The Lion's Pride vol. 2 (Jun. 2014) | Page 85

78 ensued phase, only to denounce it less than a year later. To be a devoted vegan takes just that: devotion. Most people are unwilling to make such a drastic change on ethical grounds; even more people are unwilling to remain devoted to this difficult lifestyle. So what is the average American left to do? I think everyone can agree that these farming techniques are cruel and hard to hear. Instead of the ostrich approach of sticking one’s head in the ground, I propose a simple course of action. Pay attention. A little more money and a little less consumption can make all the difference. Vote for laws that will protect and improve animals in the intensive farming system. By supporting the current farming techniques, from Foster Farms cheap to McDonald’s dirt cheap, we as a country are accepting the way things are. We accept the tight living quarters that spread illness, and the human intervention that has changed chickens as we knew them. Denying the product all together, as PETA preaches, is not going to stop the system that is currently in place. Money makes the world go ‘round; and how we spend our dollar is going to dictate the poultry of tomorrow. If we don’t, then profits are going to drive the poultry industry further along their radical path to find cheaper ways to use and abuse animals. Hopefully