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Minsong Hsu
Writing 39C
Greg McClure
29 August 2015
Behind Closed Doors
Factory farming popularized itself starting in the 1970s, yet to this day we remain on the
other side of an ominous curtain that large corporations hide behind (Kriek). We, the consumers,
remain shielded from the atrocities being committed on a day-to-day basis and the farming
industry continues to thrive to meet its demand. The facts of this kind of farm animal cruelty
speak for themselves; of the 10 billion abused animals that are killed in the span of only one
year, almost 97% of them are mistreated farm animals (LCFA). The reprehensible treatment of
these pigs, chickens, cows, etc. will not plan to stop until we can create legislation that will force
better treatment or significantly reduce our mass consumption that keeps this industry up and
running. Pigs dont want to fly, they want to speak they want to scream out stop! We must
insist on being the voices for these animals to provide them with the rights they were supposed to
have in the first place, the rights that they cannot fight for themselves. Its our responsibility to
ensure that at the end of the day their welfare is our top priority and that we dont see their lives
merely for our own benefit; the responsibility we take on for these animals is finding effective
solutions to the dreaded life of abuse these livestock are born into.
Its a tough decision when it comes to the factory farming debate of where to draw the
line between using these animals for food sources and exploiting them for us to make a quick
buck. Is it okay to slaughter these animals as long as were using them for our consumption?
How much is too much? Its an important topic, but whats unfortunate is the fact that many

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people dont care for the cause as long as at the end of the day they have the foods that directly
contribute to farm animal abuse. Our job is to get the word about factory farming to get those
exact people to take a second thought when they eat their daily breakfast of eggs, milk, and
bacon because the first step in receiving a backing for this cause is getting an audience to
understand exactly what these animals go through on these forsaken farmlands; people react
much differently when we make real-life applications connect to our daily lives, but fighting for
a cause like this isnt always so easy.
The general publics exposure to factory farming is one of the main reasons why the
movement of fighting the government and large corporations became such a struggle. The
attention brought to this topic was barely known, so authors began to use their writing as a way
to expose what the farming industry had done so well to keep hidden from the public.
Publications like Ruth Harrisons Animal Machines in 1964 and Peter Singers Animal
Liberation in 1975 caused giant ripples having gone where few authors had dared to reveal about
animal welfare. Singer in his respective and well-known book, argued the validity of animals to
feel pain and if so, our obligation to prevent any harm to them (Singer). This sparked controversy
and made some reconsider their views of abuse on these sentient animals rather than seeing them
as slaughterhouse animals. Farm animal abuse soon became a hot topic across the nation shortly
after the public caught wind that pigs tails were being cut off and cage-free chickens were far
from being cage-free. Organization after organization, like Farm Animal Reform Movement,
joined the fight for the rights of these abused animals.
Its hard to say that factory farming has not been deemed an important enough issue to
make major changes in farms on many occasions, yet every article that exposes these farms for
what they really reinforces the rational decision to put this issue on the map as one of our

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societys biggest moral evils. Across the sea things are much different; for example, the
European Union anti-cruelty laws that apply to all member states can be comparable to the US
Government creating factory farming regulations as federal law. Before, animal protection laws
remained quite general for basic rules of mistreatment and sometimes livestock wouldnt even be
included all together.
The first real step into farm animal abuse reform was with the Twenty-Eight Hour Law of
1873 which specifically dealt with livestock transportation and watering them every twenty-eight
hours (Adams). Though it didnt solve the major problems we face today with factory farming,
the legislation made at the time was at least a start to getting the issue of farm animal abuse on
the map. Additional legislation was passed called the US Animal Welfare Act in 1966;
stipulations within it directly contradict our mission to protect all animals; the act states farm
animals, such as domestic cattle, horses, sheep, swine, and goats that are used for traditional,
production agricultural purposes are exempt from coverage by the AWA (Anomaly). There was
almost a century between these two acts that were passed and the ending result didnt even
include livestock it just goes to show the struggles of progress fighting factory farming can be.
The AWA is practically useless in our situation to make conditions better off in the farming
industry - like a family buying car insurance with an agency that doesnt cover car accidents. We
need relevant legislation to be passed by our government officials, but to do so expanding our
following and getting the right facts to these legislators is crucial.

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Whats more concerning is
the fact that everyday people realize we
have become so desensitized to animal
cruelty...that most of us need reminding
that farm animals are sentient beings
(Grover). These animals are fully aware
of their own existence and suffer every
minute of what we put them through. Its
so appalling that it can be this difficult
for us to acknowledge another living,
breathing animal especially when were
using killing animals by the millions for
our own benefit. Whats even worse is
that we continue our torturous
slaughtering even when it comes to
animals we dont use as food - animals
that actually have no effect on us
whatsoever. A prime example of these
innocent

Figure 1. The Real Cost of Factory Farmed Chicken. N.d. Stop Factory Farming. Web. 24 Aug.
2015.

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animals are male chicks that are barely a few days old who are gathered together and grinded up
on the justification for maximum profitability to the industry (Richardson). These chicks
prove no use to the industry, so the question has been asked of whether its cheaper to raise these
male chicks for meat or simply dispose of them before they can reach a week old - the latter
seems to always be the choice. Its a difficult choice to make on behalf of struggling farmers who
need to keep a steady income during these tough times, but this waste of life is unnecessary and
our treatment of other animals as well should be taken in the same regard. This ties in with the
difficult decision of
determining making
the issue of factory
farming a numbers
game; Americans
know the struggles
all kinds of farmers
have during this
economy, but
although it may
sound cliche we
cant

Figure 2: N.d. VeganEasy. Ed. Veganeasy. Web. 21 Aug. 2015.

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put a price on these baby chicks lives and us even having the thought that killing them would be
a more convenient option really brings out the sinister side of how humans can really be.
The disgusting living conditions, inhumane slaughtering process, and unnecessary
killings of farm animals continue to be the norm for farms across the nation. About 250 cows are
slaughtered every hour in the U.S. and as a result, rushed workers consistently harshly treat these
animals to speed up the process of meat production (LCFA). We, the public, continually make
the decision to turn our heads to this mistreatment while we reap the full benefits of what these
animals offer us. While hundreds of campaigns and organizations have been made in hopes of
ending this epidemic of abuse there simply are not enough of us who can take on this fight
ourselves. Spreading the truth of what abuse these animals go through and the alternatives we
can switch to instead of whats produced from factory farming can significantly make an impact
on the vast casualties were faced with today.
Social media, like Twitter, Facebook, or the Internet in general, has embedded itself to be
a vital key that can sometimes mean being the difference between being a success or completely
obsolete. This is especially true when you have a cause like fighting factory farming that needs to
reach the eyes and ears of the general public. Today, social media is the new telephone of our
generation; if we want to get a message out to the world, we can do so with a click of a few
buttons. There are just so many different mediums, some made specifically for those spreading
awareness, that are available to our generation now. In his TED talk, Clay Shirky tells his
audience the stark differences the social media medium, Twitter, had influenced the way the
entire world received news of an earthquake (Shirky). And today we face the reality of a new
social media battlefront involving hard-working farmers and enraged animal activists. Earlier
this year, farmers began the widespread use of Twitter and popularized #farm365 to show an

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inside look of what they felt reflected life inside Americas farms (Smith). Outraged at the lack
of accuracy and exclusion of the abuse that occurs in these farms, animal right activists took it
upon themselves to takeover the #farm365 campaign to ridicule the practices of these farmers
(Smith). Over the course of this, followers from both sides showed their strength in numbers to
back their respective sides and clashed in what was referred to as a social media frenzy
according to writer Lyndsey Smith. This show of domination that social media has is incredible
to say the least in how easily people can join in on a cause. The accessibility is what makes this
type of communication such a commodity if you want to spread the word about an issue within a
limited amount of time. What we must do now is ask ourselves how can we make best use of
this media, even though it means changing the way weve always done (Shirky). Shirky ends
his speech with that quote since its not much of a question when we use it, rather how will we
use it in an effective way to spread the knowledge people around the world should be fully aware
about if this way of communal backing is already in the works?
It is much easier to ignore farm animal abuse when corporations purposely hide them
away from us. Corporations are smart about their business if it means making a profit from their
farms so they make it as difficult as they can for us find reasons to care what happens to these
animals. When farms are isolated from the most populated areas in the country we have the
problem of finding common ground that will get these cities to understand life for these farmers
and for these animals. Humans have a more compassionate and understanding side if we have a
picture of these animals staring directly back at us rather than a sheet of numbers because a sheet
of numbers can illustrate the pain in an animals eyes. The easiest way to overcome what
corporations try so hard to keep us from doing - rallying with each other - is through large outlet
sites from social media. In a never ending connection between apps, plugins, and chat services,

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communication is viewed as practically effortless, but using the technology thats available to us
effectively is the most crucial part or else we are no better off than we were 100 years ago with
home telephones (Shirky). Social campaigns like fighting factory farming require a big enough
backing from supporters and an audience to spread its awareness to. Without these components,
the message spread from various mediums becomes useless as there is no one to receive the
information. Finding a medium that an audience is consistently engaged in will prove the most
effective in gaining a backing to a cause, especially when something like fighting factory
farming can be effectively promoted with pictures and statistics that pinpoint the ethos, logos,
and pathos of someone youre trying to get on board.

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Figure 3. Factory-Farmed Chickens: Their Difficult Lives and Deaths. N.d. Britannica Advocacy
for Animals. Web. 26 Aug. 2015.

The lifestyle choice of being vegan or simply choosing vegetarian alternatives has proven
effectiveness of both protesting issues like factory farming while still maintaining a healthy diet.
As popularity for these lifestyle changes increases, health benefits like increased energy and
healthier skin become more popular amongst the public. Although it can be regarded as trendy,
trends do have their positive attributes of getting a good backing within a short amount of time
and when we face the issue of farm animal abuse, we can use all the help that we can help even
its not on a permanent basis. Our decisions on what we consider to be small issues, like what
type of food we eat, can greatly mean the difference between an animals life - its not
uncommon for us to lose of that problem once in a while. But ultimately, the key is getting the
information out and leaving the rest up to the public to take it into their own hands of how we
can stop these atrocities from continuing.
Veganism is a popular option for those supporting the end to farm animal abuse and has
proven to be much healthier than a diet consisting of meat and dairy. On average, a vegan can
save up to 200 animals per year; the benefits of saving animals while maintaining a healthier diet
doesnt seem as bad as some make it out to be considering your influence on these animals
(PETA). Surely its much easier said than done, but what we must first do is realize that these are
living beings just like any other human. We have been brought up to overlook how our meat gets
on the table. We are told false stories about grass fed cows without taking the time to really
evaluate their livelihood. Cognitively, pigs are aware of their own existence much like their
other farm animal counterparts, yet our actions dont reflect our mindsets of these creatures

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(Singer). Despite Singers advice that it is our responsibility to avoid harming these animals
mentioned earlier, we still treat them differently. We dont look at them the same way we look at
our dogs back home; we merely view them in a way that reaps for our own benefit at the high
cost of their lives. The distinction between our domestic pets and animals we consume as
sustenance is not big; yet we choose to differentiate precisely how much emotional attachment
we impart to these animals. History describes how humans play favorites when theres a
cultural dimension involved where we tend to sympathize with animals were comfortable
being around. Moreover, the cultural component in our consumption of animals play a critical
part in what we deem acceptable or not. For example, many cultures consume dogs, cats, and
river animals while in American culture, consumption of these same animals would be abhorred
and scrutinized. Our respect for these animals is practically nonexistent from the living
environments that we willingly put them through. Although passing legislation hasnt been as
successful as activists have wanted, the introduction and knowledge of using social media can
prove to be an effective way to make big changes to citizens lives with alternate vegan choices
and directly to these farm animals lives. Social media campaigns can rally groups like ours from
different parts of the world to join in one place and the ability of us to do so is an attribute of
technology we must utilize. We must leverage the use of our new technology to bring real,
substantial, subversive change to bring animal rights to our contemporary world. When it comes
to how we treat these farm animals, our humanity is greatly at stake; the very least we can do is
make the change of giving these animals the proper rights that shouldve been there from the first
place for their sake and for our own too.

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Works Cited
Adams, Benjamin. Legislative History of the Animal Welfare Act: Introduction. Web. 20 Aug.
2015
Anomaly, Jonny. "What's Wrong With Factory Farming?" Duke PPE. Web. 10 Aug. 2015.
Jonathan Anomaly, a lecturer at Duke University, argues the noticeable risks that factory
farming has on not only the animals, but on, us, the consumers as well. Anomaly
constructs a research-based article as a way to first establish what animal cruelty is and
then disproving how the benefits of factory farming do not outweigh the consequences it
entails. To back his claims, he pulls past legislation on a federal basis and refers to real
life examples where the cons show themselves when it comes to these farm animals.
Jonny Anomalys audience can be described as one that he would think would be of great
enough influence to accept that these cons outweigh the benefits and be able to make a
significant change about it for the future.
Factory-Farmed Chickens: Their Difficult Lives and Deaths. N.d. Britannica Advocacy for
Animals. Web. 26 Aug. 2015.
Grover, Sami. "Animal Abuse in Factory Farms Is the Norm, Not the Exception." TreeHugger.
Web. 13 Aug. 2015.
Kriek, Hans. "History of Factory Farming." History of Factory Farming. Web. 17 Aug. 2015.
"Last Chance for Animals - Factory Farming." Last Chance for Animals - Factory Farming.
Web. 12 Aug. 2015.
Richardson, Jill. "Why They Grind Up Baby Chicks." Why They Grind Up Baby Chicks. Web. 13
Aug. 2015.
Shirky, Clay. "How Social Media Can Make History." Web. 20 Aug. 2015.

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Singer, Peter. Animal Liberation. 1975. Print.
Smith, Lyndsey. "Farmers Speak Up - Perspectives on the #farm365 Activist Backlash." Real
Agriculture. 8 Jan. 2015.
The Real Cost of Factory Farmed Chicken. N.d. Stop Factory Farming. Web. 24 Aug. 2015.
"Vegans Save 198 Animals a Year." PETA Vegans Save 198 Animals a Year Comments. 13 Dec.
2010. Web. 21 Aug. 2015.