Skip to content

Raising Pigs for Slaughter to Fund Class Trips

Since this story hit the wire on February 13, I have yet to read of any animal group that thought it was troubling.

Let’s deconstruct "Ore. Students Raise Pigs for School Trip:"

  • I get that due to headline space, you can rarely tell the entire story. However, the huge detail that is missing, is that the students will sell the pigs, for slaughter, and use the proceeds basically for fun. For a class trip. Not for school supplies, not for shelter, food, or water, but strictly for fun.
  • "It started off as a joke pretty much," said Ashley Conner, 17. Who are the parents of these kids? What’s so funny about raising a sentient being to slaughter it in order to pay for your vacation? Am I the only one who thinks that’s really twisted?
  • Oh, wait, some of the kids are from families of farmers. BINGO. "I think it’s fun. We’re all pretty much farm kids," said Amber Brown, 18. Again, I’m profoundly disturbed by all this talk of "fun."
  • Spending time caring for the pigs has clearly aided in the development of compassion for them. Or not. Said Cortnie Jones, "All that stuff, ‘You eat like a pig.’ Now I know why . . . Pigs are exactly what you think." I’ve never met anyone (that’s because I’ve never met George Clooney) who spent more than five minutes with a pig and didn’t come away swearing to never eat pig meat again. I’ve never heard of spending time with a creature and respecting her LESS by the end of that time.
  • Science teacher Bob Pearson is the genius supervising this lesson in compassion, ethics, and responsible fundraising. Please note that almost half of my professional life is spent fundraising for worthy causes, and I find this entire scheme loathsome and embarrassing. For heaven’s sake, the final sentence of the article is, "Students don’t yet know where they’ll be going on their senior trip." They aren’t even claiming to have a legitimate reason for raising pigs for slaughter!
  • It turns out that this fabulous idea "will be an ongoing senior project at the school."

I think Pearson and his students are cowards who obviously don’t have any ethics or morality in their curriculum. The children should, in my opinion, be required to either slaughter the pigs themselves, or follow them being transported to slaughter and be required to watch them meet their end like most pigs.

That . . . might actually teach them something meaningful that they’ll remember and incorporate into their lives.

3 Comments Post a comment
  1. Nick Schovanec #

    Hello,
    I'm one of the 12 students raising these pigs "for the Slaughter". I do not understand why you seem so upset about this. The fact is people raise pigs for a living. They're not raised to be bedside tables, water coolers, or any other such item. As sad as it might seem they are raised for good old bacon, ham, pork chops and other cuts of pork.

    Also the quotes you are using are not factual whatsoever. First off it was Amber Brown that stated "It started off as a joke pretty much"…The rest of the quote just happens to be missing. Which would read "We were talking about walking the pigs through the school on leashes." The humor being that a few kids bring their lap dogs to school from time to time.

    You must not understand why we find this whole thing fun. Simply put, raising pigs isn't all that bad. It's just like having a baby brother in the house. Nothing but trouble and always making messes. It's not that we find the idea of killing our pigs fun.

    I find it funny that you call us cowards. Seeing as how you happen to be judging and insulting a group of people you've never met. Bob Pearson happens to be a great science teacher. I'm sure none of us would have a problem going to the slaughter house or doing it ourselfs. Seeing as how all of us hunt deer and elk. Which includes skinning and gutting them on the spot.

    You just so happened to leave out the fact that we started this whole thing to help recyle unused food from our cafeteria. I'm not sure if your sources are just bad or if you just have an agenda.

    To wrap things up I just wanted to let you know how I felt about your article. Well, less of an article and more of a joke rather.

    Your Friend,
    Nick Schovanec the Porkinator

    February 26, 2007
  2. Maria Lisa Cicciarella #

    I feel for the animals being slaughtered.
    Personally, that's not a job for me!

    Maria Lisa Cicciarella
    Toronto Ontario

    April 1, 2007
  3. Maria Elisa Cicciarello #

    Its awful how animals are killed. But people love eating meat. So I don't know
    what else to say??

    From: Maria Elisa Cicciarello
    42 Oak Park Crescent
    Toronto ON N4C3L8

    March 4, 2009

Leave a comment to Maria Lisa Cicciarella Cancel reply

You may use basic HTML in your comments. Your email address will not be published.

Subscribe to this comment feed via RSS