EXTRA CREDIT: Earthlings narrated by Joaquin Phoenix

I'm going to start by saying that the movie was truly a horror in every sense of the word. A full hour and a half long of seeing the despicable, merciless, cruel side of humanity in it's full glory.

The film featured multiple parts, each showcasing a side of cruelty the human race has put animals through, such as pets, food, merchandise, and entertainment. Each part encapsulating the horrible farming and killing of these poor animals, uncensored and unforgiving in it's portrayal.

Right from the beginning there was an apt comparison that was made, relating the treatment on animals to horrible acts that were done on humans, by humans, like The Holocaust. Really, the reference I feel was meant to show how terrible humanity is, even to it's own kind, so it goes without saying the cruelty they would show to animals.

Ultimately after watching the film in it's entirety, I realized the true horror and pain millions of these animals must go through each day. Completely different from the shallow understanding I had before, there truly is a mountain of a difference between hearing about factory farms and seeing one.

Researching animals has lead me to finding a lot of evidence that these animals are all very capable of intelligent thoughts and are sensitive and capable of pain. This is why watching the actions being done on these animals like this truly drives the injustice of it all. Bentham had a great quote saying, “The question is not, Can they reason?, nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer? Why should the law refuse its protection to any sensitive being?”

While the film had little to do with my topic of interest, it still showed a dark side of humanity, as well as the secrecy surrounding these issues. I bet more than half the population would not be willing or able to watch the film due to it's graphic nature. However, the fact that many people are able to turn a blind eye to these issues represents one of the largest problems for these animals, as well as the organizations trying to help. This lack of support is why very little can be done and why these animals would likely stay in their positions. This refusal and lack of knowledge could also be applied to many bird species going extinct for the lack of support. I think that educating and advocating to more people is one of the most important steps to making change, and this movie is a graphic step in the right direction.