The dictionary describes a vegetarian as “a person who does not eat meat.” When I first learned what a vegetarian was, I thought that way of living was honestly just strange. I could not imagine having meat in my everyday diet like I have for nearly my whole life. However, PETA, The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, might have just changed my mind on the subject.

I recently stumbled upon a video posted on PETA’s website that shows the reality of how we really get the meat for our nightly dinners. Inhumane is not a strong enough work to describe how these animals, such as chickens and cows, are raised so that people like you and me can enjoy them on our plates next to some potatoes and broccoli.

Let’s start off with chickens. According to PETA, they are probably the most harshly treated animals when it comes to getting them ready to serve. They are crammed into disgusting sheds by the tens of thousands. If that isn’t bad enough, they are forced to walk over and live with the corpses of other bids that have died before them in that very shed. Chickens are given antibiotics to promote unusual, rapid growth, which can sometimes cause their lungs and hearts to completely shut down. After anywhere from six-to-eight weeks of being grown, they are taken to slaughter houses where they are hung by their fragile legs. As they are hanging, still awake, they get their necks sliced in half, sometimes but not always, causing their heads to fall off.

Another source of meat we eat is called cattle. These animals are auctioned off to farmers so the same thing that happened to the chickens, can happen to them. After a little more than a year of being crammed into “feed lots,” which are where the cattle are placed to grow up and eat all in one place, they are put into shipping trucks and hauled off no matter what the weather conditions are. At slaughterhouses, their throats are slit open and some are even skinned while being completely conscious.

Those are just some of the harsh realities PETA brought to my attention. I am not saying I will become a vegetarian overnight, which is nearly impossible for me; however, I am saying that I will be sure to do more research to see if where I am getting my food from treats their animals humanely. It is sickening to think about the mistreatment of animals. It truly is not fair. I hope that one day this can be stopped, and we can think of more decent ways to make these animals into food.