I recently was shown this image and quote from Chrissie Hynde, and it left me disappointed and shaking my head. I used to live in Los Angeles back in my college days and actually met Chrissie once. I always liked her music as she sang “I’ll stand by you” for The Pretenders. Unfortunately, this “stand by you” statement doesn’t ring true for agriculture.
But did she really say that? Just like any tabloid, rumors can fly but it doesn’t mean they’re true. A picture on the Internet should always be fact-checked before sharing. Citation needed, Chrissie.
If it is true, it’s very clear Ms. Hynde has probably never been to a farm a day in her life if she thinks their lives are a living nightmare. Tour any farm or ask any farmer, regardless of label or size, their health and wellness comes before our own. Happy, healthy animals with low levels of stress always make the best product. Animal proteins are excellent for human health, providing essential vitamins, nutrients, and minerals, and as I’ve outlined before, it is a complete myth that raising livestock is bad for the environment. Just the opposite, actually.
In terms of the “hundreds of millions of dollars” aspect, the anti-meat lobbyists spend hundreds of millions of dollars to push their agenda. So who is really lying here? Follow the money.
Organizations like HSUS receive millions of dollars in donations with the idea that they will be helping animals. Instead, they only donate 1 percent to pet shelters and spend hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying against animal agriculture. They are currently under investigation for charity fraud, and have also quietly stuck $100 million in Caribbean investments and hedge funds. They are no friend to farmers or animal lovers. The activist web shown here is quite the eye opener.
To be fair, I completely respect people who choose to not eat meat. Caring about animals and wanting what’s best for them is always a noble cause. But I can’t stand it when people try to shove their views down our throats, and I don’t like liars. A lot of lies also exist when it comes to plant breeding (GMOs) and farming in general so I’ll touch on that too. So here they are in no particular order:
Celebrity #7: Leonardo DiCaprio
While Leo has been known to do some good things in terms of charity work, after being a producer for “Cowspiracy” he has lost all credibility in the agriculture world. “Cowspiracy” is an over-the-top propaganda movie on Netflix that pushes an agenda and does an extremely poor job of fact-checking. The primary source of “data” was over 10 years old from a “study” that was retracted. Caring about climate change is noble, but perhaps Leo should heed his own advice and lower his own carbon footprint? Perhaps it is easier to make up conspiracy theories about cattle than it is to sell your $6 million homes, private jet, and fuel guzzling yacht.
#6: Alicia Silverstone
The wool industry is cruel? “AS IF!” The “Clueless” actress could very well be living up to that reputation by posing nude for PETA, claiming shearing sheep is cruel. Wonder how much the multi-million dollar PETA entity paid her to do this? I raise sheep and believe me, it is cruel to not shear sheep. Shearing them is proper husbandry, as previously outlined here.
#5: Carrie Underwood
I know, this one is a huge bummer. She is so talented but unfortunately Carrie has donated a percentage of her proceeds to helping HSUS. She thinks she is helping spay and neuter programs for dogs and cats, but as I’ve outlined in the hyperlinks above, this money is most likely going to lobby against farmers, ranchers, rodeo programs, or something else completely unrelated to helping pets. Someone please tell her to stop supporting this awful organization.
#4: Mark Ruffalo
Mark seems to be a little off his rocker about a lot of environmental issues and is very misinformed on a lot of topics, particularly with livestock emissions and GMOs. He thinks GMO salmon is bad but never really says why. He is convinced anything GMO is awful and regularly claims GMOs are poisoning the world. If only he knew all the good that they do …
#3: Suzanne Somers
She’s another celebrity who claims GMOs are poison, while GMOs actually reduce the need to use chemicals on our fields. While rambling on about how conventional crops are “loaded” with pesticides (1 to 22 ounces per acre is hardly “loaded,” the dose makes the poison) she fails to mention that organic uses them as well, all while she is busy taking artificial hormones for herself and injecting Botox into her face, which is made from the worlds most toxic substance, Botulin. She fails on all agricultural fronts, from livestock hormones to antibiotics to GMOs, and proves that science is hard, even with a thighmasters degree.
#2: Arnold Schwarzenegger
For this one, it’s not so much his message of “eat less meat” as much as it is how he says it. Mr Protein himself is seen trudging through flames, hurricanes, and deserts while wearing a blindfold, creating an over-the-top message that evokes nothing shy of fearmongering with a message that isn’t quite truthful.
#1: Neil Young
During his “The Monsanto years” concert tour, he shouts out through all the crowds of people who are busy smoking cigarettes and drinking booze to give up the toxic GMOs! Say what now? While making a ton of money selling “Go organic” T-shirts, why does he fail to mention that organic crops also use pesticides, sometimes more often and in a higher dose? Was he influenced by lobbyists? By his logic, all food is poison. By reality standards, food is nourishment, and anything that comes from a farm direct is safe and good for you regardless of the label. The ironic part? Neil Young is a diabetic and is literally kept alive because of GMO insulin.
A few other fear-mongering dishonorable mentions who need no introduction: Dr. Oz, Susan Sarandon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba, Gisele, and Tom Brady.
Did anyone on this list surprise you? Stay tuned for part two of this article on my column which showcases the celebrities who are doing good things for agriculture!
