Earthlings Documentary

[collegeshopping]

<p>I have not seen this documentary, but it is a required piece of media for a class my daughter is taking this Fall. She watched the trailer and then part of the documentary today and was very upset by what she saw. She loves animals and hates violence. She is now wondering if she should drop the class or just try to push through it. (She is not sure she has it in her to finish the film) Has anyone seen this film and is the trailer the worst part or is all just gross?</p>

[emeraldkity4]

<p>I haven’t seen it- what are the books that are required?
it’s possible that the trailer contains the most shocking stuff- but not all of it.</p>

<p>Is this for an ethics class? I would agree that we need to treat animals humanely, but I wouldn’t agree that everyone should be vegan. </p>

<p>

The film features a quote from Jeremy Bentham, the philosophical godfather of animal rights, who said the single most important question is not “Can they reason?” nor “Can they talk?”, but rather “Can they suffer?” This argument is often seen as the cornerstone of the animal rights philosophy. The irony of this quote is that Jeremy Bentham actually saw nothing wrong with eating meat. He ate meat once per day. But, he lived by the code that man should seek to give farm animals a decent life, and strive to offer the animal a death that was less painful than what would have awaited them in the natural world.

</p>

[pugmadkate]

<p>I made the decision to not see the movie after learning that it consists primarily of undercover movie footage from puppy mills, zoos, factory farms and the like.</p>

<p>If I were your daughter, I would speak to the professor and explain that the film will cause extreme anxiety. Then I would ask if there was an alternative assignment. If not, I’d drop the class.</p>