Elena Shippey
Professor Jesse Miller
English 110-G
17 April 2019
The American Ignorance of Death Revisited
How can we openly talk about the death and suffering of others if we cannot even face our own immortality? This is a question that the western world, specifically in the United States, has wrestled with for centuries. There are many existing controversies surrounding the treatment of animals in America. Animals are sacrificed every day for scientific research. Others are tortured to determine the irritation levels of makeup products, personal care, and perfumes. Some are slaughtered for their skins and furs to make a fashion statement or decorate their home. One of the largest industries in the United States is livestock, where animals are raised in great numbers only to be killed and sold in the supermarket. Between these four industries, over fifty-six trillion animals are estimatedly killed every year around the world. Although the American contribution to this number is only a fraction, the topics of these industries are rarely brought up. The mistreatment of animals is touchy in American culture and is avoided as much as possible. Why can we not discuss these controversial topics openly? The difficulty to surface these ideas of suffering and death is rooted in the hesitation to discuss our own mortality. As a society, we avoid talking about death, which makes it much more tragic and unexpected when it falls upon us. Although it may be easier to dance around the subject, refusing to address these topics can become problematic. Ignorance and avoidance of our own death disconnects us from the death of other animals; this makes it more difficult to recognize the indignity in these actions against animals. When we expose ourselves to the death and indignity of ourselves, we may recognize the suffering of other animals which can guide ourselves toward morality.
