Letters to the Editor

>Cruel claims

This is in response to the Nov. 21 column "Beyond Turkeys, ban battery-cage eggs," and the letters to the editor "Open your eyes" on Nov. 23 and "Turkey-free Thanksgiving" on Nov. 24. Your letters are a perfect example of how the American society is completely ignorant to modern farming practices.

Claims that the agriculture industry is trying to hide the truth are absurd. The general public doesn't know what's going on because they generally don't care, not because they are lied to. It is not the fault of farmers that you have based your entire knowledge of production agriculture on a nursery rhyme fantasy.

Trying to shock people into changing their opinions about entire types of food is outrageous and unjust. The average farmer raises enough food in a year to feed 144 people, and they don't do it by keeping a zoo of farm animals as pets.

I hate to break the news, but the "Old MacDonald"-style farm never really existed; farming has always been about efficiency and earning in the margins through hard work and determination. These values have helped make the United States the most affordable and safe place to buy food in the world.

Small "Old MacDonald" farms are great until you want to make enough money to properly clothe and shelter yourself and your family. Ag commodities are sold on a perfectly completive market, meaning if you want to earn more you have to make more, and so farms have gotten larger.

This may make it appear that farmers are cold, greedy "factory farmers," but in fact, they are merely trying to make a decent living and feed you a safe and affordable diet. Even though these authors would like you to believe evil "factory farms" are the dominant factor in farming, the truth is that 99 percent of farms in the United States are individual or family-owned and produce 94 percent of agricultural products in the United States.

Inhumane and cruel treatment of animals is greatly stereotyped; the actions of a few should not punish the livelihoods of the many. Don't believe that the choices for consumers are limited to meat or no meat; right or wrong. That is a gross injustice to the agriculture industry and to the consumer.

To the people who are too narrow minded to listen to my logical arguments: Please, just reflect on these questions before you make more claims that try to punish good, hardworking farmers. Why do you think the ways livestock are processed now is less humane, safe or efficient than it was 25, 50 or 100 years ago? How can you determine, without any experience or position in the agricultural field, that this is absolutely wrong?

Matt Heers

food and ag business management major

System of oppression

I want to thank Abby Bar-Lev for her Nov. 28 column about the need to bring women's issues back to the top of the agenda, "Where we should be going."

The women's movement in the '60s and '70s brought great improvements to the lives of women, but what the women's movement failed to do was overthrow capitalism, the system that guarantees women's oppression. Because of this, problems remain and some are actually getting worse.

It is no accident that women are undervalued. Sexism is essential to capitalism. It promotes the nuclear family ideal, which means the child care and housework are done for free if the mother stays home. You can then blame poor, single mothers by telling them they wouldn't be poor and wouldn't need government help if only they were married or had not gotten pregnant.

If women do work, they usually work traditionally "female jobs" in the service sector, which are considered easier and less essential, and therefore low-paid. The world needs its cleaners, child care workers, teachers and food service employees. Why should they be seen as any less important than construction workers, lawyers or corporate CEOs?

Abortion plays into capitalism as well. Since the outlawing of abortion would mostly affect poor women, these women are kept poor through forced childbearing, which makes it more difficult to go to school or gain work experience. This creates more cheap labor to fill the undervalued jobs.

A woman is then called a "killer" or a "whore" when she requests an abortion, even if she is forced to abort because of her health or financial situation and would otherwise love to have a child.

No matter how many gains women make, capitalism will slowly whittle the gains away. We see this happening today. If we truly want equality for all, we need to overthrow the system that thrives on inequality.

Andrea Loubert

University student