Earthlings

Unquestionably the most comprehensive look at animal abuses and cruelty ever made. A very sobering look at why animal rights is something we must all recognize. Joaquin Phoenix does a wonderful job narrating (he's a life-long vegan), and brings a solemn tone to the film. The video clips are hard to watch, but are undeniably happening millions of times every day, all over the world. With any luck, people will watch this film and be inspired to reject and prevent this kind of cruelty from occurring in the future. I know I will.

I will give this film a 10, because even though I knew some of the information going into it, the film still covers more aspects of animal rights than I ever though imaginable.

I can totally understand how someone can have a lack of compassion for animals. By the end of this documentary I felt somewhat numb myself, from the ceaseless onslaught of horror contained within. So if you're brought up, for instance, in a hunting culture, or a biblical culture, or an "animal manufacturing" culture, or the outskirts of a bull-fighting ring, you're probably numb to the suffering of living things, too. What this movie sets out to do is climb into the minds of those who have lost perspective for whatever reason and remind them that if they're still mistreating animals, or participating in the mistreatment of animals, then they're not fulfilling a major responsibility of being human, and are therefore part human, semi-human, sub-human.

Call me a softy, but I've felt for a long, long time that there's really no fundamental difference between humans and other animals. Therefore, animals experience things like pain, despair, horror and fear the same way we do. To me this just makes logical, common sense. But again, I can totally understand how someone can disagree. I, and the creators of this film, just ask those naysayers to remember, to look deep within ourselves, beyond their conditioning, that it is possible for humans to err when it comes to such belief systems. The Nazis are a good example - they treated Jews like animals. But honestly, the stuff in this documentary are the same - and far worse, in many cases - than what the Nazis did to the Jews. Nazis still had a relative modicum of respect and restraint for other humans compared to the way animals are treated by humans. If you disagree then you need to get a grip, and look at the images in this movie, and compare the number of Jews (in the millions) to the number of animals (in the billions). Let's be frank.

The truth is this documentary is not going to change those who are like the people depicted in the movie who are completely blind to what they're really doing. Many humans are beyond hope in that respect. But it will change those who are straddling the fence. It will give them the knowledge they prayed would never interrupt their meals. It's not a message. It's a reality. A grim, horrific, and terribly sad reality.

People should be disgusted by this piece because it represents what is true in today's society and what is disgusting. If you cannot kill your own meat humanly, you should not be eating it. Lethargy and turning a blind eye hurts you just as much as anyone. This is the reason for heart disease and obesity being rampant in the USA. If you need to run and kill your own prey (and most often unsuccessful) to survive then meat is a calorie packed choice for your sustenance - if you graze and meander all day (like most couch potatoes and most in the US) than you should be eating a grazer's diet of veggies. Meat from suffering dirty animals is not necessary in a modern human's diet.

And, I disagree with the otherwise eloquent poster below. I have never felt drained or tired from my diet - in fact I feel lean and energetic.... and guilt-free.

In the end, there is every reason to watch this film. It is every persons obligation to know what exists in their own backyard and what they are contributing to. If you are fine with your actions after that - at least it is your informed choice.

Watching a documentary like this is not an easy thing to do. But it is something that all people should do. The way animals are treated by humans is nothing short of horrific. The sad fact is that people don't want to be educated in this regard. It is far easier for them to remain ignorant. The question that I was constantly asking myself throughout this film, is "how can people work in these places, and inflict the level of cruelty to these animals so blatantly". Perhaps they are numb to it. But I guess the fact that they can become numb to is means that there is probably no hope for these animals at all. The truly sad part is that many of them seemed to enjoy their work. I certainly hope that I am wrong.

This documentary covers *all* facets of human speciesism (a term that is referred to throughout the film). Pets, and pet abuse, animals for food and clothing, cruelty to animals in the name of human entertainment, zoos, circuses. Although I do consider myself to be an educated vegan, I did learn a lot from watching this documentary. The tone in which Joaquin Phoenix narrated was very compelling. You can tell that he is passionate about the subject.

I suspect that only a vegan or perhaps a vegetarian would be able to watch this all the way through. Most people that support the industries that are outlined within the film, would likely turn it off when it gets to the graphic sections, as they wouldn't want to be put off their dinner. As the film says, it's easier to remain ignorant, so that you don't have to battle with your conscience and make the hard decisions.

I urge everyone that gets the opportunity to see this documentary, to do so. It really is an education indeed. It can be purchased on line from http://www.isawearthlings.com/

Hi all, I'm a 20 yr old Sydney boy who was asked by a mate to watch this film. I've read some of your comments. Here is my response: I, like some of you have stated, also have a strong stomach when it comes to watching "goresome" and violent eruptions of human behaviour. Nazi-ism to animals doesn't even come close to interpreting the horrors portrayed in this film. The fundamental objective of this movie was not to sicken you and "turn you off" meat in terms of food, science, fashion or entertainment. It was to simply inform you, not only of the daily mistreating of animals on a worldwide scale, but as how humanity perceives other beings that live on this planet, and how we perceive ourselves. I am a vegetarian living in Australia (was born in India where the majority of people are vegetarians & cows are sacred). Being a vegetarian in a western culture is difficult enough it is, supplementing for foods without meats (even some simple veggie burgers would have beef or some sort of meat substance in them). Also, I never had much faith in humanity especially in recent years with corrupt politics, terrorism, and general arrogant human behaviour. I could give you all a thesis on why and how humanity has failed in co-existing on a planet that us, one single species out of so many, has destroyed through what we consider "our evolution" (Pollution, waste, animal cruelty to name a few).

When I saw scenes throughout this film, I was not only appalled by the graphical representation of mistreating of animals, but what upset me the most is that we, as humans, as earthlings, have no compassion or moral value whatsoever. People will state that animals are edible because of their religious scriptures, or that it will provide us with the required nutrients and supplements, or even that we DO have the right to kill an animal, as long as it is done in a civil, appropriate manner. Others will mention I am over-exaggerating, misunderstanding and being difficult with the issue. The truth is, if animals didn't exist... we would treat our fellow human beings the same way. We used humans for sport in the Colosseum in Greece. Cannibalism has arisen during times of survival or sacrifice. We bully each other during our youth, and don't realise the affects of this until we have come of age, and have suffered mental conditions from it. We believe in torture to other human beings, racism, Nazi-ism.

This film is based around animal mistreating but branches off to so many other factors. I put the two things in my life first that the majority of humans in our modern world would put last, Morals and Compassion. I would rather have some sort of deficiency in my body (I may feel a little more tired than normal people, or not as strong) than to eat something that used to live, breathe and feel. Having a deficiency is a small price to pay than to kill an animal. I don't care if killing animals is done for religious, financial, social or even health purposes. Just like I would never kill another human being, I could never kill an animal. Not because of this film, not because of my beliefs, but because I feel obligated to.

Fight for what you believe in with compassion, intelligence and strong moral ground! PS: Sorry if I misspell anything, I'm bloody exhausted.