Blood Money: Capitalism’s Appetite for Animal Exploitation
The Economics of Slaughter
Carnism, the belief system that justifies eating certain animals, is intricately linked with capitalism. This connection reveals much about our economic systems and their impact on society and the environment. Carnism is not just a dietary preference but a deeply ingrained cultural norm that supports and is supported by capitalist structures. The meat industry exemplifies this relationship through its vast, profit-driven enterprise that prioritizes economic gain over ethical concerns and environmental sustainability. Large corporations dominate the market, benefiting from economies of scale and extensive supply chains that maximize efficiency and profits. These companies also exploit natural resources, such as land and water, to sustain livestock production, leading to significant environmental degradation.
‘‘Carnism, the belief system that justifies eating certain animals, is intricately linked with capitalism. This relationship underscores how meat production prioritizes profit over ethical and environmental concerns, exploiting resources and labor, supported by aggressive marketing and government policies, revealing profound impacts on society and the planet.’’
Additionally, labor practices within the meat industry often involve low wages and poor working conditions, reflecting broader capitalist tendencies toward worker exploitation. The industry's aggressive marketing strategies further reinforce carnist norms by promoting meat consumption as essential and desirable. Government subsidies and policies often favor large agricultural businesses, ensuring the continued profitability of meat production despite its high environmental and social costs. Overall, the intersection of carnism and capitalism highlights the profound implications of our dietary choices and their role in perpetuating economic systems that prioritize profit over people and the planet.
Profit-Driven Industry
The meat industry is a multi-billion dollar global enterprise driven by profit. Large corporations dominate meat production, processing, and distribution, prioritizing efficiency and profitability over ethical considerations and environmental sustainability. The commodification of animals as products to be sold aligns with the core principles of capitalism, which emphasizes market growth and profit maximization. Companies like Tyson Foods, JBS, and Cargill exemplify how capitalism encourages the consolidation of power and wealth in a few entities, leading to monopolistic practices that stifle competition and innovation.
Exploitation of Resources
Capitalism relies on the exploitation of resources to drive economic growth. In the context of carnism, animals are exploited as resources for meat production. This system also heavily relies on natural resources such as water, land, and grain to sustain livestock. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that livestock production accounts for 70% of all agricultural land use and 30% of the planet's land surface. This massive exploitation contributes to deforestation, soil degradation, and loss of biodiversity. The high demand for feed crops like soy and corn exacerbates these issues, often leading to the displacement of indigenous communities and small-scale farmers.
Labor Practices
The meat industry often involves exploitative labor practices. Workers in slaughterhouses and meat processing plants frequently face poor working conditions, low wages, and high injury rates. According to a 2018 report by the National Employment Law Project, meatpacking workers suffer injury rates nearly three times higher than the national average. This exploitation of labor is a common characteristic of capitalist systems, where the drive for profit often leads to the marginalization and mistreatment of workers. Furthermore, many workers in these industries are immigrants or individuals from marginalized communities, making them more vulnerable to exploitation and less likely to report abuses.
Marketing and Consumer Culture
Capitalism thrives on consumer culture, and the meat industry is no exception. Aggressive marketing strategies are used to promote meat consumption, framing it as an essential and desirable part of daily life. Advertising campaigns often associate meat with positive attributes such as strength, masculinity, and health. These messages reinforce the carnist ideology, persuading consumers to purchase meat products, thereby fueling the capitalist economy. Fast food chains like McDonald's and Burger King spend billions on marketing to create a constant demand for meat-based products, which in turn supports the meat production industry's vast infrastructure.
Government Subsidies and Policies
Governments in many capitalist countries provide subsidies to the meat industry, making meat cheaper and more accessible. These subsidies are a form of state support for capitalistic enterprises, ensuring that meat production remains profitable. For instance, in the United States, the government provides substantial subsidies for feed crops like corn and soy, indirectly supporting the meat industry by lowering the cost of animal feed. Additionally, policies often prioritize the interests of large agricultural businesses over smaller, more sustainable practices. This governmental support helps maintain the dominance of the meat industry, despite its significant environmental and social costs.
Environmental Impact and Externalities
The environmental damage caused by large-scale meat production, such as deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and pollution, is often treated as an externality—costs that are not reflected in the price of meat products. This externalization of environmental costs is typical in capitalist systems, where the true costs of production are not borne by the producers but by society and the planet. The livestock sector is responsible for 14.5% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, more than the entire transportation sector combined. Additionally, the runoff from factory farms pollutes waterways, contributing to dead zones in oceans and harming aquatic ecosystems.
Cultural Hegemony
Capitalism often establishes cultural norms that support its economic structures. Carnism, as a culturally ingrained ideology, supports the capitalist meat industry by normalizing and perpetuating meat consumption. This cultural hegemony ensures a steady demand for meat products, maintaining the industry's profitability and dominance. From a young age, individuals are conditioned to accept meat-eating as a natural part of life, often through cultural rituals, traditions, and education. This normalization makes it difficult for alternative dietary practices, such as vegetarianism or veganism, to gain mainstream acceptance.
Conclusion
Carnism is deeply embedded within the capitalist system. The profit motives, exploitation of resources and labor, marketing strategies, governmental support, and environmental externalities of the meat industry all reflect and reinforce the principles of capitalism. Understanding this connection highlights the broader implications of dietary choices and their role in sustaining economic systems. By recognizing how deeply intertwined these issues are, individuals can make more informed choices about their consumption patterns and advocate for more sustainable and ethical practices.
Sources:
Joy, Melanie. "Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism." Conari Press, 2010.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. "Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options." 2006.
Human Rights Watch. "Blood, Sweat, and Fear: Workers' Rights in U.S. Meat and Poultry Plants." 2005.
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General Resources
Books:
Dominion: The Power of Animals in Nature and in Our Imagination by Matthew Scully
Animal Liberation by Peter Singer
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
A Billion Hungry Mouths: Feeding the World Without Consuming the Planet by Colin Tudge
Websites and organizations:
Documentaries:
Articles:
"The Case for Animal Rights" by Tom Regan
‘‘Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism’’ by Melanie Joy
‘‘Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach’’ by Gary L. Francione
‘‘Fellow Creatures: Our Obligations to the Other Animals’’ by Christine Korsgaard
Seeds of Compassion: Finding Jesus Christ in a Vegan World by Michael Corthell
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From the catalyst of the foundation of domination and force, first perpetrated upon animals before the slave/master zeitgeist took shape to deform the human condition and set forth the lowest version of humanity, we see its roots still clinging to what grew economies, exploiting nature as a commodity. I call this the Stepford Spectrum of mental illness we remain hermetically sealed in, with all its warped, deformed, misshapen, mutated variants in society. Porn, rape, substance abuse, war, pollution, human trafficking to name a few. Seems every pathology humanity manifests have overlaps with human supremacy, our contradictory place in nature. Saddest is how the religious community is part of the plague in its silence, participation in the infrastructure of violence to nature, when the single most used word in every religion is mercy. I've taken to using comment sections and LIVE CHATS on YT as the attention political podcasts and live congressional hearings offer a huge tool to inject animal advocacy messages. We need more creative engagement out there!
Thank you, Michael, for this cogent, intelligent essay with the perfect, gripping title. I'm grateful for what you bring to the world with The Vegan's Voice.