Metaphors as Ways of Seeing March 29, 2010
Posted by abenetea in Uncategorized.trackback
The metaphor in the picture shows how much Americans see animals as food. Other cultures such as African cultures see cows as a form of wealth, while Indians consider them holy, and would never consider eating them. In the U.S. food has become a business, instead of a means of survival. We have Burger King and Mcdonalds were we can get cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets for 1$. This devalues the life of animals to dollar signs, and the small group of people that still value animal rights are mocked. Factory Farming has become an epidemic in the U.S. were cows who were meant to graze freely, eat things they cannot even digest, including other cows brains. They are a food source and should be revered, because they give life to our communities, but instead we cram them into pens where they can’t move and force them to walk around in their own feces.
By using the picture of a cow shaped like a hamburger as a metaphor, it shows how society views animals, especially cows; as delicious, expendable sustenance.
I love your example of the cow. I think it is true that we devalue the very thing that keeps us going as a nation, food. I think this would make a fantastic assignment in a classroom to have students look at photos such as this and think about how different parts of the world would view this photo.
Erin Coleman