Why I Have Pet Chickens

The most frequent question asked about my raising three chickens is, “Well, what are you going to do with them?” People are confused—what is the purpose of having chickens? Understandably, it does seem odd in the 21^st century to have three chickens roaming the backyard for no other reason than for the pleasure of their company. When a chicken is nothing but a commodity, to be used for flesh, for eggs, could there possibly be any other purpose?

Chickens are curious, adorable, social creatures. They are inquisitive, unique, and full of life. They have unique personalities. They enjoy open space, sunshine, dust baths, good food, and lazy afternoons. They are also creatures who can experience suffering, just like the family dog or cat. And my chickens are my pet chickens, just like your dog or cat. They exist to exist, and for nothing else. I do not plan on raising them for their meat, and being a vegan, I do not even plan to use their eggs. They are my pets, and they bring me joy every day.

9 billion chickens are slaughtered every year in the United States. From hatchery to slaughterhouse, chickens are most likely one of the most abused animals on the planet. From birth, they are pumped full of antibiotics to grow fat and full of meat by the target slaughter age of 45 days old. They grow heavy so fast that they become unable to support their own weight, and are unable to walk. Chickens are crammed into tiny cages, their beaks are cut off to prevent cannibalism which is brought about by their confinement and their inability to establish a pecking order. They live a short life full of suffering–they don’t even get to see the light of day.

My three chickens have no idea how lucky they are. They are the very rare and lucky few of their species that will get to live out their lives to the fullest and die a natural death. Factory farming causes myriad damage to our environment, our health, and unneeded suffering in millions of creatures. By raising pet chickens, I am making a statement against the hegemonic culture that accepts chickens for nothing more than consumer products. By raising pet chickens, I am putting into action my belief that sentient beings like chickens have the right to live without excessive turmoil by the cruel and brutal suffering we impose on them for our selfish appetite.

So to answer your question, what am I going to do with my chickens? I am going to let them live a long and happy life.

Bill Maher interviews Elizabeth Warren

Milton Friedman’s economic theories, which have been ruling for the past forty years, are falling apart before our eyes. This model is one of extreme capitalism, upheld as scientific theory. However, the fact is money is not scientific, and the way that money affects people cannot be viewed as such. If we want to progress as a society and survive this turbulent time, we must let go of Friedman’s outdated model and establish one which takes into account the people.
Below is a great video clip from Real Time with Bill Maher. He interviews Elizabeth Warren about the bailouts and the future of our country.

Food, Inc.

The Third Generation

“There is something about post-World War II America that reminds me of the classic wealthy family that by the third generation starts to squander its wealth. The members of the first generation are nose-to-the-grindstone innovators; the second generation holds it all together; then their kids come along and get fat, dumb, lazy and slowly squander it all. I know that is both overly harsh and a gross generalization, but there is, nevertheless, some truth in it. American society started to coast in the 1990s, when our third postwar generation came of age. The dot-com boom left too many people with the impression that they could get rich without investing in hard work. All it took was an MBA and a quick IPO, or one NBA contract, and you were set for life. But while we were admiring the flat world we had created, a lot of people in India, China, and Eastern Europe were busy figuring out how to take advantage of it. Lucky for us, we were the only economy standing after World War II, and we had no serious competition for forty years. That gave us a huge head of steam but also a huge sense of entitlement and complacency–not to mention a certain tendency in recent years to extol consumption over hard work, investment, and long-term thinking. When we got hit with 9/11, it was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to summon the nation to sacrifice, to address some of its pressing fiscal, energy, science, and education shortfalls–all the things that we had let slide. But our president did not summon us to sacrifice. He summoned us to go shopping.”

– Thomas L. Friedman, The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century

The Century of the Self

“The twentieth century was one of breathless, spectacular, relentless innovation. But we can forget about the horseless carriage, the radio, the polio vaccine, the wireless telephone and the PlayStation. The true triumph of the century was the invention of a whole new way of being–a new imperative of the self.

So, go ahead and express yourself. Be true to yourself. Enjoy yourself. Treat yourself. Find yourself. Spoil yourself. Distinguish yourself. Love yourself. Get some self-esteem. Some self-worth. A positive self-image. Achieve self-awareness. And self-sufficiency. Do some self-improvement. Self-actualization. Self-help.

Get out there, into the big glittering universe of the self. Measure it out in Me time and MySpace. Welcome to individuality. Population: You.”

– Adbusters: 79

The great sickness of our time is the solidification of the ego. We are a nation of self-perceived self-contained individuals. We are wrapped up in cardboard boxes, an army of Barbie dolls and GI Joes, marching single file while fearfully stealing glances at one another through the cellophane windshield.

Does a helping hand absent of financial gain or notoriety exist? Our nation’s ideology has always been along the lines of self-reliance-the new city on the hill, built by the hands of hardworking autonomous people. Like Stephen Colbert has said, to overcome adversity one must pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Not working? Then get longer bootstraps!

As globalism has become all pervasive, Americans are relying less on themselves more and more. We have traded in our blue collar factory jobs for comfortable air-conditioned service jobs, of which would not exist if countries like China and Mexico were not producing products and food for us. This myth of independence and “the self” is cracking, and when it falls to ruins all will be lost. When the bottom falls out, how will a nation who has forgotten the fundamentals of life-love, kindness, compassion, community-be able to rebuild?

This culture is self consuming; like the oroborus, we are consuming our own tails.

Gender Roles in America