Yes, I hate Paula Deen...here's why...

[joeybee12]

http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/smithfield-foods-exposed-for-more-cruelty-at-factory-farms.html



Despite what seems like increased media attention on some of the cruelty and environmental abuses at factory farms over the last year, the worst practices continue unchecked. The latest exposé comes from a factory farm owned by a subsidiary of the world's largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods. Through an undercover investigation in Virginia, the Humane Society of the U.S. caught horrific treatment of female pigs and piglets on video.The video even has Mark Bittman riled up and calling for action:

I'm usually not one to cry "boycott," but if you, like Paula Deen, are a Smithfield supporter - in fact, if you're still eating industrially raised pork (or chicken or beef or fish for that matter) - get real. Any industry (and Smithfield is hardly alone, though it does seem to be performing most egregiously) that operates with such infuriating disregard for the welfare of their animals deserves all the trouble we can muster.

The summary of the investigation is available online, and the video of the Smithfield farm below, which illustrates female pigs crammed into gestation crates too small to let them move around, which often leads to the pigs biting the bars of the crates.

[southernyankeebelle]

1. Sorry joey I like pork, beef, fish, deer and I have even tasted horse meat. I wish I didn't but

I wouldn't blame her because all these meat products have been around long before she came on tv.

[joeybee12]

2. Ever see her show? It's not about the meat...she is aligned with Smithfield Farms...

I'm not a vegetraian, I eat meat, but I won't eat it hawked by a woman who gets rich through the needless pain and suffering of these animals.

[southernyankeebelle]

5. Well to be honest I don't like Smithfield Ham anyway. Most of the time I just buy the cheap brand

of ham which is just as good or better and I doctor it up. I don't like very salty ham either. I don't really buy big hams much maybe 1 or twice a year. I usually buy pork butt to make my pasta sauce. Plus I have cut down on eating alot of meat. But I do enjoy it from time to time. I respect your position. It seems Paula is on a lot of peoples shit list lately.

[joeybee12]

6. She can make any food she wants...

But knowingly making money through needless suffering is atrocious.

[Sherman A1]

43. Simple solution

Change the channel. Enough people do and it becomes Paula Who?

I know of her due to recent media coverage, but frankly I have never seen nor care to see her show.

[obamanut2012]

19. Livestock can be raised humanely

And slaughtered painlessly. Smithfield does neither.

[joeybee12]

23. Thank you...that's the point...not the so-called "comfort food" she makes.

[southernyankeebelle]

24. Ok I don't disagree with that.

[Puregonzo1188]

98. But factory farming hasn't. Which I believe is the point of the OP.

[southernyankeebelle]

99. You have a point. Hmm indifferences. Well somehow when I get into a debate with some they

don't like my opinion and I have been sent to the jury a couple of times because of the way I said my answer. So I don't seem to win when I have my own opinion so when I am on this kind of a topic I try to watch what I say because I don't want to be sent to the jury and be punished again. I really do have strong opinions about this subject but I chose to make small talk because if I really go to deep on the subject somehow I am in the wrong. So sometimes "indeference" works for me. I am sure just making this comment will ruffle feathers. But I will not go further.

[Mojorabbit]

3. I only eat wild pig now

My husband bow hunts. They have a life living as they were meant to. I cannot imagine how anyone can sleep while running a company that does this to animals. If we are going to eat them then they should have as good a life as possible.

[HockeyMom]

4. I watch her show in the vein of a comedy

She is funny and what she SAYS is funny. "Little bit (pound) of butter". "Oh, that is SO GOOD (yuck)". Ok, I shouldn't laugh at her health problems, but is it really any wonder?

[southernyankeebelle]

7. I find her entertaining. I don't cook like that but at the same time I don't believe in diet police

either. I don't think it is her responsibility to watch what you eat. There are many food channel programs that don't cook like her and if you don't like it turn the channel. I just don't eat butter like that. I like just alittle on toast.

[HockeyMom]

11. I agree

Watch her for the entertainment value and make recipes from Giada, Flay, etc. I do. I eat a variety of foods, but I have never used Paula's recipes. I just don't like that stuff. Too sweet and rich for me. Just my taste.

[joeybee12]

26. I'm not getting your point...this is nothing to do with diet police...

This is about animal cruelty.

[southernyankeebelle]

28. No I wasn't talking to you about that. I was talking with someelses comment. I mean I think I was.

If I answered it under your comment I didn't mean to. Sorry.

[jsmirman]

25. It's totally hilarious to see pigs tortured and abused

in the name of corporate profit! Hilarious!

If by hilarious, you mean impossibly fucked up and reprehensible.

She CHOOSES to make money by supporting and promoting one of the worst companies on earth.

Like I said in another thread on the topic, if you truly hate animals and the environment - which - and this is no exaggeration, you absolutely have to if you are a-ok with what Smithfield does - consider if you would like to add hating humans to your list.

Smithfield has famously brutal labor practices. One of their police chiefs - a guy who they retained after the NLRB cited him for brutality - took a worker who dared to protest company practices into a dark room, handcuffed him, and dumped him into a GARBAGE CAN. This version of events was credited as the TRUE version of events by an NLRB panel. It's out there, publicly available, if anyone gives a crap to take the time to read about this stuff. I've seen the NLRB report with my very own two eyes.

Anyone who takes money to help Smithfield make more money and spread more misery is appalling.

[Blacksheep214]

8. Personal responsibility

What a concept!

[nobodyspecial]

9. This is hardly her fault

Try again.

[joeybee12]

10. Yeah, it is...she's their spoeksperson, she makes money from them...

She knows about the practices and where she gets her meat from.


Try again yourself.

[hobbit709]

12. Name me one person on any cooking show that isn't a spokesperson for some company.

[joeybee12]

14. Are you aware of what you read?

Who the PHUCK cares if someone is a spokesperson? They CARE if they're a spokesperson for a company that ABUSES ANIMALS!!!!

[hobbit709]

16. I'm quite aware, thank you

NAME me ONE food company that doesn't do something similar.

[joeybee12]

20. NAME me ONE CHEF who does something similar...

and so because everyone does it, Paula gets off the hook? Factory farming sucks, and if you knew anything about it, you'd realize that even Smithfield farms stands out among them...Cripes....are you her? That's the only explanation I can tell from your wanton callousness of animal suffering.

[hobbit709]

22. When's the BBQ?

[jsmirman]

31. I don't know - when would you like me to lather you up?

first, however, I would like to fatten you properly, by confining you to a space where you can't move. I won't be eating you - I'll just pass you along to someone else, so I really don't care if you become horribly sick or anything of the sort. So please also be prepared to live in your own excrement for a year or two.

And before this gets juried or anything, please understand that I am responding to an utterly thoughtless post, but much more importantly, I am simply describing WHAT ACTUALLY IS DONE EVERY DAY to these pigs.

If such words are so unacceptable that they would be blotted out from this site, please think about how unacceptable the practices are that I am describing.

[hobbit709]

32. what is this, tag team posting.

[jsmirman]

36. No, this is me

telling you that you're being a thoughtless supporter of animal cruelty and that it's not funny in the slightest.

In my book, it's disgraceful to be so blindly indifferent to the horrific suffering of these sentient creatures. It's hard for me to conceive how you can look at this subject and think this is a topic that invites callous, tossed-off "witticisms."

Smithfield also poisons the environment because the shit in their massive poo lagoons regularly seeps into the surrounding groundwater. Maybe you can make a really "funny" joke about that, too.

[tkmorris]

39. I admire what you did here

It's not easy to make a reasoned argument in such circumstances but you did yeoman's work.

[jsmirman]

41. Thanks

I'm exhausted from staying up late to create a page to support H2O Man and even on good days I rarely get it right.

A moment of clear thought must have just popped into my head.

[MattBaggins]

86. That is not an argument nor an excuse

[nobodyspecial]

38. So what company should she promote?

What would meet your standards? It's called capitalism. In this system, everyone is invited to participate with their pocketbooks. Dean has made her choice. Consumers can make their own.

BTW, I don't eat meat at all so I've already done my part to stop this inhumane treatment.

[Sera_Bellum]

13. If I may suggest,

to apply a GRAPHIC warning on your title.

Thanks for your post but I probably would not have clicked on if I knew I would see this. Pigs are so smart, it is hard to see them being brutalized.

Our animal friends deserve better.

[joeybee12]

15. You're right, but the responses so far makes it clear

most people here could give a flying phuck...it's disheartening.

[Sera_Bellum]

18. I care.

Thank you for caring as well. All we can control is what we do as individuals.

[CrawlingChaos]

47. I care too

Thanks for fighting the good fight joeybee12. I know it's discouraging whenever you bring up this topic, but don't let the callous remarks get you down. A lot of people do care and are looking for humane alternatives. Raising awareness is key, and that's what you're doing here.

I loathe Paula Deen as well. She IS responsible for knowingly promoting Smithfield products and I can't fathom by what twisted corkscrew of logic anyone might think she'd be blameless. She's just a greedy, soulless piece of human crap.

[SammyWinstonJack]

87. I care. And I don't like her either for this reason. She doesn't care about how Smithfield

treats their workers either. Not cool.

[snooper2]

30. Humans are actually helping the pig population

If we didn't eat pork pigs would be in the 10-100's of thousands instead of the 940 million that exist today

[jsmirman]

34. Yes, how very, very helpful

I'm sure the pigs that you see in the pictures in the OP are "thrilled" that they have been "helped" in this manner.

What a callous, crummy, sense-free argument.

[Codeine]

52. That statement is so stupid as to be borderline offensive. nt

[Snake Alchemist]

17. What pig farm should I be buying from? nt

[joeybee12]

21. Gee, I'd answer but obviously you don't give a flying phuck...nt

[Snake Alchemist]

27. Just let me know and I will look for them in the grocery store.

You do not seems willing to give the info though.

[antigone382]

61. There are a growing number of pig farms switching to free range pigs.

Particularly some college farms are making this switch. Yes, the meat is more expensive, but for me, the quality and nutritional value of the meat, and the elimination of major negative impacts on the environment (as well as on the welfare of the animals) is worth the additional price. My hope is that eventually prices for more ethically produced foods will go down, as food subsidies are structured in a way that prioritizes sustainability and humaneness. For now, since I rely on food stamps, it means I don't eat meat often...usually once or twice a week at most--but based on my present knowledge, it seems to me that cheaper meat now has more costs for the health of humans, animals, and the environment down the road.

[Snake Alchemist]

69. I eat meat twice a day.

Sometimes 3x a day on weekends. The prices I'm seeing for organic meat are out of this world.

[antigone382]

102. Do what you need and want to do.

I'm offering my perspective and my priorities, but I understand that we all have different dietary needs and preferences and that my choices don't work for everyone. I do think that we as a society need to consider the ways that current food production practices are endangering our ability to meet our needs in the future, particularly as accelerating climate change, rising energy prices, etc. will demand very quick and very dynamic adaptations within our food system. My understanding the information I have right now is that more expensive food in the near future is pretty much an unavoidable reality at this point (though I do sincerely hope that this is wrong), so the question is whether we want to start producing that food in a way that can be maintained, or cling to methods that will ultimately fail us.

I will offer the encouragement that there are alternatives out there if the issue is important to you, and that a compromise between conscience and your needs or desires is not out of the question. Friends of mine with limited resources have been able to get one meal a week from a local/organic source. Others have found that it is affordable to split a whole butchered animal among 2-4 people (this would require a deep freezer). And to get to the root of the problem we need to change our federal and state agricultural policies to favor food that is grown in a less destructive way--this is probably the number one tactic to get such food down to a more reasonable price.

But this is all just my understanding of food issues, and my understanding of the best ways to navigate those issues in the most ethical ways possible given a limited budget. I don't fault anyone for going with what rings truest to them.

[Major Nikon]

89. It's pretty hard to make an environmental case

I don't see how free range pigs are better for the environment and given that more land and resources are involved it would seem as if the reverse is true.

[antigone382]

101. A couple of ways I would make an environmental case for pastured pigs:

(This is a quick and dirty version)

For one, high concentrations of animals in confinement leads to huge volumes of waste which must be stored in manure lagoons. With diversified agriculture, it is possible to use such waste as fertilizer for crops, but confinement operations are generally not close enough to sites of crop production to offset the cost of transporting manure (which is high in water content and very heavy). Instead, it is concentrated in the lagoons, which tend to leak and become a significant source of nitrogen pollution in surrounding waterways.

Nitrogen pollution is also an issue with the grain based diet that confined pigs are fed. Monocultures of corn and soybeans require massive inputs of fertilizers and pesticides, and irrigation. They also require tremendous amounts of fossil fuel to plant, manage, and harvest. Besides nitrogen pollution, other environmental problems associated with this practice are soil erosion (because monocultures require so much bare soil), loss of biodiversity, lowering of water tables, and of course the various negative impacts of acquiring and using fossil fuels. Well-managed pasture can be maintained with virtually none of these inputs or waste products. Pigs have actually been a component of healthy human management of forests and other ecosystems for quite a long time.

Finally--and you may choose to view this more as a health issue rather than an environmental one--Because of the high population of animals in such a small area, and because of the stress the animals are under, high amounts of preventative antibiotics and other medications are required for confinement operations to be profitable. I don't recall the actual amount per pound of antibiotics used in the production of animal products, but it is several times higher than the amount used to actual treat human disease. The consequence of this is that such farms are virtual breeding grounds for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can and do enter society to become human pathogens.

I recognize the very significant economic issues involved in switching to less destructive means of food production, and I don't expect such changes to be made overnight, or without considering the potential implications for the affordability and availability of food. I don't have all of the answers to that. However it is still critical to understand and acknowledge the issues with our current system, the reasons that that system might lead to greater long term cost on our society (particularly on its poorest and most vulnerable members), and that the need for a change does undeniably exist.

[Major Nikon]

104. High concentrations of animals makes dealing with waste more efficient

Regardless of whether you are raising pigs in a pasture or in a barn, you have to deal with the waste eventually. If you have them in a pasture, it is possible to rotate those pastures with crops. To what extent this is done, I don't know. What I do know is that very few numbers are raised this way relative to the overall livestock production in the US. If you stopped raising all pigs in a barn and started raising all of them in a pasture, there's little doubt you'd have much more significant waste management problems.

[antigone382]

106. Manure is only a waste product when it is concentrated in a small area.

On a properly managed farm, as in any natural system, manure is a key resource as a part of a larger cycle. If the animals are rotated effectively (as they should be), the manure is just fertilizer for the soil. Yes, it would require more pasture to do that; but bear in mind this is displacing the requirement for land currently devoted to intensive production of grains--and bear in mind that such crop production methods result in much more severe nitrogen runoff, due to fertilizer inputs on bare soil, than would be the result of pigs on fully vegetated pasture land.

Edited to add: I grew up on a farm. Livestock manure is like gold in terms of improving soil fertility and structure. It only becomes an ecological problem when it is concentrated in massive amounts and not distributed over a significant area and worked into the soil.

[Major Nikon]

108. It really all relatively a small area

Even in Roman times the reason why they had to bring water into their cities from far away was because of animal waste created by the surrounding farms. Even a relatively small farm can create waste problems if the waste is not managed in some way.

[antigone382]

109. I can tell you that an unmanageable acccumulation of animal waste has not been a problem...

...for any of the small livestock farmers I know who are implementing reasonable practices to use it as a soil fertility resource in their pastures and crop fields. That cannot be done with the manure lagoons (on which confinement operations depend), which are a known point source of nitrogen pollution.

[Major Nikon]

110. Sure it can

Aerobic lagoons are actually very efficient and work extremely well. They are more expensive to build and operate which is why anaerobic lagoons are more common. EPA and state regulations are starting to catch up with anaerobic lagoons which is why they are starting to go by the wayside.

[jsmirman]

111. Please list for us any Big Ag companies using

"aerobic lagoons."

Are there a bunch? Any?

Would like to know.

[murray hill farm]

95. Check out this site.

For a farm near you that produces grass fed only beef and pork, etc for sale. www.eatwild.com It is a clearing house for a listing of farms that produce, on a small scale meat that is grown and fed in old time way before junk/garbage feed, chemicals and corperate farming. There are lots and lots of farms now...in almost every area of the US and you can support your local small farms at the same time.

[antigone382]

103. Thanks very much!

I have pretty decent options for local food here, but I'll keep this site in mind.

[jeff47]

74. Good idea, keep making it as hard as possible for people to change.

That way nothing will happen and you can keep complaining about how evil we are.

[AtomicKitten]

29. I abhor factory farming, but Paul Deen is not responsible for that.

[jsmirman]

33. So you don't get to choose who you endorse

You have no free will in who is paying you money to do their bidding.

You have no responsibility when the literal description of your arrangement is: I will receive money to promote the product of this company, so this company can make more money and expand their operations and business practices.

Madness. Utter madness.

[AtomicKitten]

40. So boycott Paula Deen; knock yourself out. It doesn't change the paradigm.

Let me reiterate that I abhor factory farming. I read in Rolling Stone a piece on factory farming many years ago that described pigs living in absolute terror in darkness for the entirety of their short lives. That haunts me to this day.

Unfortunately we are far removed from a reckoning in that regard. The factory farming industry has managed to perpetrate a diabolical disconnect between the neatly plastic-wrapped product in grocery stores and its cruel inhumane source.

Brow-beating meat-eaters isn't the answer, but people are free to pursue that route as gratuitous as it is as they see fit. The answer to putting a stop to this horrendous industry is education and legislation. This OP would be more successful had it been presented as an issue and not a petit jihad against one chef.

[jsmirman]

48. Her smiling, "down home," "delightful" charm is the neat plastic-wrapping

around the package of unspeakable cruelty.

It distresses me, that on DU, there's no point in taking someone to task for supporting something so horrible.

I eat a vegetarian diet and am striving to hew closer to a vegan diet. I do this solely because I refuse to continue to participate in an economy supported and sustained by contemptible cruelty. I can't boycott Paula Deen because I don't consume any of her rancid charm.

But, again, part of the industry's "diabolical disconnect" is pushing their product by using seemingly "inoffensive" and "charming" pitch-people like Paula Deen. I'm a little confounded that you don't see that.

[CrawlingChaos]

49. +1000

Well said jsmirman!

[Snake Alchemist]

50. Where was your computer built? nt

[jsmirman]

51. Follow through on your point

yes, it was built in China, and yes, that is unspeakably shitty. But I don't walk around telling everyone "apple is great, buy apple!"

In fact, virtually every conversation I have about Steve Jobs or Apple includes my referencing my consternation that so much of their production is linked to China. China has a shitty record of treating humans - unsurprisingly, also a country that favors horrific treatment of animals.

There are very few choices, however. I don't know if you would like me to resort to only pen and paper? China has a virtual stranglehold on the production of computer components. I have a much easier choice when it comes to supporting or refusing to support this awful "food economy" we have in this country. I refuse to eat their products.

The computer situation is analogous to mandatory binding arbitration contracts that come with computer purchases. You can't avoid them, because to avoid them would require one to not own a computer.

And I don't think this makes my argument that Paula Deen's PROMOTION of a company she knows or should know is a purveyor of misery and environmental destruction.

I *hate* that Apple portrays itself as some noble "computer of the people" and then bases their business on doing business with Chinese factories. I have an Apple right now because every other computer I have had in the last ten years has died and left me high and dry. I was taken in by the Apple Image, and am embarrassed to admit that I was surprised to even see packaging that said "made in China."

I fully intend to protest Apple's use of Chinese production facilities at some point in the relatively near future. I think a facebook campaign telling them how many of their customers/potential customers think what they are doing is wrong.

But I don't see how this makes what Paula Deen is doing any better or what alternative course of action you would like me to pursue.

[Snake Alchemist]

54. So it's okay to give them money, but not to take money?

Seems like giving them money does more harm.

[jsmirman]

59. Yes, one consumer is much more significant than a Corporate Spokeswoman

that must be why they pay me to buy their computer and Paula pays them for the chance to endorse their - oh wait, that's exactly backwards.

Please, answer the question - what alternative course would you have me pursue?

You also made an entire thread to ask why we hate poor little old Paula Deen. Are you making this argument because you like Paula Deen and don't want to like her any less?

Are you really arguing that because I am not perfect (I am *very* far from perfect) I have no right to protest mass promotion of something that is as horrible as the Smithfield operations? Wouldn't the logical conclusion to your argument be that we should shut down DU, I mean, unless I'm totally unaware that I am in purely celestial company here?

There is nothing right about her choice to promote Smithfield. And the "find something - anything - wrong about the speaker" method of responding to a criticism of a public wrong is a low form of changing the subject.

[Snake Alchemist]

67. So you are swayed by corporate spokesman?

I know that Catherine Zeta-Jones had me dying to join T-Mobile. I find that we convince ourselves that what we do doesn't matter much so we can sleep at night.

[jsmirman]

76. Have a good solid look at the picture at the top of this thread

and then pat yourself on the back for continuing to spin out increasingly lousy arguments.

I'm not swayed by corporate spokespeople, and I don't see what the hell that has to do with anything.

SHE is a corporate spokesperson and SHE would not be retained if OTHER PEOPLE did not find her endorsement compelling. Holy fucking shitballs, that is kind of how the whole economics of sponsorship, spokespeople, and companies works. SHE makes money for Smithfield or they are damn well convinced that she does, otherwise, they would not continue to retain her.

Enough.

[Snake Alchemist]

78. I've asked for which companies I should buy from in the grocery store and no answers have come.

I grew up in an Italian household(well half anyway) and veal was a staple. Is there anywhere I can get organic veal?

[jsmirman]

80. Veal is by and large the product of cruelty - however

I have heard of veal producers who have moved against the "penning a baby calf in a box and then slaughtering them" method of business. I've been out of the meat-eating game for too long to know the answer.

The best suggestion I have is to find out if there are any food collectives operating anywhere near you. If anyone here can point you toward one of them, please someone help SA out. Food collectives buy from local farms and move consumption away from mass-produced, cruelty-dependent Big Ag. Even then, find a good food collective, but then drive out to the farms that you are sourcing from and observe their practices for yourself.

Do have any farmer's markets anywhere near you? People there will either be producers, or will definitely be able to point you in the direction of alternative sources.

I can't tell you what to buy in the grocery store except for Field Roast and some of the better Gardein products (hint, these are vegan products, but you might be shocked by how delicious, say, Field Roast sausage is). Field Roast can be purchased from www.veganessentials.com, if you can't find it anywhere else.

But participation in one of the food collectives I suggest is a cost-effective alternative to eating what the massive ag companies want you to eat. It's a lot healthier and safer, as well.

[Snake Alchemist]

81. There is a farmers market around me, but the selection there is lacking.

I have tried some vegan products, but they just do not suit my taste. I am more of a Brat man or very good Italian sausage if I can find it.

[jsmirman]

83. Trust me on trying field roast

believe me, I know what meat tastes like, and I miss it more than occasionally.

If the selection at your farmer's market is lacking, it is still probably an excellent source of information as to what alternatives you might have. In my experience, people at farmer's markets tend to really know their food - at a minimum, they should be able to point you in the right direction.

You might even try contacting the people at www.mondaycampaigns.org/. They promote sensible eating practices as opposed to veganism. They may be able to help answer your questions.

[Snake Alchemist]

84. I'll try anything so if I see it, I will.

The one thing I have found the farmers market absolutely essential for is honey. I will ask around, but there comes a point where the inconvenience/cost starts to become too much.

[jsmirman]

85. It's at that point

that one might try at least a small modification of eating choices. That's what the people at Healthy Mondays are all about - it's an organization that works in cooperation with Johns Hopkins and Columbia University.

It may be even more cost-effective than your current choices, and it will probably be healthier.

But those options I posted are real options that are not always outrageously expensive. Participating in a food collective, in particular, tends to be a cost-saving method of feeding one's self, not a more expensive alternative.

[joeybee12]

58. Glad you've been posting so much here...

I needed a break from this! Geesh! The everyone does it so it's ok mentality is applalling...and no, not everyone does do it.

[jsmirman]

66. I need a break, too...

One of my favorite quotations in the history of politics - which is (gasp) from a Republican -

Warren Rudman to Alan Cranston: "Everybody does *not* do it!:

[AtomicKitten]

55. Self-righteous indignation isn't an argument; the issue is much bigger than that.

It also isn't realistic. An entire TV network is devoted to foodies and 99.9% of foodies eat meat. What you should be concerned about, however, is the so-called "ag-gag" state legislative measures introduced this year in New York, Iowa, Florida and Minnesota under the auspices of terrorism concerns that have been widely criticized as unconstitutional and an impediment to whistle-blowing.

[joeybee12]

60. I eat meat...always have...

I don't have to eat meat that comes from abused animals...and yes, I should be concerned about what Paula Deen does...she could insist Smithfield Farms change practices...she has the clout to do so...BUT...it would hurt her pocketbook, and that's the bottom line for people like Deen...shame her, call her out.

[AtomicKitten]

68. I can see your point.

Other than Mercy for Animals, I don't think there is another high profile advocate. Unfortunately PETA has screwed the pooch too many times for some to take them seriously. Because of the paucity of advocates, I withdraw my criticism of the approach you've posted.

[jsmirman]

65. Ok, I'm trying to put this in a way that isn't angry

what would ever make you think I'm not concerned about what you cite in the latter part of your post???

You must have missed the thread where I got yelled at from many directions for my passionate stance against AETA (I actually have to make an apology for something I put forth in that thread that I later discovered is partially correct and partially WRONG in that thread - something I'll do when I get some sleep).

I'm an animal activist for God's sake!!!

I wish people would eat less meat. I wish people would eat no meat produced under cruelty-practicing conditions. I'm a pragmatist who would be thrilled if people at least *thought* about where the food they are eating is coming from.

There's a difference, though, even between eating meat and BEING A SPOKESWOMAN FOR SMITHFIELD.

Smithfield is the worst of the worst. Promoting their products is to promote animal cruelty, abuse of the environment, and thuggish, brutal treatment of their workers. I'll tell you one thing - if you are going to continue to eat meat, I humbly recommend that you stay away from any products produced by Smithfield. The whole industry SUCKS - absolutely - so for them to stand out among that lot might tell you something.

[AtomicKitten]

70. Okay.

As I noted above, I withdraw my criticism of your approach. The industry does suck ass (and genuinely breaks my heart). In the bigger scheme of things, any resistance is good resistance.

[jsmirman]

73. Thank you.

nm

[Sera_Bellum]

35. There are more humane

pork farmers out there.

http://surryfarms.com/

Here is one of them.

[Snake Alchemist]

37. 28$(9.95 for shipping) for 36 ounces of bacon!

Who can afford this?

[Sera_Bellum]

42. Here is another.

http://store.nimanranch.com/

However any small family farm would be more desirable. I shop at a local butcher who has nothing but free range critters, and is not cost prohibitive.

[Major Nikon]

91. The guy who founded Niman Ranch (Bill Niman) refuses to eat their foods

One of the reasons he cites is poor animal treatment.

They also charge $100 for a 8-10lb ham (on sale for $70, woo-hoo!). They charge $65 per pound(on sale, woo-hoo!) for Filet Mignon and don't even specify if their beef is prime, choice, or select grade. They charge $30 per pound for ribeye. Your definition of "not cost prohibitive" must not be the same as mine.

The problem is that most small family farms do not typically market directly to the public. They sell to distributors who are often bought out by larger distributors (like Niman Ranch) who are often bought out by even larger distributors (like Hilco Equity Partners who now owns Niman Ranch).
http://www.hilcoequity.com/

This is not an aberration. It's a story that is repeated over and over in agriculture. Finding a so-called "humane" source for meat is pretty difficult, and even if you can, the cost is prohibitive to most, and more often that not any claims of "humane" treatment are dubious at best.

[Snake Alchemist]

44. So should we hate Paula Deen or Steve Jobs more? nt

[graywarrior]

45. I love this open letter to Paula written by Christina Perillo (Christina Cooks)

She didn't pull any punches.

http://www.examiner.com/natural-health-in-national/an-open-letter-to-paula-deen

[Codeine]

53. Christina rocks. nt

[graywarrior]

57. Anyone who can beat leukemia totally rocks

[bullwinkle428]

56. Hammer meet nail. That was well worth the read!

[graywarrior]

64. Glad you read it!

And yeah, she nailed it.

[dana_b]

88. nor should she

"Instead of becoming the paid spokesperson for Novo Nordisk, a drug that won’t help us become healthier or get to the root cause of our ills, but just masks the real problem, why not help Americans become better educated so they can reclaim their health and break the stranglehold that pharmaceuticals have on our lives?"

That is the plain truth of this whole thing. I wish Ms. Deen well and hope that she gets healthy but frankly she could be wasting a good opportunity here.

[graywarrior]

90. Indeed. She could really influence a lot of people to change their eating habits.

[laundry_queen]

46. Now THAT is a legitimate reason to hate her

Not that she cooks comfort food and happens to have type II diabetes.

I agree - it's abhorrent that she would promote such a company. However, most people have a serious disconnect when it comes to animals and the meat the comes packaged in styrofoam and plastic wrap and I'm sure she's not the first. Maybe she 'understands' maybe she doesn't. Maybe she was forced to promote this company through her contract. I don't know. It's rare to find a successful rich person who hasn't done something immoral or unethical in the name of money. Maybe she's just ignorant. At any rate, this is a legitimate reason to boycott her products/show and if it catches on, she may have to change her ties with the industry and that would be a good thing.

[stillwaiting]

72. Another reason to dislike her (in my opinion)..

She has had diabetes for 3 years and failed to disclose it for that period of time. During this period she continued to "sell" her method of cooking to many, many people. Her failure to disclose her health condition, which is certainly related to her dietary choices, was quite negligent.

NOW, she's making money from the drug companies by promoting the medicine she has to take to treat her diabetes. She literally made money coming and going. Her style of cooking is a major risk factor which has helped lead to the epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and other health related problems. Paula Deen will sell you the food to make you sick, and then she'll sell you the medicine you have to take due to following her dietary advice.

She'll sell you right into your own grave if you let her. How charming, indeed.

[laundry_queen]

75. Disagree that her dietary choices caused the Type II

You have no idea if that's what she ate on a regular basis. Also disagree that it's a given her weight caused it - read my other threads. Both statements are ignorant. HOWEVER, I agree it's disgusting that she's 'using' this to sell and promote expensive type II medicine and that she's signed a deal with a pharmaceutical company. EW.

[stillwaiting]

79. You don't believe that eating the food that Paula Deen cooks and sells leads to Type II diabetes?

In looking at the risk factors for Type II diabetes there are several risk factors that would most likely be elevated if you eat the food that Paula Deen promotes.

On her DAILY cooking show she serves it right up to the masses. She says she eats this way, and I have no reason to doubt it. Do you?

Obesity and being overweight is a risk factor for Type II diabetes. Can I conclusively say that being overweight caused the Type II diabetes? No, but more than 80% of people with Type II diabetes are obese or overweight.

Can I conclusively say that eating the crap she peddles every day caused her Type II diabetes? Again, no. But very few people have the metabolism to consistently eat the food that Paula serves up without gaining weight. The drug companies love Paula, no doubt.

But I can say that known risk factors for getting Type II diabetes include being overweight, eating a high fat diet, and having high blood pressure (which is linked to being overweight). Stating cause is very tricky, but the risk factors for Type II diabetes are known, and Paula Deen is selling them right up if anyone's interested.

I have never known Paula to caution or counsel her audience to exercise restraint in eating the recipes she serves up. If she does, then please let me know because it would add a point to her plus column in my book, and that column needs a few pluses.

[laundry_queen]

93. In excess, it may.

Depends on your genetics. It would be the carb content, not the fat content that would make the difference though.

Again, if you read my other posts, you would see I address the overweight issue. If you knew anything at all about the continuum of insulin reistance/type II diabetes you would know that many people who are susceptible to diabetes have insulin resistance that makes it more difficult to keep a normal weight. Eventually their weight edges up, because of their insulin resistance (if you don't know how THAT works, I'd be happy to explain it to you) and their pancreas reaches a tipping point where it can no longer produce the amount of insulin required to keep blood sugar in check. Therefore, one can conclude that the reason 80% of type II diabetes people (if that's true I'd like a link for that please - mind you, with the stupid joke that is called "BMI" anything above skinny is 'overweight') is because they are susceptible to the process that leads to type II diabetes, which is also the same process that causes them to be fat. They are correlated, not causal.

The reason they call it 'known risk factors' has never been explored. Sure people who have type II seem to be overweight. It's like gathering up a bunch of people who have a new strain of influenza and half of them have red hair. Until more is known, or explored, or understood, they say it 'seems' a risk factor MAY be red hair. Totally not the same thing as "if you have red hair you will get this flu".

I like Paula Deen's shows and her recipes look like they are too rich for me and I've never tried one yet. I strongly dislike how it seems she's using her type II as a cash grab, it's disgusting IMO. But I won't go so far as to say she's selling her foods, hoping people get diabetes so she can sell more pharmaceuticals. Seems a little too to me.

[stillwaiting]

96. I don't believe she's selling her foods hoping people get diabetes! lol

I think she's just being EXTREMELY negligent, and she's cashing in all the way to the bank.

I do judge her for prostituting herself out the way she has in two different areas that certainly conflict with one another, and I do believe that the unhealthy foods she peddles lead many of her faithful followers to end up needing the very medicine that she also peddles.

I can't remember exactly where I saw the 80% stat, but a very fast google search turned up this :

http://www.obesityinamerica.org/understandingObesity/diseases.cfm

[Son of Gob]

77. Very well said

[Initech]

62. What is bothering me about this is she's using the disease to hawk pharmaceuticals.

That may or may not be proven to have dangerous after-effects. Rather than using her show to educate people on the dangers of eating this way all the time, she's instead embracing capitalism and hawking drugs. WTF.

[joeybee12]

63. It's one thing to make money...it's another thing to make

money promoting possibly dangerous drugs to unsuspecting people. This is akin to selling clothes made from sweatshops...there is no sense of responsibility on her part, she just wants to make more money.

[Initech]

71. Exactly. That's what truly stinks about this.

[Snake Alchemist]

82. You do realize that drug has several advantages over other therapies? nt

[flvegan]

92. Understandable.

Good reason to dislike someone.

[BrendaBrick]

94. In the larger context

I think Deen is not alone and I would venture to say that the Food Network as a whole would be wise to become a bit more mindful in closing the gap/disconnect between not only this issue but more importantly, the massive plight of...geesh - what's the current buzzword of today?...the *food insecurity* in this country!

Maybe all this uproar is a good thang! Maybe...just maybe enough pressure on this issue will spur a movement for a popular cable channel such as the *Food Network* to perhaps realign their priorities in some aspect and hence, get on board with the reality of how many folks in this country don't have enough to eat and instead become a catalyst and supporter of providing a nationwide *Network of Food!*

[Burma Jones]

97. We eat less meat because we're paying more for the humanely raised option

A lot less meat. But, it's better, lots better.

[Lucky Luciano]

100. I like Anthony Bourdain much more - he and Dean had a spat I believe.

I will definitely support Bourdain over her! I love his sarcasm and cynicism - it's very amusing.

[a la izquierda]

105. Thanks for posting this, Joey.

I've been a vegetarian for well over a decade. I think Dean is disingenuous, disrespectful to workers and displays a heartlessness toward our animal friends.
I'm not at all surprised by some of the responses on here, but am appreciative of the thoughtful nature that others have demonstrated.

[B Calm]

107. The shows she did with Jimmy Carter

were great. I have always thought of her as a southern democrat.

[Liberal_in_LA]

112. the pictures make me nauseous

thanks for posting this. I sent an email to the company. such cruelty!