In this episode of Rising Anxieties, Mariann Sullivan unpacks the bewildering world of selective animal concern, from the bizarre Canadian ostrich saga that attracted celebrity saviors to the dairy industry’s reluctant admission that cows might actually have “preferred associates” (heaven forbid we call them friends). The episode dives into slaughterhouse-linked antibiotic resistance causing UTIs, the twisted marketing of chicken nuggets shaped like turkeys, and the industry’s desperate linguistic gymnastics to avoid acknowledging animal sentience. All while the meat industry turns on itself in a delightful display of infighting.

This episode explores:

• The peculiar case of Canadian ostriches facing execution that sparked Supreme Court appeals and celebrity interventions, highlighting society’s inconsistent animal ethics
• How slaughterhouses harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria directly linked to human UTIs, with research confirming the connection in both Turkey and Southern California
• The cognitive dissonance of the “Farm Babe” struggling to admit cows have genuine friendships while simultaneously describing exactly that
• How meat processors shape chicken corpses into turkey silhouettes for a “kid-friendly Thanksgiving” in a bizarre marketing strategy
• Recent industry infighting as former President Trump calls for investigation into meat-packing plants for alleged price fixing

 

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