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A review by svandusseldorp
Once Upon a Time We Ate Animals: The Future of Food by Roanne van Voorst
2.0
van Voorst puts forth a very sound environmental argument for veganism. There is very little refuting the environmental impact of the industrial meat and dairy industries. The evidence for at the intelligence and emotions of animals is also robust. It's funny how people who eat meat (myself included) can make the clear distinction between domestic pets and animals meant for consumption, as if hogs aren't as intelligent as dogs, if not more so.
Where the author starts to lose me are the fictionalized scenes of the future post-"protein revolution". These scenes are speculative, saccharine, and frankly infantilizing. Her use of the word "carnism" is also frustrating. Carnism is used to define people who eat meat but the actuality is that most people who eat meat are omnivores who eat a variety of foods. Simply using the word "carnism" is a rhetorical tool to illustrate the extremes and the author's use of this word is extreme.
Additionally, van Voorst starts the section on animal legal rights discussing her decision to not neuter her dog. She ultimately views it as an infringement on her dog's agency, but this argument is not relevant in the conversation about veganism. Spaying and neutering dogs is not inhumane. She writes that her intact dog may run out into the street and get hit by a car but she doesn't want to take away his agency. No. Spaying and neutering dogs is the right thing to do. Your intact dog will run out into the street in search of a female dog to hump and will get hit by a car. That is not humane. Dogs are domesticated to the point of needing human intervention and letting your dog run around with the ability to procreate is not responsible. There are far too many stray dogs on the planet.
This book had potential but for every valid argument van Voorst has, she almost immediately invalidates it with speculation and questionable rhetorical choices.
And for the love of all that is holy, if you really love animals, spay and neuter your dogs.
Where the author starts to lose me are the fictionalized scenes of the future post-"protein revolution". These scenes are speculative, saccharine, and frankly infantilizing. Her use of the word "carnism" is also frustrating. Carnism is used to define people who eat meat but the actuality is that most people who eat meat are omnivores who eat a variety of foods. Simply using the word "carnism" is a rhetorical tool to illustrate the extremes and the author's use of this word is extreme.
Additionally, van Voorst starts the section on animal legal rights discussing her decision to not neuter her dog. She ultimately views it as an infringement on her dog's agency, but this argument is not relevant in the conversation about veganism. Spaying and neutering dogs is not inhumane. She writes that her intact dog may run out into the street and get hit by a car but she doesn't want to take away his agency. No. Spaying and neutering dogs is the right thing to do. Your intact dog will run out into the street in search of a female dog to hump and will get hit by a car. That is not humane. Dogs are domesticated to the point of needing human intervention and letting your dog run around with the ability to procreate is not responsible. There are far too many stray dogs on the planet.
This book had potential but for every valid argument van Voorst has, she almost immediately invalidates it with speculation and questionable rhetorical choices.
And for the love of all that is holy, if you really love animals, spay and neuter your dogs.