ON VEGETARIANISM & ANIMAL RIGHTS
When, why and how did you become a vegetarian?
I made the choice to become a vegetarian when I was 18 after reading “Fast Food Nation”
on the plane ride home from Ecuador, where I represented the U.S. at Miss Teen International. That became my “gateway” to a
humane way to maintaining proper health and nutrition. When a subject interests me, I usually research it to find out all of
the information available.
After seeing videos on PETA’s website that showed cows who are too lame to walk being dragged to the slaughterhouse by a chain
wrapped around their ankle and a forklift, I knew that something had to be done and sometimes it only takes one person to influence
a sea of change.
Also, I have done some volunteer work for the animal shelter in Los Angeles, which is forced to put down over 50,000 domestic
animals per year due to overpopulation. The very least I could do was to personally decide to stop contributing to animal suffering.
In your blog during your trip to Turkey, you wrote: “As you can see, I have successfully removed any sign of meat
from my plate but my mom would be proud that I ate the fish (which is cooked whole in these parts….eyeballs and all).”
Does this mean that you don’t regard fish as meat? They have feelings, too, you know!
I try to look at everything I support in a very objective light. I have decided that
vegetarianism is the humane way to nourish my body and I do not find it at all difficult to be a vegetarian in my own country.
I have discovered that traveling can make my dietary preferences limited, depending on cultural circumstances. Fish DO have
feelings and I do not choose to eat fish. On this occasion, I was hosted by a group that would have found it very offensive
if I had chosen not to partake in the fresh catch. I decided that trying the fish was the diplomatic thing to do because of
the hospitality that they had shown me. Over the past year, I have really taken the time to explore animal rights
as my chosen profession and I will never look at fish the same way again.
How did you become interested in animal rights and welfare? What can humans learn from animals?
Through my experience at the shelter, I feel that everyone has the ability to grasp
the feelings of an animal and experience a deep form of natural understanding if they are quiet, patient, and just listen.
Animals are soothing and live natural lives so they depend on the Earth for resources.
Humans have become their greatest predator by domesticating them, depleting their habitats of natural resources, and hunting
them for entertainment.
Lastly, it is absolutely shocking that the U.S. Government allows cows and pigs
to be jammed in cages so tiny that they cannot even turn around for their entire life and many enter the slaughterhouse with puss-filled lacerations
caused by the metal grates at the bottoms of the cage. Chickens might experience the worst treatment of all since
they are fed a diet of growth hormones and antibiotics in order to make them grow four times faster than normal which
can make their heart explode in their chests and then their lifeless bodies are put on the conveyor belt for human
consumption. The beaks of chickens are seared off without any anesthetic so they will not peck each other to death
after going insane in those tiny cages, never being able to spread a wing during their entire existence. We can learn to
understand the importance of compassion if we choose to. Everything is a personal choice and everyone
is responsible for educating themselves.
What is your opinion of PETA? Do you think it is a radical group?
I love PETA. Very few organizations have the gall to stand up to government
organizations like the USDA and large corporations like Burberry, KFC, and Sara Lee (who owns Coach Leather Goods
and one of the largest slaughterhouses in the Midwest).
If you were to come back as an animal in the next life, what would it be and why?
A giraffe. I like being able to see over people at a concert!
ON POLITICS & SOCIETY
The U.S. presidential elections will take place in November. Will you vote? If so, for whom? Who do
you think will win the presidency?
I am a supporter of Dr. Ron Paul as a political activist and I completely support
his views on the unnecessary war that the current administration has gotten us into.
In the November elections, I will vote for Barack Obama. Not only is he an excellent speaker and will do wonders
for our image abroad, I also feel that he is the perfect candidate to challenge the thick vein of racism that we
still have in this country because of his multicultural background. Hopefully, his administration will come prepared
with a plan to pick up our failing economy and bring our troops home.
I project that he will be our next president.
Do you think the U.S. soldiers should stay in Iraq or come home?
This is quite a complex issue and I admittedly have never served in the
military but I grew up in San Diego, which is home to four bases and the largest military housing community in the
world. Many of my friends have had and continue to have their families torn apart by deployment and death in
the name of precious resources. Also, the conditions that are often provided for a military family are just
not up to par with what they deserve for all of the sacrifices they have made to support our country.
What is your view on illegal immigration in America? Do you approve of the construction of a 700-mile wall along
the frontier with Mexico?
I live in Los Angeles, which is a city that is constantly bursting with diversity.
It is such a pleasure to walk down the street and hear five different foreign tongues being spoken on the same city block.
America is unique for its amazing diversity.
I was born in this country and I have no idea what it would be like to risk my life stuffed under the bed of a truck for
$1000, hoping to find work for menial wages rather than stay in my own country. It would be unfair for me to form an
opinion on this issue since I know so many people that are living in the U.S. illegally, many of which have earned
the monetary resources to file the documents to be “legal” but just can’t get through all of the red tape.
What is your take on same-sex marriage?
Simply stated, love is love. On my insurance form, there is now a box to check
called “domestic partnership”. I feel that we are moving in the right direction in terms of accepting other people’s
chosen lifestyles.
What is your view on abortion?
I was adopted and I owe my birth parents a world of gratitude for giving me up to my family when they knew that they could
not provide me with a proper upbringing. I decided to reconnect with my birth parents (and their children) when I turned 21.
It is hard to fit every woman’s family planning situation into the same small box but I am an advocate of life. Women who find
themselves in this difficult situation should know that there are tons of adoption success stories and many options.
A child can never have too many people loving them.
What do you think is the greatest problem facing young people today and what can be done about it?
I feel that biased media outlets and the bombardment of advertising are responsible
for creating the greatest communication breakdown of our time. Kids no longer have to think for themselves because MTV does
that for them.
We must begin to enlighten our young people, teaching them to ask questions,
celebrating their unique abilities and help them escape from a lifestyle that supports total disregard for the truth.
INTERVIEW BY RAFAEL ROBERT DELFIN
WRITE TO AMY : amyholbrook@gmail.com
APRIL 2008
PHOTO CREDIT: Amy Lynne Holbrook
