Earthlings Response

I first watched Earthlings at the beginning of the semester. Some of the clips were already familiar to me because I had seen some through YouTube. My environmental science teacher in high school had told us about such slaughterhouses. As I watched the movie, I found some of the scenes hard to watch. Especially the fact when animals killed for fur are killed by being anally electrocuted. I agree with Joaquin Phoenix when he says "for every one person who sees Earthlings, they will tell three." (276B) After I finished I sent the links to my friends. A few couldn't eat meat for awhile. The movie is strong in message and in images. As I watched a strong sense of guilt overwhelms me because I support this violence. I eat meat on a daily basis, go to the Houston Rodeo every year, own leather products, and buy items that have been tested on animals. Earthlings is an enlightening movie. It opens up my eyes to what is going on and what I can do to help. By taking small steps in my lifestyle I can make a slight impact.

Watching it for a second time is more intense. I listen more intently to what Joaquin Phoenix is saying and put a lot more thought into it. "The comparison here to the holocaust is both intentional and obvious: one group of living beings anguishes beneath the hands of another." (282) Perhaps if a German was confronted with evidence of the violence during The Holocaust, he/she would deny it. The harsh images would seem to exaggerated to believe at first. However, they must soon realize it isn't possible to be exaggerating or making it all up. If they ever did come to terms with it and accept that what is happening is real, the idea of standing up against it would cross their mind. The country was under the influence of a horrible leader, that ruled with fear. The fact that standing up will mark them with the same fate as those in the concentration camps prevents from any action taking place.
The screenplay is not as strong as the movie. One can't picture the cruelty the same way the movie shows the clips. Images are more dramatic than one can imagine. We will try to imagine the worst, but hold back. As humans, we want to believe that the country we live in can not possibly allow that much violence. Showing the truth without mercy is intense and shocking. The documentary shows the world what truly goes on behind closed doors. It is sad some know what goes on and do nothing to stop it. A change in the way these animals are killed needs to be done. Restrictions need to be made and regulations need to be revised for these animals to find some justice.