Earthlings

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.

I feel the need to respond to some of the criticisms I read in the comments on here. In many of the low reviews people cite two main reasons, they call it vegan/PETA propaganda or they say it is too violent and disgusting. Obviously it is "propaganda" for animal rights activists, that is the whole point of the movie. Everything documentary, book, pamphlet, speech etc. that was directed towards a purpose in the past was propaganda too.

Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech was propaganda for the civil rights movement, that did not mean he did not have a point or he was wrong, but he certainly did not give the arguments of white southerners equal weight did he? Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Susan B. Anthony, and every other human rights campaigner in history did the same. But please remember, none of these now famous civil rights campaigns were universally accepted in the past. Nelson Mandela was put in jail (and not just by the white South African government, the US government supported them for many many years). MLK was shot, female suffragettes were beat up and ridiculed. The pattern is the same, and the documentary identifies it in the first minute. Resistance to the truth Step 1: Ridicule (call it propaganda) Step 2: Violent Resistance Step 3: Acceptance.

For all the others who say its too violent, well that is the point, it is showing the reality of the animal product consumption industry. Do you complain that a documentary about the holocaust is too violent? Get real. Using this as a criticism is honestly sickening and it shows just how detached from reality some people are. Reality does not have a Hollywood happy ending. This is what happens, this is where your meat comes from. Shutting your eyes to the reality and ignoring it will not make it go away. How many Germans simply shut their eyes to what was happening around them?

Yes nature is cruel, yes lions kill zebra and eat them alive. Does that mean that we humans as sentient self-aware creatures are justified in doing the same? It reminds me a debate that Friedrich Hayek and John Rawls had about what constitutes a just society. Hayek said that nature is inherently "unfair" and the sooner "liberals" like Rawls deal with that fact the better off we will be. Rawls brilliantly responded that nature is neither fair nor unfair, it simply is nature, and how we deal with that fact is what makes our society fair or unfair.

I am not saying Earthlings is the best documentary ever, nor do I completely agree with all of PETA or the documentary's positions. I am also not a vegan. This film is difficult to watch, and it should be.

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.

Earthlings exposes the atrocities committed against animals, that if viewed in human terms would amount to the most evil crimes against humanity, and should (I hope someday will) be considered as such. It is an important and informative film, fueled by horrific images captured through an unflinching camera lens.

Go into this expecting to be overwhelmed by what you are going to see. I have seen images from the holocaust and the rape of Nangjing and read stories of torture from WW2 and these are frighteningly similar. Much to my surprise it is never preachy - nor does it need to be. The nightmarish images, which to my mind resemble a reasonable facsimile of Hell itself, with the innocent being tortured by their evil overlords, are more than enough. Evil is not the only word that comes to mind when you hear what the workers and trainers say to their sorry subjects as they inflict their torture. But I do not hate the evil men, I somehow pity them, both for the lives they lead and their loss of something I deeply value - empathy and compassion.

What makes Earthlings so powerfully convincing is actually quite simple if you believe that inflicting pain and suffering on an innocent living being is wrong. This kind of suffering could be the result of something as simple as not spaying/neutering your pet. Unfortunately as history shows us, we have a lot to learn about how to treat each other, let alone the animals that share our world. Earthlings gives voice to those that are powerless and cannot speak out on their own behalf.

The film makes a strong argument for some form of compromise on the meat eater/vegetarian debate, but it also delves into the issue of fur trading, animals as a form of entertainment (ie zoos), and as test subjects in the name of science. The footage in each segment is nothing short of incredible and is surely the result of years of effort, on the shoulders of many impassioned individuals, in order to be collected. To those who contributed to this effort, I salute you.

Its true that Earthlings does not offer solutions to all of the problems it seeks to expose. Nor could it hope to do so. The viewer is challenged to seek their own answers and carry the voice of the voiceless to the lawmakers. I can only hope that more people see this and make changes in how they live their lives, and the laws that govern the treatment of animals. The devastating reality is that this potentially life-changing documentary contains only a microscopic portion of what is happening every single day, in every single country, around the world.

This is a must see and should be required viewing in high school classrooms. In case you decide not to watch Earthlings, particularly if it is because you believe animals are ignorant and don't deserve to be treated humanely, I want you to know that ignorance is NOT bliss if you walk on four legs.

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/