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| This photo was found on the Florida article and the caption was "If we just don't look at what's going on inside factory farms, everything will be fine. Right?" |
Basically, this article is following up about a bill passed in Florida that makes "it a first-degree felony to photograph a farm without first obtaining written permission from the owner." You can check that out here. The lawmakers in Iowa are now trying to pass a bill that makes it illegal to aquire a job to research it or write about it. While a law like this does not seem as bad as the Florida one (because I mean come on, who bans you from taking pictures?) it does however take a huge toll on journalists and activists. This all started when videos of factory farms and their wrong-doing was released by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society. Big Agriculture is trying to help their cause by saying these videos weren't release right away and that the activists are just trying to get attention. People have reported that the likelihood of the Iowa bill passing is not sure yet due to the Democratic control over there.
In my opinion, these laws are absurd. They wouldn't need to be made if Factory Farms didn't have anything to cover up. I find it crazy to believe that people are now being banned from photographing and videotaping the inside of Factory Farms! If something bad is happening, we should know! we should be able to understand what atrocities are going on behind the walls and the food we eat. My personal connection to all this is that my father owns a seafood restaurant down the shore, and all of the fish we buy is freshly caught and local. I'm afriad people won't be able to get this later on down the line due to GMOs and trying to make fish "better."
What do you think of GMOs?
Do you think we can still have good factory farms?
Do you think these laws should get passed in PA?
While I think that people should be aware of what the objectives of these laws are (to, in fact "shield" factory farms), I don't think that there is anything wrong with restricting people from taking pictures of private property. After all, how would you feel if a gang of reporters marched into your home to photograph your so called "atrocities" and blow them out of proportion just like in the Meatrix video from class? I just watched the movie The Matrix over the weekend, and as far as I can tell, media with that much bias seems to be the more likely candidate for "pulling the wool over our eyes".
ReplyDeleteGenerally, my opinion tends to be for factory farms. As Mrs. DeLuca was saying, the Meatrix misrepresents factory farms by showing all their problems concentrated into one farm. I'm all for animal rights in that I think there should be a limit on what you can and can't ethically do to animals, but when it all comes down to it, animals are humans' natural food source. I wish there were a way to create meat without killing animals, but I don't know how the heck we are going to feed 6-7 billion omnivorous creatures while relying totally on comparatively inefficient family farms. Sure, we could all become vegetarians, but who knows, maybe plants have consciousness as well? (Avatar anyone?)
We can all agree that factory farms have their problems, but I don't think that justifies trying to fall back on old means. No offense to family farms, I think they're great, but they simply can't be our primary source of food anymore. In the future, I think that the best thing we can do is fix the problems of industrialized farming rather than treating it as a big evil conspiracy that has no positive aspects.
I completely agree. People have the right to know what it is that they are eating. People should also have the right to speak out against things like this. This link is a youtube video about how this man and Oprah Winfrey were sued for speaking out against factory farming. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voChEjkL4CY
ReplyDeleteI do not think that these laws should be passed in PA. They are unjust. If people don't know what they are eating, then how will they know if it is bad for them. How could anyone know, besides the people who get paid to make it- whatever it is?
I agree with you Marykate. These factory farms are doing horrible things and now are trying to hide it from us. Their basically "cheating". As US citizens we have a right to know how and where our food is being produced. These laws are outrageous and stupid. While they are saying the activists are just trying to get attention, i support the activists. Their the ones being honest and trying to show the true facts. Factory farms shouldn't be so scared of the videos if they dont have anything to hide. The videos do reveal the true identity of factory farms.
ReplyDeleteWhile i think factory farms can be good in the way of the amount of food they produce. The procedure doing it is wrong. I never take the time to see where the food at my house comes from. My mom says we dont use much organic foods because their more money. Factory farm products are much cheaper which is why i think so many people buy them. I never thought of the way the products were made before we started to learn about it in class. Its beginning to change my opinion of the factory farm food i buy.
My opinion of gmo's is mixed. While i think what they do is great, the results of gmo's could be bad. GMO's could solve our shortage of food problem by modifying all animals to be their best. GMO's could also have a horrible impact on the environment and us. The modified animals could cause population differences in the wild. These modified crops that we eat also could be unsafe. GMO's have both cons and pros.
Wow, this is just too much. Not allowing pictures to be taken of factory farms? People should have a right to know what goes on in those farms. I agree with Connor that barging in reporters would not be pleasent but people have to know rhe truth. Without the truth, nothing can be done about the things going on in the factory. If things start to get out of control, these laws will only be making things worse.
ReplyDeleteThis article reminded me of the Meatrix video we watched and gave me mix feelings. I understand why factory farms would want stricter laws about the publicity of their farms because videos like the Meatrix are giving factory farms a bad reputation and the videos are very biased. On the other hand, the people have the right to know what is going on in the factories and not allowing photos to be taken is a little extreme.
I do think factory farms can be good for us if some laws were passed to limit them. If they were forced to treat the animals there fairly and have a limit on the amount of antibiotics and other drugs they can use. If they did pass these laws, factory farms would be good for us.