In the aftermath of the Pedrogão fires, many volunteers who had come from the city to help found it hard to understand the desperation of the farmers who were begging for feed for their animals.
That was when I realised that we had truly changed, because our connection to farm animals had been lost, replaced by a connection to pets.
That’s such an interesting observation, and I think you’re right. For many rural families, animals were bound up with survival, work, continuity and economic security, not primarily companionship. Losing a pig, goat or mule could threaten an entire household.
Over the last few decades, animals have increasingly been Disneyfied and anthropomorphised, especially in urban societies far removed from agricultural life.
At the same time, though, industrial factory farming has also expanded enormously, creating forms of animal suffering that would probably have horrified many traditional rural people, even those who routinely slaughtered their own animals. Their relationship with animals was often harder and less sentimental, but also more direct, visible and connected to necessity.
In the aftermath of the Pedrogão fires, many volunteers who had come from the city to help found it hard to understand the desperation of the farmers who were begging for feed for their animals.
That was when I realised that we had truly changed, because our connection to farm animals had been lost, replaced by a connection to pets.
That’s such an interesting observation, and I think you’re right. For many rural families, animals were bound up with survival, work, continuity and economic security, not primarily companionship. Losing a pig, goat or mule could threaten an entire household.
Over the last few decades, animals have increasingly been Disneyfied and anthropomorphised, especially in urban societies far removed from agricultural life.
At the same time, though, industrial factory farming has also expanded enormously, creating forms of animal suffering that would probably have horrified many traditional rural people, even those who routinely slaughtered their own animals. Their relationship with animals was often harder and less sentimental, but also more direct, visible and connected to necessity.
As always, thank you for sharing of your life, and of life here. I admire your courage and endurance, adapting to life in Portugal.
Thank you for your kind support