Off the Hook (736 hits)
Category: Science & EnvironmentalRating: 0.76 on 42 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by johnny.b.dumb (View user info) at 2009-04-07 01:20:57 EDT
I went to a slaughterhouse today. It was business, so I wore bussinessware. Now I've seen a fair amount of blood and guts in my middle-aged life, but today was special, in that while normally I have an unhealthy interest in gore, today I had my fucking fill.
An important part of this visit was surveying and viewing the production line; we went from the parking lot where the smell of stale urine, blood and other offal was offensive enough, to the interiors of two production lines where the stink had an all pervading presence. It was fucking everywhere. On the stairs, in the production managers' office, in the employee lounge and dining room...and the chemical wash they kill bacteria with ( some chlorine based aseptic ) actually made the smell even worse. From the visceral stink of urine, shit, blood & spilled guts it turned to an institutional stink as loud as anything I've ever smelt in a nuthouse infirmary or a room of incontinent 90-year old women living in their own filth. With a hint of lemon scented ammonia.
Both lines started with the killing floor where halal butchers bundled in clear plastic coats slit the throats of terrified beef (on one) and lamb/sheep on the other production line. They were covered with arterial blood from head to toe. The dying animals were attached onto stainless steel hooks by both hind legs, hoisted onto the conveyor line overhead and proceeded to the skinning, disemboweling, beheading & carcass splitting stages. The smell was unbelievable. The men and women doing the line work were obviously quite inured to it, trained professionals with years of experience in butchery.
Luckily I had business to take care of, so that the trivial monstrosity of what was going on around me didn't grab me by the balls until we were outside on our way to the car. Earlier, inside, The IT manager who was showing us around the place asked me if I'd seen enough ( he meant production equipment automation, network access, sensors, etc.) Now out of the place, but still smelling the stench of fear, death, horror on my clothes I could honestly say to myself and my partner: Mate, I've seen too fucking much.
And then I saw & heard the empty hooks falling off the end of the production line, cascading into stainless steel bins at a rate of 1 a second. Fuck me, I thought, that's 2 seconds per life.
User Reviews
Submitted by johnny.b.dumb (user info) at 2009-04-17 19:02:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Living with pigs
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7998780.stm
Submitted by johnny.b.dumb (user info) at 2009-04-12 17:35:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
http://www.ubersite.com/m/94279
Submitted by johnny.b.dumb (user info) at 2009-04-12 17:24:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Hey, call it a coincidence. I do like Your post better, this was just a way to shed the horror. On a side note, the nice bloke who sold me a tinny of skunk told me he worked in a slaughterhouse as a shocker, stunner & sticker. He's about 22 yrs old? and doesn't seem particularly degenerate; I guess one can get used to anything. sad.
Submitted by Anansie (user info) at 2009-04-12 11:00:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I actually read this the other day and thought about linking MY post, but couldn't be bothered to log in, so it's funny that you linked yours. Well, not funny "haha", more like, funny "hmmmm... a coincidence."
Submitted by johnny.b.dumb (user info) at 2009-04-08 23:18:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
the coming cowpocalypse! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-CAZ_1mvwU
Submitted by johnny.b.dumb (user info) at 2009-04-08 22:29:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
nobody cares if you're vegetarian. not even the cows.
Submitted by beeltea (user info) at 2009-04-08 13:41:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Merlina (user info) at 2009-04-07 06:05:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by beeltea (user info) at 2009-04-07 05:24:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
what's wrong with halal meat?
~~
Halal meat is where they refuse to stun the animal before they slit its throat, so its left to bleed to death wht can take 2-3 minutes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2977086.stm
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I know what it is, but I don't think that the slaughter is inhumane, or at least it's not as inhumane as Western methods.
http://www.muslims.netfirms.com/pages/articles/halal_slaughter.htm
Submitted by orphelia (user info) at 2009-04-08 05:13:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by HellRazer (user info) at 2009-04-07 18:10:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Did this make anybody else hungry?
Submitted by i_can_get_you_a_toe (user info) at 2009-04-07 17:47:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
i'm sure that's a dude in the picture
Submitted by Fey (user info) at 2009-04-07 15:51:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
IN CASE ANYBODY'S MISSED IT, I'm a vegetarian.
I can't figure out if you really really want people to think you're from NZ or if you actually are from NZ or if there's a third option I'm currently not seeing.
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2009-04-07 14:51:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Visceral.
Any time someone says "Meat is murder." in my presence I kill them and eat them.
Submitted by SgtHartman (user info) at 2009-04-07 12:57:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by sandmantate (user info) at 2009-04-07 12:55:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
businesswear
=====================
like "FUCKING TPS REPORT"
Submitted by sandmantate (user info) at 2009-04-07 12:55:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
businesswear
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2009-04-07 12:38:54 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
It appears that the chick is lying in a big, syink pile of johnny b. dumb.
Submitted by UltraNinja (user info) at 2009-04-07 11:54:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
It's one of those things you never want to think about....and then some genius forces it into you. Thanks.
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2009-04-07 10:48:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
she is laying in cowshit...
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2009-04-07 09:35:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by sage104 (user info) at 2009-04-07 09:17:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Ugh, I hate veal.
Submitted by sexualchocolate1984 (user info) at 2009-04-07 09:13:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Cut. Wrap. Print. Ghey.
This was actually mildly entertaining, 2 seconds per animal is a whole lot of meat. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
I'm going to eat some dead baby animal. It's all about Veal.
Submitted by sage104 (user info) at 2009-04-07 09:06:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
No Comment
Submitted by SgtHartman (user info) at 2009-04-07 08:45:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This makes me want a steak.
I eat animals and their babies. I love it.
and dude, I've read a few articles that say if we didn't start eating meat as a species we wouldn't have developed the large brains that you and I enjoy. Well at least me.
BLOODY RED STEAK FTW!!
Submitted by Mr_Trollope (user info) at 2009-04-07 08:40:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
Submitted by TuTs (user info) at 2009-04-07 08:30:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I like meat to much to become a veggo, but I would like my own farm grow some pigs, some chickens, a few sheep. No cows but they are too cute. Sheep are evil with their wierd square pupils, I could eat them all the time.
My dad worked in a slaughterhouse for a while and eventually became really depressed and had to quit. Then he worked with the little piglets, hated it and swapped to his trade. He didn't become vegetarian though. I think it takes a certain kind of person so mass kill animals, not just one to feed your family.
Submitted by monkeyswithguns (user info) at 2009-04-07 08:28:12 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Ducky (user info) at 2009-04-07 08:15:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I don't have the stomach for that.
I am thankful to those who do because I am a meat-eater through and through (seuss), put personally even gutting a fish after I've caught it turns my stomach.
I agree with Merlina - that type of slaughter is horrific.
I'll stick to teaching and tourism.
Submitted by EmissionImpossible (user info) at 2009-04-07 06:54:02 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Merlina (user info) at 2009-04-07 11:05:24 BST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by beeltea (user info) at 2009-04-07 05:24:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
what's wrong with halal meat?
~~
Halal meat is where they refuse to stun the animal before they slit its throat, so its left to bleed to death wht can take 2-3 minutes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2977086.stm
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Ahhh come on, they do bless it!
Submitted by CrapWeed (user info) at 2009-04-07 06:36:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Mmm, interesting.
+1 for the pic, which, I believe, is a picture of that lady who has Asperger's (or something along the autism spectrum, I think). It was very interesting listening to her give a subjective description of her condition.
Submitted by Merlina (user info) at 2009-04-07 06:05:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by beeltea (user info) at 2009-04-07 05:24:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
what's wrong with halal meat?
~~
Halal meat is where they refuse to stun the animal before they slit its throat, so its left to bleed to death wht can take 2-3 minutes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2977086.stm
Submitted by johnny.b.dumb (user info) at 2009-04-07 05:26:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
#!/usr/bin/perl
use Post;
my $post=Post->new();
$post->respond(\bender_pimp_mode,"Shut up, Baby, I know it......");
Submitted by beeltea (user info) at 2009-04-07 05:24:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
what's wrong with halal meat?
Submitted by Merlina (user info) at 2009-04-07 05:13:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
It is rather horrible to see things liek you did though... I feel for you. I would have been in tears.
Submitted by Merlina (user info) at 2009-04-07 05:12:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I was a vegetarian for years and thought 'meat is murder'. Then as I got older I learnt about free range farming. If I had a farm I would keep chickens and pigs - and I would have to visit a slaughterhouse as I would struggle to kill the poor things myself (I'd probably only have a few and they'd be like pets)..
I refuse to eat halal meat, which is rarely a problem. Just means when I get invited to an indian restaurant party I don't eat very much. I cooked a mean chicken biyiani last night though with free range chicken of course.
Submitted by johnny.b.dumb (user info) at 2009-04-07 04:56:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
21:00 and finally I managed to get destroyed. Atmospheric night, Wild Wellington Wind blowing smokerings through my shed. If sky keeps clear will be testing the telrad tonight.
Submitted by redskieslookfake (user info) at 2009-04-07 03:33:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Meat is murder. But bacon is life
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2009-04-07 03:28:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Scientists are working on a culture of cells that form muscle mass. Theoretically this culture would survive whithin a suspension fluid of nutrients, possibly fed in from some manner of treated sewage which has passed through another cellular culture to enrich the nutrient content.
Unfortunately, the vat grown meat-cube is still in development, so in the meantime we shall have to make do with the death factory.
Also we should totally get working on some Proper Bread.
Submitted by johnny.b.dumb (user info) at 2009-04-07 03:00:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Of course meat is murder. So is veg. So is fish. That's hardly the point.
I'm not going to turn vegan all of a sudden, but its times like these that put me in touch with the primal, animal me. There's no comparing the Holocaust to animal slaughter. Fundamentally what goes on in slaughterhouses is the ultimate in objectification of other living beings. When one reads about people like Dhalmer or Fish or Bundy, when one reads what they ( and they all were quite erudite ) said about the nature of what they did, taking possession of their victims' body parts, eating bits of them and keeping them around in fridges and such, one begin to understand that to merely torture, kill, violate is not enough for these men. They needed to possess trophies, mementos of their domination. To do this the killers have to objectify their victims much as we objectify cattle into beef, mutton, lamb.
What we do to cattle on an industrial scale is physically the same. I mean that we breed, raise, feed, slaughter and eat them. There is no more complete possession of another than that. The diggers do us one better, because they fuck their cattle as well, but that is nothing compared to the rest.....
Submitted by beeltea (user info) at 2009-04-07 02:34:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
you're probably my favorite new ubersite user/troll/alter.
Submitted by Toddler (user info) at 2009-04-07 02:33:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
I read your last comment... YOU KNOW TOO MUCH
Submitted by Toddler (user info) at 2009-04-07 02:07:36 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
YAY!
(feels so good, again)
Submitted by BranDo (user info) at 2009-04-07 02:05:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Meat is murder.
Last week a PETA campaign was banned in Germany where the meat industry was compared with Auschwitz.
Submitted by Bubba2341 (user info) at 2009-04-07 01:25:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
You suck. Poorly.