Went to a screening of Earthlings last night. Horrendous, shocking film. It was incredibly difficult to sit through, and there were so many images and sounds that made me cringe back into my seat. I broke my wine glass. It was strangely comforting to hear other people sniffing and crying during the film. Granted, it was presumably an already vege/vegan audience, but it is nice to know that there are other people out there who feel the suffering of animals as their own.
I took two omni friends with me: one seemed unaffected by the whole experience, was concerned that the hippy vegans were going to lock us inside the cinema and do god knows what to convert her, and made a comment afterwards about getting a hamburger. The other was beside me throughout the film also cringing into her seat, gasping and groaning and covering her face with her hands. Whenever we discuss animal cruelty and diet she is always quick to emphasise the fact that she eats *mostly* free range. Of course, this only extends to chickens, eggs, and pork, depending on ease of accessibility. She doesn't seem to understand the hypocrisy of this. It might make her feel better, as she obviously has some concerns about factory farm conditions, but if she is still buying and consuming meat, then animals are still suffering and dying for her gastronomic "pleasure". After the film she said she would have to find out how free range animals died (i.e. whether they died "humanely") and would have to look into the Queensland dairy industry.
At least she was made uncomfortable and may change her consuming habits as a result, even if it is one step at a time. This is better than those people that see the cruelty and are unaffected, uncaring. I can't fathom their headspace.
You can watch the film online at http://www.earthlings.com/earthlings/trailer-streaming-2.php
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