It’s the real poison Trump baptized. Polarization. The idea that there is no middle ground. It’s a shame since the middle ground has been what’s kept America stable over the years. Now it seems to be eroding rapidly. While my sympathies have always been on the left, I realize that radical change tends to dirempt societies. As much as I deeply desire justice and fairness for all, I know it will take time. In my way of thinking that “all” includes animals. That’s why I’m vegan. Now, I know being completely vegan is likely not possible since who knows what everything is made of, and who has the time to find out? I do the best I can and I don’t eat animal products and I try not to wear them either. I know there are those who don’t share my outlook and they’re entitled to their point of view.
For nostalgia’s sake, and to get out of the house, we attended a 4-H county fair. An annual event when we lived in New Jersey, it’s now a rarer treat. So I put on that scarce recording of Bruce Springsteen’s song “County Fair,” not on any of his studio albums, and headed for New Jersey. This county fair is the kind with animals rather than rides, and we stopped in to see the sheep, goats, cows, and alpacas. It was in the cattle tent that I saw the following poster, claiming “There’s no such thing as vegan.” Well, I don’t go around saying there’s no such thing as omnivores (thus the polarization) but this poster convinced me that we need to try even harder to stop raising animals to exploit. I understand, I think, the intent of the poster—cattle aren’t just meat. The thing is, I think of them as conscious beings.
I miss the middle ground. People no longer want to compromise or negotiate. Since Trump it’s become “my way or the highway.” I think I prefer the highway. That highway takes me far from industrial feedlots where it’s illegal to document the cruelty that these animals undergo daily. It’s quite a different thing for Bessie to lay down with a fan blowing on her under a tent with a small farmer caring for her, but that won’t feed a nation. Small farms aren’t the problem. I don’t insist everyone be vegan. I would like it if we could sit down and talk about it, however. Cattle raising is the industry that generates the greatest amount of greenhouse gases that are causing global warming. If we keep dividing ourselves and refusing to change we’ll be having this polarizing argument under water before too many years have gone by. My highway is middle of the road. Even slow change can benefit many. The goal is to get “many” to “all.”
