Vinhal Araujo, J. (2022). Time to Sacrifice the Sacred Cow: Moving Beyond the Invisible Line of Industrial Agriculture. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.14418/wes01.1.2584
By most measures, we are either past the point of no return, or rapidly approaching it with only the slimmest of margins within which to alter course. The important question is thus why, despite increasingly environmentally oriented and motivated younger generations, does the outlook remain so pessimistic? On the most basic level, we simply cannot hope to solve a problem which we cannot see in its entirety, and we cannot do that unless we begin to talk honestly about the role of animal agriculture. The trouble is that we are explicitly discouraged or prevented from visualizing the entirety of the problem. While recognizing the possibility of our collective doom, individuals are nonetheless lulled into a comfortable and conscious complacency by neoliberal society. Though more ready to take up and advocate for initiatives such as reducing single-use plastics, minimizing waste, and purchasing sustainable fashion and other necessities whenever possible despite higher prices, the public remains comfortably behind a line drawn by and on behalf of agribusiness. Breaking through the invisible line of agriculture toward a more sustainable future first requires visualizing the magnitude and scale of harm perpetuated by the industry.