The Swine Flu And Worldwide Economic Recession: Humanity's Salvation?

Are we killing ourselves?

There has been a lot of talk in recent days about how factory farmed animals are the cause of the deadly hybrid virus that is eerily mutating, and some are calling it cosmic retribution, a sort of "chickens coming home to roost" scenario. I don't know about that, but an animal virus like swine flu is a completely predictable (and was a widely predicted) response to our modern horribly cruel and appallingly filthy factory farming systems.

Undoubtedly, some animal welfare people are hoping that swine flu will serve as a wake-up call for humanity, that the "groupthink" in support of intensive farming might move toward thoughtfulness about the health hazards and cruelty of intensively confining animals, and that governments will pass laws to make these "confined animal feeding operations" (CAFOs, the industry term for "factory farm") smaller, cleaner, less cruel, and less dependent on drugs--which are used to keep the animals alive through the filthy and stressful conditions that would otherwise kill them in much greater numbers.

I must admit that this does feel like a wake-up call: Are we really so addicted to eating meat (even as we demand that meat be inexpensive, meat processors want to make more money, which means faster, meaner ways of raising and slaughtering animals for food) that we're willing to risk the millions who could die from such mutating viruses? Has our desire for gustatory pleasure at any cost pushed us into terrible consequences as we creep toward an ugly future? The "big one" may not be this particular version of the flu, but scientists say we have not seen the last of H1N1; not by a long shot.

When the swine flu hit, I was already wondering and talking with friends about whether the economic crisis might inspire a paradigm shift in how we live our lives, especially after reading a remarkable column by generally sober and hyper-realistic Thomas Friedman in the New York Times. Writes Friedman, "What if the crisis of 2008 represents something much more fundamental than a deep recession? What if it's telling us that the whole growth model we created over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable economically and ecologically...?"

Friedman concludes that "Often in the middle of something momentous, we can't see its significance. But for me there is no doubt: 2008 will be the marker--the year when 'The Great Disruption' began."

Of course, the economic meltdown is already forcing us to rethink our priorities and what we value, so there is a process of letting go of a lot of things we considered important. People have cut back on buying non-essential items; we're eating out less, using the library more, and generally becoming more reasonable in our consumption and more civic-minded in our overall way of being--the economic crunch is, as Friedman predicted, causing a reevaluation of our priorities.

But will the changes be as massive as Friedman predicts? President Obama certainly hopes so. I recently saw a quote by the president: "History reminds us that, at every moment of economic upheaval and transformation, this nation has responded with bold action and big ideas." Yes, we have; and we can again, of course.

In the past, America has faced and overcome enormous difficulties again and again, from the Revolutionary War to World War II to the obstacles of racism and sexism. These challenges, and our ability as a people to address them--with both individual and societal change--should inspire us to optimism in the face of current challenges.

What can we do, as individuals, to create a sea change, to halt the mutation of deadly viruses, to say no to out-of-control business practices, to stop creating environmental havoc, and to bring our health up to a better level? All of this can be covered, incredibly, by thinking very seriously about the foods we choose to eat, and then changing our habits if we find that our choices are generating problems. And as we change as individuals, society and governments will change with us.

Here's a home run solution that I can't help coming back to: eat less (and eventually no) animal protein. A diet high in animal protein bloats us physically by clogging our bodies with saturated fat, growth hormones, and antibiotics; it has been proven conclusively to cause cancer, heart disease, and obesity.

And the meat industry poisons and depletes our clean air, potable water, and fertile topsoil almost more than any other sector of business. As just one example, the meat industry is responsible for about 18 percent of all global warming--that's almost half again as much as all cars, planes, and trucks combined.

And now it's become all too clear that factory farms are breeding grounds for viruses to mutate and become deadly.

Basically, our current food choices (the average American eats about 200 pounds of meat annually) are killing us on a host of different levels. Perhaps now more than ever, it's time to clear out old, tired, uninformed ways of eating and opt instead for food that nourishes us, is easy on the planet, and gives the animals some breathing room.

Oh, and especially useful in these exceedingly difficult economic times: Eating a plant-based diet is cheap relative to eating meat. Compare the price of grains and beans with that of chicken and cheese. And growing grains and vegetables is by no means the filthy business that animal agriculture has become.

I realize it's not painless to give up what we are used to, what we like the taste and tradition of, in favor of a diet that we know is better for us and the planet. But if we lean into the shift of eating consciously by giving up one animal at a time (give up chickens first, as I discuss here), or eating only vegetarian for two out of three meals, we will find our way and get used to new tastes. We will grow to love different foods that are kinder to our bodies, the environment, and the animals.

As I ponder Obama's call for change and Friedman's vision of a paradigm shift, and I think about recent predictions that unless we turn back now, ecological disaster is inevitable, I wonder if economic collapse and swine flu might be our only hope.

Perhaps in these trying days, the law of unintended consequences may represent our salvation. No one is glad for the swine flu or the economic meltdown, but maybe these great calamities are the push we needed to re-boot and start afresh.

We are a world out of balance, to be sure. But we can begin to eat (so simply!) in a way that brings us back to equilibrium, personally and globally. I just hope enough of us answer the call.

You can find recipes and cookbook recommendations here, and some tips for making the transition here.

Comments

[MMF25]

Thank you for the eye-opening post! Avoiding meat may seem almost impossible in the beginning, but after some time you don't even think about it. There are so many humane and cruelty-free food options that cost less and are disease free that eating meat doesn't make sense. Thanks again for sharing this information!

[stkittchick]

A thoughtful and though-provoking piece.

Indeed, society's entrenched meat-eating habit has far more to do with sheer laziness than anything else in my opinion. It's easier just to turn a blind eye to the intense animal suffering on factory farms than to take the tiniest bit of effort to explore vegetarian options.

It's shameful that humanity can support an industry that causes unimaginable suffering for billions upon billions of animals.

[309blank]

industrialized production of food is what allows us to support 6 billion people on this planet. we eat cleaner and safer food nowadays than on any other time in history.

i really dont think there is much of lesson to draw from the swine flu, moreso from the economic crisis.

furthermore the particular diet one choses is not as important as the ammount. did you know that 30 % of the brains dry mass is made of supposedly deadly cholesterol? to freely quote the great medical pioneer paracelsus: "its about the dosage, stupid!" what we need to stop to end global hunger is the massive support of our own agriculture to allow third world countries to grow and develop.

the spread of swineflu is the result of globalized travel and economics. there are always gonna be new forms of diseases, we just have to think how we are going to react to them.

[MMF25]

Vegetarian foods such as beans and veggies can be mass produced, cost less, use less resources, and will not promote the spread of diseases. You can get all of your nutrients from foods other than animal flesh.

[309blank]

the thing is that it would be perfectly possible to support EVERYONE on this planet while still allowing people to eat meat if they so choose.

i personally can understand intellectually and rationally why someone is a vegetarian, but on an emotional level i just can't imagine not eating meat. I'm a carnivore and the best time i had this year where my two weeks in argentina where i had the abolute beef overkill.

[doityourself]

There is some truth to the fact that with modernization and farming technology, things seem to have gone a little out of hand. There is an overuse of hormones and supplements in animal feed…all for the objective of creating more food source for the world. Yet, there has not been enough thought as to the consequences. For example, the breeding of super bugs that can cross to humans from animals.

But what really irks me is when people are not given proper advice on what they can do to protect themselves and those around them from Influenza A H1N1 (also widely known as Swine flu). Logical advice can be found in:
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Protect-Yourself-From-Influenza-A-H1N1---Swine-Flu&id=2292350

Basically,
1) Maintain good personal hygiene.
2)Wear a face mask if I’m ill, so that I do not spread the germs to others. Unlike what I see in the news, the majority of people wearing face masks are in fact healthy! Those types of masks are not going to protect them. Moreover, they are not even worn properly, as their nostrils are not even completely covered!
3)Wear a N95 respirator if I’m well, and do not want to catch the germs from others around me. It is the only tested mask to filter the particulates that may be carrying the germs.
4)Know my own body and monitor my body temperature to pick up any signs of fever.

[kati]

It wasn't so long ago, maybe just 4 or so years, when most people did not know much, if anything, about factory farms. So in a way this is a victory.

[PartyPartyParty]

This is true. I just hope that people will start to be aware of ALL factory farming, not just animal factory farming.

[Vickster]

Amen.

In my opinion, the only "green" diet is a regional diet, meaning one based on foods that can be grown within one or two hundred miles from your home. And in most regions, meat, milk, eggs and fish are the only local sources of fresh food from November to July.

[dayala]

excellent article Kathy and undoubtedly timely.

if this doesn't serve as a wake-up call to the American people, and people all over the world, nothing will.

one only needs to look at the state of our health, our environment, our air/water and global climate to see we are on a path towards destruction and possibly extinction.

I hope 2009 will go down in history as the most transformational monumental history making shift in humankind's quest to live in balance and harmony with our wonderful life-giving planet and other living beings.

[rmax53]

Vegetarianism isn't the answer, birth control is. The sad and scary truth is that the world is overpopulated, and unless serious worldwide efforts are made to slow population growth (I'm looking at you, China, India, and the US), a pandemic of some kind will do the job for us.

[DaynaMichelle]

I do agree with you that our population on this earth is out of control. Yet, we can't control the population especially when certain religions don't support birth control, but we can control eating foods that harm this planet, and are breeding grounds for pandemics:)

[catsfromhell]

Excellent article and a huge thank you for recipes, cookbooks, and tips for getting started links. Out family is ready to transition to vegetarianism.

[SusanMalmstrom]

Conscious eating, conscious spending, conscious living. If everyone wakes up, NOW, maybe there's some hope...We advocate a conscious lifestyle at http://www.planetcheapskate.com. Join us for an ongoing discussion.

[TazoWolf]

Decent Q&A about Swine flu here, backing up words with scientific explanations people can understand to dispel some fears and explain where the real concerns lie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma7IeWRH7y0

[Fronzeine]

Well i sure hope this doesn't become a "thing" .. I'd hate to hear about Lobster Flu! The numbers seem to still be going up, according to http://www.flucount.org

[sueinmn]

Everyone should witness the abuses on these farms!

http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/iowa_pigfarm_abuse2

You will wish immigrant workers would leave and you will boycott meat packing companies as they are all the same! California passed a law for prevention of these caged animals. Check out the abuses recorded!

[3fingerbrown]

Tough year to be a pig. First Sarah palin, now this.

[sueinmn]

Just knowing all the drugs and hormones in todays farm fresh meats blows me away! I pay the extra dollar a dozen for non caged chicken eggs also. But then my husband makes up for what I lack in consumption. It will get the best of him someday as he refuses to eat less meat! To each his own but I do my part! Farms and agribusiness have been ruining our water supply for years and it will takes its toll for sure. Look at the young kids today and do we wonder why antibiotics no longer work for them? It will only become more serious as they get older. Also will we have any fresh water left by then?
The big kicker is if everyone witnessed the cruelty on these farms, they would lose their appetite for these animals. They would also agree no more immigrant workers allowed in this country. they are ruthless and cruel is not even close. Surf the net for a few farm lawsuits. Check out this!

http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/iowa_pigfarm_abuse2

[Vickster]

The way fruits, grains and vegetables are factory-farmed in this country is every bit as harmful as the way animals are raised. That's why I decided to move to the country back in '83 and boycott this madness by raising a sizable portion of my own food. As for those folk who don't have the time, the space or the desire to raise their own food, I suggest you boycott the grocery stores by seeking out local farmers who grow the foods you like to eat.

[research]

The real lessen is that domestication of Pigs is a bad idea.

1918 swine flue killed millions.

Stop pigs domestication completely, outlaw it.

Pigs are unique in their danger to humans,

in the way in which

pigs combine multiple viruses from humans pigs and birds

Creating new deadly viruses our immune systems do not recognize.

I make the simple suggestion that we outlaw pork, and domestic pigs.

Save 100's million of people or more from the next swine flu pandemic.

[Jordan Tacher]

The real lesson here is that these problems are completely overblown and indicative of wide spread panic induced by false hypotheticals.

[research]

1918 and future swine flu pandemic are facts and certainties, not hypotheticals.

[PartyPartyParty]

There's another very important action to take -- buy seasonal, locally produced food as much as possible. The factory farming of non-meat products (wheat, corn, soy) is starting to catch up with factory animal farming.

That means no SoyJoy bars, no Kashi, no Tofurkey, no pre-washed bags of veggies, and no tubs of soy spread. All are bad for the environment.

[DaynaMichelle]

The problem with soy, wheat, and corn production can all be traced back to feeding food animals in factory farms NOT vegetarians/vegans. I do agree in buying seasonal, locally produced food as much as possible with farmers markets starting to open this is easy to do! The only problem I have found buying local is that most local farmers here still are not using organic methods, but I'm seeing a shift into that direction from a few. This year we have started our own organic garden.

The truth is we will never completely eliminate our footprint on this earth the goal is to reduce it. There are many aspects to this, and it can become very overwhelming the key is to do the best you can for every little bit you do helps!!! Becoming a vegetarian does have a huge impact on saving water consumption, grains, energy, and reducing your carbon footprint! After I achieved that goal I started on a mission to only buy organic (not only for my health, but for the earth & now possibly bees being ruined with pesticides), buy only fair trade items if i can't find them local, recycle, and reduce or reuse as many things as possible. Just don't get too overwhelmed figure out what issues matter most to you and focus on those things. Least amount of harm possible!

[PartyPartyParty]

The problem with soy, wheat and corn production dates back to long before the boom in feedlot agriculture. Subsidies for those crops (which were aimed at bolstering U.S. competition in the global market (oh, have encouraged commodity farmers to overproduce for decades. While much of that surplus does indeed go toward feedlots, a huge amount of it goes toward the mass production of non-meat food items on our grocery store shelves. Mass production in general, not just the mass production of animals, is the culprit.

An easy way to help the environment on a personal level is to consume as much locally produced, seasonal, non-manufactured food as possible. That goes for everything, not just meat.