# The Big Meat Industry caught on video abusing pigs **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 30, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422 "2011-06-30T19:59:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/41 "2011-07-01T20:01:56Z")
Now, now. It can’t be easy to contort yourself into such bizarre logical pretzels trying to find a way to release all of that cognitive dissonance. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/42 "2011-07-01T21:16:51Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > You don’t have to eat meat. None of us do. That said, as I said in my post you quoted: > You put a heavier importance on eating meat than the way the animals are being treated. Now, I’m in no way saying that as a judgmental statement (I promise- I just can’t think of a less loaded-sounding way to say what I just said), as you’re perfectly entitled to do that, but that’s the way it is. If someone is truly and deeply concerned about not supporting “big meat” because of their practices, then there are several perfectly reasonable options to avoid it. If you’re not, then you’re not. > > For me, I’d rather not eat meat than eat meat I know was inhumanely acquired (if those were my only choices, which, as I’ve said, they fortunately aren’t for me). That’s the brightline for me. Yours is different and there’s nothing wrong with that, but we don’t need to pretend that we’re all going to starve if we don’t abused turkeys. I get your point, but you’re also misunderstanding that the value of eating meat, and not just because we like it, is the same for everyone. I need a LOT more protein than the average person because of the combination of my overall mass and activity level. I’m not a professional bodybuilder, but I do a lot of weight training and I enjoy it and, well, I’ve never heard of a bodybuilder, even an amateur one, who could maintain that training regimen as a vegetarian. It may be theoretically possible (though I’m unsure if it actually is and I’m too lazy to look), but it’s certainly not as simple as just saying “well don’t eat meat”. And while I don’t take offense at your judgment, I don’t think it’s a fair judgment either. You’re comparing two very different things. For instance, imagine you’re talking to someone about the suffering of the children in some foreign country and they’re preparing to actually move there and do work and assert that if you don’t you’re not as concerned as they are. Yet, let’s say you have a spouse and kids and a job you enjoy and went to college for, and they’ve been renting a room and flipping burgers for a living. Qualitatively, your sacrifices are different, and so asserting that your unwillingness to make a greater sacrifice necessarily doesn’t really mean anything about how much you care or don’t care about that cause. Obviously, that’s a bit of an extreme example, but I think the point still remains valid that suggesting that, because it was a sacrifice you could make, it doesn’t mean it’s as easy for other people. Admittedly, if it were as easy for me, I probably still wouldn’t care as much as you do, but that doesn’t mean it’s the case for everyone who does. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/43 "2011-07-01T21:25:58Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > … Frankly, I’d rather go vegetarian for the rest of my life than eat meat if my only choice was [a company where workers are literally finger raping turkeys.](http://www.peta.org/features/butterball-peta-investigation.aspx) (Fortunately, there are options than Butter Ball)… I don’t really know what to make of the article, which includes: [QUOTE=Peta Article] .. and another [worker] was seen inserting his finger into a turkey’s vagina. [/QUOTE] Turkeys don’t have vaginas. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/44 "2011-07-01T21:35:42Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Now, now. It can’t be easy to contort yourself into such bizarre logical pretzels trying to find a way to release all of that cognitive dissonance. It’s easy to make those sweeping statements from the top of the food chain, eh? ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/45 "2011-07-01T21:37:39Z")
Separating my posts because they’re sorta unrelated, but: There have been enough threads around here by people saying how much better they do on low-carb diets. I’m one of them. It’s not very easy to get enough B vitamins and protein if you’re eating no meat AND low-carb. And how many sources of non-animal-product fats are there? (I’m not sitting around chugging canola oil.) And before you say “milk” the same objections are raised about commercial dairy as about commercial meat, along with the attendant cost prohibitions. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/46 "2011-07-01T21:43:54Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Turkeys don’t have vaginas. I saw the video on the news- some dumb yokel was laughing while fingering whatever hole there is at the bottom of a turkey, mannerisms and facial expressions like he was doing some hilarious sexy thing. Frankly, the guy could have been doing the same gesture in any turkey hole, but the point is that it’s still disgusting and abuse. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/47 "2011-07-01T21:56:12Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’ve seen one guy say that the bloodless castration is actually more cruel–at least in lambs. That Dirty Jobs guy did it the humane way, and the animal was out of commission for days, versus just a few hours with just hacking them off. In this case it wasn’t hacking, but biting. :eek: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/r-udsIV4Hmc/hqdefault.jpg "Dirty Jobs' Mike Rowe on Lamb Castration, PETA, and American Labor") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-udsIV4Hmc) ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/48 "2011-07-01T21:56:22Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > I saw the video on the news- some dumb yokel was laughing while fingering whatever hole there is at the bottom of a turkey, mannerisms and facial expressions like he was doing some hilarious sexy thing. > > Frankly, the guy could have been doing the same gesture in any turkey hole, but the point is that it’s still disgusting and abuse. It is called a cloaca. A sort of all purpose opening for birds. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/49 "2011-07-01T22:09:16Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > I saw the video on the news- some dumb yokel was laughing while fingering whatever hole there is at the bottom of a turkey, mannerisms and facial expressions like he was doing some hilarious sexy thing. > > Frankly, the guy could have been doing the same gesture in any turkey hole, but the point is that it’s still disgusting and abuse. They showed that on the NEWS?!? :eek: Anyway, I’m not arguing that this is abusive behavior. \*It most certainly is. \*Just pointing out their error, since PETA is a big fan of fighting ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/50 "2011-07-01T22:41:19Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > They showed that on the NEWS?!? :eek: > > Anyway, I’m not arguing that this is abusive behavior. \*It most certainly is. \*Just pointing out their error, since PETA is a big fan of fighting ignorance. In fairness, it wasn’t the happy-go-lucky local evening news or anything :p:D, but rather some fancy special report evening news show with lots of dramatic music and deep voiced hosts that take long pauses for emphasis. ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/51 "2011-07-02T02:22:02Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > **Gary** just reminded me that I need to learn how to cook a whole chicken. I’ve never done it but he’s right: the more processed the meat is, the more expensive it becomes. My Mom used to buy whole chickens, take the guts and giblets out, etc. People work more nowadays and there’s often less time to fix a meal like that. Or people are squicked at dealing with a carcass. Or fucking lazy. Or all of the above. > > So in my adult life, its been breasts all the time. Chicken breasts. Take out the giblets, then wash the bird and pat dry with paper towels. Cut up something yummy like a piece of fruit or whatever and stuff it into the bird. Rub butter or olive oil all over the outside and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at around 400 for about an hour. enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/52 "2011-07-02T02:40:16Z")
I hope in vitro meat is released commercially soon, all in all it is a better option. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/53 "2011-07-02T02:52:56Z")
I didn’t watch the video nor will I. I’m all for these expose things though. The animals should be treated well and if the price of meat has to go up a bit to accomplish that, so be it. I don’t think it actually has to though. That vat-grown Frankenmeat sounds cool at first, but it also sounds like a hormone and antibiotic disaster waiting to happen. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/54 "2011-07-02T03:17:19Z")
> [@moejoe](#): > > Bake at around 400 for about an hour. I don’t wish to start a Pit flamewar, but 400 and not 350? 😉 ETA: 350 adds to the cooking time, but you render out more fat and dripping for your gravy. ETAA: Of course, you will want to separate out most of the schmaltz so you can use it elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/55 "2011-07-02T04:02:22Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > **Gary** just reminded me that I need to learn how to cook a whole chicken. I’ve never done it but he’s right: the more processed the meat is, the more expensive it becomes. My Mom used to buy whole chickens, take the guts and giblets out, etc. People work more nowadays and there’s often less time to fix a meal like that. Or people are squicked at dealing with a carcass. Or fucking lazy. Or all of the above. > > So in my adult life, its been breasts all the time. Chicken breasts. Cooking whole chicken is easy. And butchering it down to pieces (if you should want to do so), is not that hard, but it does take some practice and a little trial-and-error at first to figure out where the joints are and where to make the cuts. I learned it on my own, but if you have somebody show you where to cut, all the better. (And there’s multiple ways of cutting down a chicken.) If you should happen to get a whole chicken with all the guts still intact (which you will not find at a typical grocery store), that’s a little trickier–particularly with the gall bladder, which you do not want to accidentally burst and have bile spill all over your lovely chicken meat. But I can’t remember ever seeing an ungutted chicken at the local supermarket. My favorite method for roast chicken is [Thomas Keller’s](http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Favorite-Simple-Roast-Chicken-231348). Basically, just pat that sucker as dry as you can, salt it well, stick it in the oven at 450 for about 55 minutes and leave it the hell alone. Makes the moistest, crispest bird. Be careful, though, as this method does generally create a lot of smoke from the dripping fat. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/56 "2011-07-02T04:10:09Z")
God I hope the term “big meat” takes hold. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/57 "2011-07-02T04:11:21Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Cooking whole chicken is easy. And butchering it down to pieces (if you should want to do so), is not that hard, but it does take some practice and a little trial-and-error at first to figure out where the joints are and where to make the cuts. I learned it on my own, but if you have somebody show you where to cut, all the better. (And there’s multiple ways of cutting down a chicken.) > > If you should happen to get a whole chicken with all the guts still intact (which you will not find at a typical grocery store), that’s a little trickier–particularly with the gall bladder, which you do not want to accidentally burst and have bile spill all over your lovely chicken meat. But I can’t remember ever seeing an ungutted chicken at the local supermarket. > > My favorite method for roast chicken is [Thomas Keller’s](http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Favorite-Simple-Roast-Chicken-231348). > > Basically, just pat that sucker as dry as you can, salt it well, stick it in the oven at 450 for about 55 minutes and leave it the hell alone. Makes the moistest, crispest bird. Be careful, though, as this method does generally create a lot of smoke from the dripping fat. This! Stick it in the oven and DON’T FUCK WITH IT! ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/58 "2011-07-02T04:29:04Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > Being fair to the OP, the vast majority of people in America and Europe could. For starters the western diet is way too heavy in meat. On average we’re now eating about twice as much meat as we actually need for protein, and cutting back would actually be beneficial health wise. Secondly, we’re pretty shit now at using ingredients effectively, obvious examples being the purchase of chicken breast rather than a whole chicken, from which you can get twice as many meals for similar price. > > So quite why you reckon they’re a douchebag for stating something that is true, if annoying…nope, don’t get it. Not only an excess on protein but also on CO2 emissions. Regarding the total CO2 emissions involved in making meat, specially beef or pork, moving to a vegan diet is just as good as removing a Hummer from the road and switching to a Prius. BTW if you heard that as “A vegan in a Hummer has a lighter carbon footprint than a beef eater in a Prius.” \*\*that \*\*was not true: [http://blogs.reuters.com/adam-pasick/2009/10/26/crunching-the-numbers-on-a-vegan-in-a-hummer/](http://blogs.reuters.com/adam-pasick/2009/10/26/crunching-the-numbers-on-a-vegan-in-a-hummer/) ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/59 "2011-07-02T05:59:48Z")
A vegan in a Hummer? Clawing at the windows and screaming for help? ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422/60 "2011-07-02T06:41:09Z")
> [@jlzania](#): > > Personally I don’t care if you stuff your face 3 times daily with antibiotic-laden CAFO meat… I also don’t care what another person eats, but I think it’s ridiculous to complain about cruelty to animals while they’re awaiting slaughter, packaging, and consumption while accepting the slaughter, packaging, and consumption. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-meat-industry-caught-on-video-abusing-pigs/587422.md?page=4)