There is an issue in the world of food and nutrition that I find continually perplexing. Why, I often ask myself, does the Australian mass media take such a steadfastly partisan attitude towards the consumption and production of meat? For the sake of debate, let’s for a moment disregard the all-pervading ‘dollar’ as being a primary driver of this all too common position. Dollars, after all, do not always equate to ‘sense’.
Sam Neill - Dinosaur Mentality
It is no secret that television, radio and newspaper mediums in Australia have traditionally peddled meat eating as a social norm, where non-meat eaters represent that zany group of ‘others’ (the blunter implication being something more like “animal-huggin’ hippies”). In more recent years though, the mainstream media seems to have taken all of this a step further. Now days, their endorsements have also begun beating the drum to a string of nationalistic-type agendas, which sees the practise of eating meat portrayed as a symbol of being a ‘dinky-di’ Australian. ‘Foodism’, as it were, seems a ripe source of exclusion in Australian (and perhaps western) culture!
Of course all these perceptions of eating meat, or not, are complete rubbish. But what is perhaps more concerning is the neglect by the mainstream media, to properly provide information on some of the serious, negative affects of the practise. There is increasing evidence, for instance, directly linking meat consumption (particularly red meat) to a host of health problems in humans, including colon cancer and heart disease. And then there is the dilemma of ‘livestock’ production, which indisputably has a range of ill effects on the environment. ‘Livestock’ production is in fact a leading contributor to carbon emissions, on par with energy and transportation related pollution. The industry also requires a massive amount of water usage – a resource that Australians in particular can no longer take for granted. And all of these consequences are before even any (valid) animal rights or humanitarian arguments come into play. If we really stop for a moment to consider these things, surely this continual one-sided presentation by the mainstream media of the meat and livestock industry having a positive effect on our livelihoods is a tad dismissive and quite irresponsible.
Oddly, one key player in the Australian media’s promotion of meat consumption is Hollywood actor Sam Neill. With Aussie (and Kiwi) roots, Sam is apparently a man who likes his meat, having lent his name and image to a series of ‘Meat and Livestock Australia’ (MLA) advertising campaigns such as “Meat. We were meant to eat it”. Frankly, Sam Neill’s motivations for endorsing Meat and Livestock Australia elude me. Surely, with 100-odd film credits under his belt, including Steven Spielberg’s grandiose ‘dino’ flick ‘Jurassic Park’, his association with MLA cannot be a simple case of “everyone’s got their price” (although I’d be surprised if Sam hadn’t been served up a fairly tidy sum by the MLA in exchange for his appearances in their ads).
Unfortunately Sam, like his JP character Dr. Alan Grant, appears to be stuck in his own archaic lost world of frightening and hostile dinosaur mentalities. For instance, Sam Neill and the MLA campaigns attribute human evolution to our carnivorous way of life. But are we really to swallow that the physiological progress of Homo sapiens is a direct consequence of a high intake of iron? I don’t think so.
The fact of the matter is that in modern society, our science and our wisdom clearly indicate that with a balanced diet, meat consumption no longer needs to be a vital part of our lives. With our ability to cultivate so many varying nutritious (not to mention delicious) alternatives to the foods that are increasingly causing ourselves, our populations, and our environment more harm than good, we should really ask just how necessary the consumption of meat really is.
Now I could be mistaken, but something tells me that a government endorsed QUIT campaign, not unlike the one that encourages us to put down our cigarettes, advising us that “every piece of meat is doing damage”, is a very long way off. Go figure.
For more information on the negative effects of red meat consumption, check out the following article found at crikey.com…
“Eating red meat: like smoke from a hungry anus”
http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/04/21/eating-red-meat-like-smoke-from-a-hungry-anus/
You’ve convinced me! Good argument.