National Cow Appreciation Day is messed up
BLOG: Yesterday we brought you news of Red Tractor has re-certifing a farm that featured in a Panorama documentary about abuse against cows in the dairy industry here in the UK, today we celebrate the day of supreme cognitive dissonance that is ‘Cow Appreciation Day’ in the US. Claire Hamlett reports.
In 2005, American fast food chain Chick-fil-A launched its annual ‘Cow Appreciation Day’, which falls on the second Tuesday of July, during which it gives away free chicken sandwiches. It’s part of Chick-fil-A’s marketing campaign that uses pictures of cows holding signs that say “Eat More Chikin”. Disturbingly, the idea is that the cows want people to eat chicken instead of beef. I suppose pictures of ruthless corporate executives in suits holding the signs wouldn’t make people feel especially hungry.
The day is featured on the website nationaltoday.com, which has published a deeply messed up article about why we should appreciate cows. It talks about cows’ “wondrous gifts to us”, as though they are willing participants in their own exploitation. It tells us how great beef and dairy products are and to support small family farms, which apparently “ensure cows get the care and respect they deserve.” It gives ideas on how to “celebrate” Cow Appreciation Day: hug a cow, thank a dairy farmer, or dress up as a cow and visit a Chick-fil-A. It provides facts about cows, like how good their memories are and how they are social creatures who form deep bonds with each other. It notes the “especially” tight bond “between a mother and her calves, which both will show extreme distress if separated.” (Emphasis added). It does not mention that the dairy industry only exists because cows are separated from their calves, typically within the first 24 hours of their lives, or that male calves are surplus and usually shot.
This article has been shared around 3,000 times, and a look on social media reveals many posts promoting Cow Appreciation Day and Chick-fil-A. Only vegans and a tiny portion of the media (see Sentient Media’s Twitter thread on Cow Appreciation Day here) seem capable of spotting what’s wrong with the whole concept, the next-level cognitive dissonance encapsulated by the nationaltoday.com article. How can you really appreciate cows while also eating beef or drinking milk? How can anyone suggest hugging a cow whose slaughter you condone by giving the industry your money?
Another creepy cow-related tradition that will occur this month is the “butter cow” sculpture at the Ohio State Fair. Every year starting from the early 20th century, a life-size cow and calf are sculpted out of nearly one tonne of butter. Of course, in order to make the butter, calves had to be taken from their mothers, but this once again goes unacknowledged. These corporate efforts to trivialise, normalise, and gloss over the most unsavoury aspects of animal exploitation and slaughter clearly work - and must be counteracted at every turn.
Claire Hamlett is a freelance journalist, writer and regular contributor at Surge. Based in Oxford, UK, Claire tells stories that challenge systemic exploitation of and disregard for animals and the environment and that point to a better way of doing things.
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