This is quite a testy sentence that I have seen being used by a number of vegan activists, both from individuals and organisations. Whilst there is a part of me that understands why they use this language, I personally do not agree with it.
I have always loved languages, especially the written language. I loved learning about sentence structure and semantics in school and to learn how language can change over time. Words can change and develop as society changes and develops, to the point where words can have multiple meanings based on context alone. For example, if something is described as ‘sick’ it can be either something really cool or something really gross. It can also be a verb (I am being sick) or as an adjective (I feel sick). Whilst a bit of a basic example, it still shows how language can change and adapt within a society.
What is a holocaust?
Strictly speaking, a holocaust is an event of destruction or slaughter on a mass scale. It is usually used when describing fires or nuclear weapons, such as a nuclear holocaust. So, from a very literal standpoint, holocaust could be used to describe animal agriculture and the meat industry as a whole. Millions of animals are killed every year for slaughter, and vast areas of land are destroyed to make space for more slaughter animals and to grow the food needed to raise them. The destruction caused by animal agriculture is definitely on a mass scale, and so the term holocaust very much applies.
But is that the only definition?
While there is the standard definition of the word holocaust actually means, we all know what we think about when we hear the word holocaust. While there may be a certain degree of generalisation in this article, i think it is safe to say that people hear the word holocaust they think about The Holocaust. The Holocaust was a horrific, barbaric and disgusting part of history. Whilst genocides happen across the globe, The Holocaust is the one that always stands out the most. It is easily the most infamous event in history and it acts as a constant reminder about what hatred and ignorance can do to a society.
The reality of the word
When people think of the word ‘holocaust’ we think of horrible things. The word itself brings up images of concentration camps, emaciated bodies, striped pyjamas, and horrific suffering. The word holocaust reminds us of a truly dark time in history that demands an immediate reaction. The majority of people will feel very passionately about how horrible the Holocaust was and that there is no way to justify such an event. Memorials are set up so that we don’t forget the event and so we can learn to always do better. To remind us of where hatred gets us and to ensure that we do not reach that point again.
Why I don’t agree with the use of the phrase ‘animal holocaust’
I feel it’s a poor marketing gimmick. I feel that the word holocaust is used to elicit a very specific response from people. Yes, I agree that the word holocaust could be used to describe what is happening to millions of animals across the world, but the reality of the word is that it is sued to create an emotional connection where it is not exactly appropriate. The Holocaust occurred due to hatred and with a desire to cause as much pain and suffering as possible to certain members of society. Animal agriculture and raising animals for slaughter is based on greed. People raise animals for slaughter so they can make money out of it. The biggest cause of animal suffering is, quite simply, ignorance.
We are fed marketing lines and images of ‘happy hens’, ‘the laughing cow’, ‘free range cattle’ but are never told how that meat or dairy actually gets onto the market shelves. Society is not shown the suffering that animal agriculture causes because it is far easier to sell meat when people do not understand or know where that meat came from or how it was farmed. The cognitive dissonance of the meat industry is one of the big reasons why it has survived for as long as it has done. Veganism exists because people found out the truth about animal agriculture and decided to act against it.
People don’t eat meat or dairy or eggs because they hate animals. They eat it because they usually don’t fully understand where it comes from. Obviously, there will always be people who continue to eat meat despite knowing where it comes from, but the majority of people I have spoken to genuinely believe that grass fed cows are happier cows than factory farmed. That is until I tell them they both die the same way. Until they see the footage of baby chick’s being ground up by machines because they are ‘unprofitable’. Until they see the mother cows crying for their babies and the veal calves in tiny huts in the snow at only a few days old.
So why use the word holocaust at all?
Because it gets people talking. When it comes to marketing and PR, no publicity is bad publicity. If an organisation calls for an end to ‘the animal holocaust’, it doesn’t matter if the majority of comments are calling that title irresponsible or inappropriate. Every comment creates more traffic, every angry share means it reaches more people, and every dislike simply fuels the article forward in the algorithm. It creates a buzz around a topic that would otherwise fly under the radar for most people, because the word used elicits such an emotional response from so many people. Is that a moral thing to do? Who knows… but isn’t it a fascinating thing to think about?
Taylor Talks Vegan 