Though not in one of the world's largest newspapers, I am moved to share an eye-opening article that appeared over the weekend, Saturday September 22, in Arkansas's Democrat Gazette.
Fans of Huxley's "1984" language discussion should particularly enjoy it.
The article, by David Irwin, is headed, "Control debate, growers advised."
It opens with:
"Stop talking about 'debeaking' a chicken. Instead, let's call it 'beak conditioning.'
"That's a suggestion from Timothy Cummings, a clinical professor and poultry veterinarian at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss., who spoke to poultry producers here Friday.
"At a Turkey Meeting sponsored by the Arkansas Poultry Federation, Cummings argued the poultry-slaughter industry must come to terms with the power, and media savvy, of anti-meat campaigners like the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
"Words like debeaking, hanging and detoeing used in the poultry industry gives extra fodder to groups that seek its destruction, he said. Cummings offered other suggestions:
"The 'backup killer' in a poultry plant — the worker who kills birds missed by the automatic killer — should be called 'knife operator.' Rather than saying a bird has been 'bled' to death, call it 'exsanguinated.'"
PETA's Bruce Friedrich is quoted:
"He wants to call things what they are not, which makes sense. People don't like the idea that birds have their beaks seared off."
The whole enlightening article can be found on line at
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Business/202171/
Unlike most papers, the Democrat-Gazette makes it clear that it does not publish letters from out of state. So please make sure you drop a line if you are in Arkansas, and forward this article to other Arkansas animal advocates, who can respond with letters to the editor, which can be posted at:
http://www2.arkansasonline.com/contact/voicesform/
Also, comments from out of state, appreciative of the coverage can go directly to the reporter at
dirvin@arkansasonline.com
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)
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Date: Mon Sep 24 18:31:36 2007
