So here's an interesting story that's in the news today.

今天有一則很有趣的新聞

In north Portland Oregon,

在俄勒岡州的波特蘭

a chicken has caused a traffic jam because it was trying to cross the road.

有一隻雞想穿越馬路，結果造成大塞車

And not only where cars stopped for the sake of the chicken

駕駛不僅停車等雞通過

but local authorities were called.

還向當地警方通報

And there's actually phone clip let's hear it

而且居然有通話記錄，讓我們來聽聽看

Dispatcher: Non-emergency.

總機人員：非緊急狀況專線您好

Caller: Hi, um,

車主：嗨，呃……

this is actually not a prank.

這不是惡作劇電話

There is a chicken trying to cross the road

有一隻雞要過馬路

off of highway 30 across from the lighthouse.

在燈塔對面的 30 號高速公路上

Dispatcher: (laughing)

總機人員：(笑)

Cute story, right?

很可愛的故事吧？

But I'm not sharing this story because it's cute.

但我分享這則新聞不是因為它很溫馨

I'm sharing it because it's particularly interesting when you study the behavior of our society

而是利用此事件來探討社會大眾的行為，結果很有意思

because when people are driving down the road

因為當人們在路上開車

and a duck or chicken or a family of geese are trying to cross the road

遇到小雞小鴨或大鵝小鵝想穿越馬路時

that's usually what happens people stop

通常用路人會停下來

and they wait and they watch and admire them

觀望等待，嘖嘖稱奇

Oh, that's too cute.

噢！太可愛了！

Their cuteness, their spunkiness,

讚賞動物可愛、生氣蓬勃的模樣

how they walk, their little faces and beaks.

走路的姿態、小小的五官

But then drive three blocks down

但車開過三個街口

to the nearest fast food joint and order some chicken nuggets or a junior chicken burger.

卻到最近的速食店點了雞塊或麥香雞

We desire to see the chicken safely make it to the other side of the road,

我們希望看到雞安全通過馬路

yet not only participate in the confinement and slaughter of millions of chickens every year

但我們不僅是造成每年數百萬隻雞遭到囚禁與屠宰的共犯

but say and do absolutely nothing when they are violated

當牠們受虐

and pieces of their body are dismembered, fried,

屍塊被油炸

and then put on menus with adjectives like juicy succulent and crispy.

被形容為「多汁、柔嫩又酥脆」地列在菜單上時，我們也不為所動

So what I want to know is

所以我好奇的是

if we wouldn't just keep driving and run over the chicken when we don't have to,

我們大可直接開車輾過雞，卻不願這麼做

how come we're okay with this?

但卻能接受以下的暴行，這是為什麼？

How can we pay and give our money and support to this when we also don't have to?

為什麼我們要以消費來助長以下這些不必要的暴力？

Chickens and turkeys raised for meat have been bred to grow so large so quickly

肉用的雞隻和火雞，經育種後快速生長

that many suffer crippling leg disorders, chronic joint pain and even fatal heart attacks.

許多雞不堪負荷引發下肢癱瘓、慢性關節痛，甚至死於心肌梗塞

Sick or injured birds often have their necks broken.

患病或帶傷的雞，脖子不是遭扭斷

Others are clubbed to death.

就是被棍棒毆打致死

Those who live to reach market weight

倖存的雞體重一達市場規格

are thrown into transport crates and

就被扔進籠內

loaded onto trucks bound for slaughter plants.

裝載於卡車上，運送至屠宰場

Handling is often violent

宰殺作業通常很殘暴

and frequently causes bruises, broken bones and other injuries.

把雞弄得挫傷、骨折等也是司空見慣

At the slaughter plant, the birds are dumped from their crates

屠宰工人把籠中的雞粗暴甩出

then roughly snapped upside down into moving shackles by their fragile legs.

再粗魯地抓起雞脆弱的雙腿，倒掛在輸送帶上

From there, the birds are dragged through an electrified vat of water

輸送帶先把雞送至通電水槽

which renders them paralyzed but not necessarily unconscious.

使其麻醉，但牠們意識未必完全喪失

They are then pulled across the blade

接著再把雞送至切割機

which slices their throats, causing blood to pour from their necks.

牠們喉嚨被劃開，鮮血從脖子大量噴出

Some of the birds who missed the blade

有些雞逃過死劫

have their throats slit or their heads ripped off by a backup killer.

會被後備人員手動割喉或扭斷脖子

Other birds are drowned and scalded in the tanks of hot water designed to loosen the birds feathers.

其餘的雞則溺斃於滾燙的沸水中，以達脫毛效果

It just blows my mind

我實在很費解

that the only difference between some beings, such as a chicken

我們對待某些動物，像是雞

being safe and guided and looked after and waited for and protected

是一邊確保牠們安全，並引導牠們、照顧牠們、給予包容與愛護

or being confined, abused, neglected, violated and slaughtered

卻一邊囚禁牠們、凌虐牠們、忽視牠們受到殘酷地宰殺

is whether or not they're on a road or in a building that we don't have access to.

差別只是一個在路上，一個在我們無法進入的飼養場或屠宰場裡

Why, people, why?

為什麼？各位，究竟是為什麼？

Here's why.

我這就來告訴你原因

Habit.

因為習慣

Addiction.

因為上癮

Peer pressure.

因為同儕壓力

Convenience

因為方便

and taste.

因為美味

And none of those are a necessity.

但這些理由全都非出於必要性

Was it that this is just a really lucky chicken?

所以是這些雞單純比較幸運嗎？

Or that we're not actually putting our moral instinct into action?

還是我們做出來的行為，沒有符合道德本能？

And that we've got a little catching up to do

我們必須意識到

with what we pay for and how we let other people treat beings

消費這些食品的結果，是任他人虐待動物

that we have the instinct to protect.

但我們的天性其實是想保護牠們的

Because honestly,

畢竟，老實說吧！

if during that traffic jam

如果我當時在塞車當下

I went into the middle of the road and picked up the chicken by its leg

到馬路中間，抓起這隻雞的雙腿

and slit it's throat

割開牠的喉嚨

I think there'd be a lot of traumatized children

我相信有很多孩子會被嚇壞

and a lot o traumatized and angry adults

也會有很多驚恐又憤怒的大人

that would get out of their cars and say "What are you doing?"

下車說「你瘋了嗎？」

and I would say:

而我會說

I'm just doing what's done every day all around the world

「我做的事，世界上不僅每天都在發生，

I'm just doing what you pay for

也是你託別人做的事呀！

I'm just doing what you have accepted your entire life to this innocent being that doesn't wanna die.

你一直都默許這樣的行為，發生在不想死的無辜動物身上，不是嗎？」

Just some food for thought. Tell me what you think.

就只是些食物的反思，告訴我你的看法吧