What do you think?
Rate this book
The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs
This groundbreaking volume uncovers and critiques how animal agriculture’s new alternative marketing and labeling is lulling consumers into a false sense of industry improvement. Humanewashing and greenwashing is becoming more prevalent and pervasive than ever.
As consumers become increasingly aware of the animal agriculture industry’s cruelty and environmental devastation, clever industry marketers are adapting with alternative “humane” and “sustainable” labeling and marketing campaigns. The term “humane hoax” is defined as new language and labels in animal product marketing that convey a false narrative of humane treatment and sustainable management of farmed animal operations. “Cage-free,” “certified humane,” and other comforting labels are no longer elusive, dusty items only seen in the back corners of health food stores. They are now as numerous as cows on a feedlot, spotted in common places like discount markets and your local coffee shop. Industry humane washing and greenwashing create reassuring language and euphemistic labels that tell a story of a supposed distinction from conventional animal products. But the reality on the ground, in the manure pits, during the mechanical milking, and inside the terrifying slaughterhouses is fundamentally unchanged, despite promises of something “new” and “improved.” In the absence of accurate information, it has never been more important to educate consumers on the realities behind the industry lies, and people are hungry for the truth.
The Humane Hoax features a range of engaging and thought-provoking essays from eighteen notable experts who are at the forefront of this marketing and societal shift, chronicling every aspect with in-depth analyses and intellectual rigor. Among other timely topics, we will explore how the humane hoax intersects with feminism and environmentalism, how it is represented in the media, and the affects it has on human and non-human communities alike. The Humane Hoax will leave the reader questioning everything that they have been conditioned to believe as consumers.
As consumers become increasingly aware of the animal agriculture industry’s cruelty and environmental devastation, clever industry marketers are adapting with alternative “humane” and “sustainable” labeling and marketing campaigns. The term “humane hoax” is defined as new language and labels in animal product marketing that convey a false narrative of humane treatment and sustainable management of farmed animal operations. “Cage-free,” “certified humane,” and other comforting labels are no longer elusive, dusty items only seen in the back corners of health food stores. They are now as numerous as cows on a feedlot, spotted in common places like discount markets and your local coffee shop. Industry humane washing and greenwashing create reassuring language and euphemistic labels that tell a story of a supposed distinction from conventional animal products. But the reality on the ground, in the manure pits, during the mechanical milking, and inside the terrifying slaughterhouses is fundamentally unchanged, despite promises of something “new” and “improved.” In the absence of accurate information, it has never been more important to educate consumers on the realities behind the industry lies, and people are hungry for the truth.
The Humane Hoax features a range of engaging and thought-provoking essays from eighteen notable experts who are at the forefront of this marketing and societal shift, chronicling every aspect with in-depth analyses and intellectual rigor. Among other timely topics, we will explore how the humane hoax intersects with feminism and environmentalism, how it is represented in the media, and the affects it has on human and non-human communities alike. The Humane Hoax will leave the reader questioning everything that they have been conditioned to believe as consumers.
- GenresNonfiction
388 pages, Paperback
Published April 18, 2023
2 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Hope Bohanec
2 books4 followersHope Bohanec is:
- an animal protection and environmental activist
- the projects Manager for United Poultry Concerns
- the Executive Director of Compassionate Living
- the organizer for UPC’s Conscious Eating Conference and the Sonoma County VegFest
- an animal protection and environmental activist
- the projects Manager for United Poultry Concerns
- the Executive Director of Compassionate Living
- the organizer for UPC’s Conscious Eating Conference and the Sonoma County VegFest
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 5, 2024
The format was a little triggering having recently gotten a liberal arts degree (literally would rather kms than read another academic essay) but the content was for the most part interesting, I don’t think this would do much for someone who’s already vegan but is a good read for those who aren’t yet
August 23, 2023
This is a very important book to read. Too bad it is a rather repetitive collection of independent essays. After reading about 1/3 of the book, I found myself skipping those pages covering issues that had been addressed earlier; instead, searching for those unique nuggets in each essay. This book would have been much more effective had it been written with those essays as references; would have been much shorter also.
May 3, 2023
A very important book and a good read!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews