Wednesday, September 24, 2008

When real life starts to resemble The Onion

PETA wants Ben and Jerry's to start using human breast milk instead of cow's milk in its Ice Cream.

Are you people going to jump on me if I say "Eww"?

Guess I will find out.

CC

16 comments:

Lilylou said...

I voted no. Breast milk is for babies.

goodwolve said...

I have to say that although I drink cows milk I know that is weird too. Really would I suck on the teat of a cow... I don't think so. We should probably stop all milk drinking when we are weened from our mom.

That said, I am not really into drinking human breast milk - that would defiantly cut my milk intake!

Lisa M. Orange said...

The response from B&J was remarkably restrained, IMHO.

Anonymous said...

Someone suggested to me that PETA (which I can't stand) is trying to make the point that if we find the idea of women hooked up to machines that suck the milk out of their bodies ridiculous and appalling, why doesn't it offend us when the same happens to cows?

I guess I understand the intention (if that is indeed their intention), but it is rather lost on me, given that I eat cows.

Steven Rowe said...

Goodwolve - fresh farm milk certainly isnt that far in the past - my grandparents certainly would have had it straight from the cow (and into a pail), most likely my parents as well - but that wasnt something that ever came up in conversation, so I can't swear to it.
Louis Pasteur suggested we heat milk in the 1860s, but that took awhile to become popular at the family farm.

PG said...

I wonder how the Scandinavians whom they're suggesting B&J emulate are testing the milk. The main thing I know about human breast milk is the controversy over whether HIV+ mothers should breast feed their children (in rich countries, no; in poor countries, it's safer than mixing water w/ formula).

Joel Monka said...

I'm more interested in how they would market it- would they use the old advertising standby, "Just like mama used to make."?

Anonymous said...

Ew.

LinguistFriend said...

Human milk doesn't have a high enough fat content to work to make
ice cream, unless you added something like carageenan. Maybe you could try adding whale milk, which has a remarkably high fat content.

Anonymous said...

gonna make "veal" from the babies used to get the women lactating? Ask PETA that. (ewww)
Anyone ask the cows how they feel about being milked? They come back to the milking shed voluntarily, don't they?

Anonymous said...

"They come back to the milking shed voluntarily, don't they?"

No.

They are forced to be pregnant. They have their babies forcably removed from them - for which they suffer intense trauma and spend weeks in tears (yes, real, grieving, cow tears) - and they are forced to take drugs to increase their milk load.

They then have the milk removed. Sometimes with so much force that the teats tear. More tears.

When this trauma is over they are forced to go through the entire proces again. And again. And again. Their entire lives.

And, no, most never leave the 'shed'. They spend their every day in a small confined concrete space.

Drink milk and you are contributing to this suffering.

Marcus

Chalicechick said...

I figured a response like that was coming.

CC

Anonymous said...

Well, then how come I see so many cows out in fields and on hillsides and at the end of the day they all head back to the barn on their own?
Why did the cows across the street from us when I lived on Orchard Station Road look like they had been brushed and bathed every morning? And when the bull was in with them, they all wandered freely and did their thing at nature's urging without being forced?
That's my experience of cows. but, then, I live in California....
(yes, there are feed lots here too. Yuk)(well, in southern and central California.)

Cubit said...

I wondered if vegans breastfeed. I asked a vegetarian friend that, and she looked appalled that I asked. Come to think of it, she didn't answer, just gave me this look. Perhaps I'll Google my question.

Claire said...

cubit: one of my favorite UU jokes is just that. You know you're a UU when you find yourself in a conversation about whether breastmilk is vegan. I say yes because the mother can consent to giving the milk, not the same with cows and things that vegans avoid.

Claire said...

i should clarify - i think breastfeeding is vegan, not necessarily breastmilk ice cream