Prodding an Industry
I just finished listening to NPR’s Driveway Moments CD, a collection of stories that apparently had many people riveted to their vehicle’s seats when they first aired. Without a doubt, the standout story had to do with Temple Grandin, a modern day pioneer and activist of sorts.
Killing With Kindness documents her successful career in the food industry. An autistic savant who once consulted Dustin Hoffman in his role as Rain Man, Temple has designed machinery and established new working standards to send chickens and cattle to their deaths more humanely. In many ways, she feels her autism lends a connection to animals that other people cannot understand.
Appearing on network television, inspiring people by the thousands at speaking engagements, writing several books, achieving her Ph.D., and securing the ear of powerful industry executives, Temple is not just a rhetorical crusader or a simple token for humanism by any stretch of the imagination. She has, in fact, changed the industry over the years with her unique intellect and unfaltering commitment to ease animal suffering. Her inspection system and equipment are being used by McDonald’s and other food facilitators all over the world, gaining substantial results with the improvement of slaughterhouse conditions.
