On November 11th, 2024, Allied Scholars for Animal Protection’s (ASAP) chapter at the University of Chicago unveiled a symbolic display on the Main Quadrangle shortly before Thanksgiving to protest the widespread consumption of turkeys during Thanksgiving celebrations. For their art installation display, ASAP UChicago members planted 460 small orange flags in the ground of a section of the quad, with each flag representing 100,000 turkeys that are killed in the United States for Thanksgiving each year, totaling 46 million turkeys. Additionally, members of ASAP UChicago handed out brochures to passing faculty and students. They put up a board with a QR code corresponding to a website containing ASAP UChicago’s official statement regarding their display, detailing the organization’s grievances with the farming of animals for food and in contrast promoting an alternative vegan ideology. An identical statement and photos of the display were also posted on the ASAP UChicago Instagram page.
In their official statement, ASAP UChicago juxtaposes the light and festive mood associated with Thanksgiving celebrations with the “height of human cruelty” of families gathering around “the carcass of a bird” while being naive to the animal’s prior “thoughts, feelings, and emotions.” The statement then condemns the living conditions of farmed turkeys, characterizing them as making “these sentient creatures face a life of imprisonment in dark, dirty, crowded sheds.” Finally, the organization asks readers to “think of all the basic comforts that have been denied to the billions of animals with whom we share this planet” and choose “not to join in on the normalized cruelty of animal consumption on Thanksgiving” by adopting a vegan lifestyle.
In a subsequent Instagram post by ASAP UChicago on November 13th, the organization acknowledged that they had not received a universally positive reaction to their display. Their post’s description detailed an encounter between members of the organization handing out brochures and a person who “looked and said ‘there are more important issues’ before giving it back.”
In response to this concern, ASAP UChicago offered a rebuttal in their Instagram post, arguing that “suffering is not a contest” and addressing the suffering of animals is just as important as the suffering of human beings given “these individuals’ lives matter just as much to them as ours do to you and me.” Moreover, abiding by this equivalence, ASAP UChicago ultimately argues that the tangibility of addressing the issue of people eating Thanksgiving turkeys makes it worthy of addressing, as they posit, “While there are many important issues in the world that people feel hopeless to fix, we can make a tangible difference here. All of us make choices with what we put in our bodies every day.”
Similarly, ASAP UChicago has also previously unveiled other provocative displays on campus. In another Instagram post by ASAP UChicago, the organization satirically promoted “Freshly Squeezed Human Breast Milk” to passing students and faculty near the Regenstein Library and Cobb Gate. This stunning display was created to call attention to “the exploitation, cruelty and slaughter inflicted onto innocent animals for their milk, flesh, eggs and all other ways humans oppress the most vulnerable” and “get people’s attention and wake them up!” Identical stands were again set up on campus on a different occasion, this time satirically promoting dog meat for sale, attempting to convince viewers to extend their opposition to the consumption of dogs to other farmed animals.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether the use of intentionally provocative displays by organizations like ASAP UChicago will convince people that they have a moral obligation to adopt veganism and thus make them abandon eating turkeys, especially on Thanksgiving, in favor of vegan alternatives. According to a 2023 Gallup poll, only around 1% of American adults identify as vegan, giving plenty of room for vegan organizations like ASAP UChicago to continue working on convincing the other 99% of non-vegan Americans to adopt their mission.
When asked for comment on the purpose of their display, ASAP UChicago said, “Our mission is to raise awareness about the mindboggling scale of animal suffering we humans create by breeding these animals into existence for food in the first place. Hopefully the display provoked compassionate students to think about the ways we choose to celebrate and show gratitude.” The organization also argued: “History shows the atrocities that occur when we use others just because we can. With animal agriculture being a leading cause of climate change, pandemics, and unsafe labor conditions, animal suffering and human suffering are closely intertwined.”
Regarding the provocative nature of past displays the organization has utilized, they noted that “ASAP UChicago uses more traditional styles of advocacy as well. We have hosted two movie screenings, held academic talks with professors, and are working with environmental groups to cut the carbon emissions of dining halls.” However, ASAP UChicago challenges the premise that their previous displays of satirically promoting human breastmilk and dog meat are actually provocative: “Highlighting the cognitive dissonance that causes these displays to seem ‘provocative’ provokes conversations that lead many people to go vegan. These exact displays have not only led non-vegan students to forego animal products in favor for meatless alternatives – they have inspired students to become activists who speak out for animals.”
Yeah, I think this makes sense — Matthew Scully, who wrote speeches for the Bush 43 and McCain campaigns, has some solid takes on the way we’re treating animals. His book Dominion was a great read, and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a reasonable, Biblical view on these issues.
As a biomedical and food system scientist and UChicago fan, I appreciate you covering this. Thank you!
Society has often rejected once-normal practices as it morally advanced. Major social movements didn’t require 99% agreement for change, and we don’t need that for veganism either. Most people already oppose animal cruelty and factory farming, which produces nearly all animal products.
Veganism isn’t a diet but an ethical principle rejecting animal exploitation. Many apply this to pets like dogs but overlook pigs, cows, and chickens, who suffer immensely in farming systems.
Students are open-minded and eager to learn. It’s vital to educate the next generation about how plant-based diet is vital for sustainability, climate action, and public health, or why animal farming perpetuates global malnutrition and food injustice. Students can then act and apply these principles in their impactful careers.
http://www.alliedscholars.org/resources
Great job, Dr.! Way to represent and to share important information. People need to learn about the ethical implications of their choices.
Great job, Dr.! Way to represent and to share important information. People need to learn about the ethical implications of their choices.