comforted by the “free range” label on the turkey they
Steiner goes on to say, that those people are blissfully ignorant to the truth, and “Chickens [and turkeys] may be labeled free-range even though they’ve never seen a speck of sunlight their entire lives,” (Steiner 7). The sad truth is; Steiner is not wrong. According to the organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, better known as PETA, say, “While free-range and organic egg farms are technically supposed to give birds outdoor access, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has decided that ‘they may be temporarily confined’ for ‘reasons of health, safety, the animal’s stage of production or to protect soil or water quality.’ Many free-range egg farms take full advantage of this loophole by almost never allowing the birds outside,” (“Animals Used for Free-Range and Organic Meat”). Many consumers are not aware of how liberally the term “free-range” is used and have images of their turkey running around in a sunny field and enjoying the fresh air when this is most often not the case. Steiner wanted to give people this knowledge so they can open their eyes to
He wanted those who read the article upon its release to feel something and respond. It was no accident that the article was published just days before Thanksgiving. He used the holiday to fuel the fire and maybe even stir up controversy. Steiner took the happy holiday spent with family and friends, bonding over a meal and gave it a dark turn. Steiner had a way of using his words to create that aching feeling in your chest when you are made to feel in the wrong. For example, he quotes another author, Isaac Bashevis Singer, who called the slaughter of animals the “Eternal Treblinka” which was a Nazi death camp where hundreds of thousands of people were killed. By comparing the two in his article, readers are left to question are they as bad as the Nazi party, for indulging in a meal that has been a tradition in many families since the first Thanksgiving in 1621. He asks the reader, “How can intelligent people who purport to be deeply concerned with animal welfare and respectful of life turn a blind eye [to the meat and egg industry’s] practices?” (Steiner 7). This question prompts the reader to question themselves on how many times they themselves have looked away from the truth and returned to time and time again purchase animal products without a second thought. He uses irony in his final paragraph to even further the guilty blow stating, “Think about that when you’re picking out your free-range turkey, which has