Scape goats of industry

While mindlessly poking around the Internet video sites, I came across an insider video taken by a PETA member working for Iams dog food makers. I didn’t actually watch the 10 minute video, however, for two reasons.
One, I don’t want to see an animal suffering, let alone dogs. There’s really nothing to be gained from watching something like that unless you really need to be sold on the idea that dogs are mistreated to test foods. I already buy that, so I stop the video right after the first set of suffering eyes look at the camera.
Two, I also already know what PETA was looking for, and they would not release a video where that thing – in this case, animal cruelty – was not abundantly clear. It’s well known what PETA stands for (literally and figuratively) so ten minutes of video is likely not nine minutes of mediocrity and one minute of camera monologuing where the insider throws her arms up and says: “Well, we tried.”
So all that I need to consider in this is do I believe that Iams treated animals inhumanely in order to test their foods? Well, yeah. Sure. Of course I do.
The issue is that I feel that every other dog food manufacturer is probably doing the same thing. Capitalism is based on getting the most money by spending the least money. Dogs are abundant, they can’t tell on you. They don’t enjoy the same rights as humans, so I’m not really surprised to find out that a company dedicated to the bottom line cut corners and took bottom-of-the-barrel measures to ensure the safety of their test animals.
They also pay as little as possible to their blue-collar workers, so it likewise would come as no surprise when they have employees apathetic to the health of the animals or even those with the capacity for sadistic behavior; they’re not hiring dog handlers here, they’re hiring backs, at a pretty crummy wage, I would bet.
What we’ve done, socially, is built up a heightened sense of morality and ethics in our lives, and then believe that we can apply that to whatever happens in the world. We’re appalled when we hear that they still club baby seals in Canada, and yet we eat meat without a second thought about clubbing cows (though most are shocked, not knocked, I realize). We shake our heads at the horrible working conditions overseas despite having no idea that those working without air conditioning also don’t have it at home, or in their cars, either (mostly because they also don’t have any cars).
The common end result of using this high brow set of values is two-fold. One, perhaps you’d watch the video, feel disgusted that such a thing could occur and on American soil no less, and you decide never to buy Iams dog food again, telling all of your friends and family the awful story – making linking them to the videos – and feel you’ve done your part by voting with your dollar.
Two, perhaps you find yourself saying how bad everything has gotten. How things never used to be this bad, and asking aloud “What’s happening in the world today?” Well, what’s happening is the same thing that’s always happened. Always. In fact, life in general – particularly in the G8 countries – is better than it’s ever been (measured, I believe, by low infant mortality rate, low murder rate, high GDP, etc). What’s changed is you and your values. We’ve set the bar so high that everyday life, especially in a society that has to feed, cloth, and entertain so many millions, that anything you come across, when the ugly side shows, will appall.
I don’t suggest lowering your expectations, only becoming astute enough – wise enough – to act and believe in a reasonable manner.