PERSPECTIVE(pərˈspektiv)

PERSPECTIVE(pərˈspektiv)

PERSPECTIVE

INT: A DINING(dīn) ROOM.

Claire and her family are sitting around the table. Claire’s plate(plāt) of chicken is sitting untouched(ˌənˈtəCHt) in front of her.

CLAIRE

I’m not trying to be difficult, Dad. Mom makes great chicken. I’m not saying…okay, look. This isn’t just a decision(diˈsiZHən) I made up to get out of eating dinner. Do you know how stupid(ˈst(y)o͞opid) that sounds? Ugh, I’m not calling you stupid. I’m just saying…

Okay. Did you know that Americans eat eight billion chickens a year? That’s so many chickens! When I read that I thought of that Joseph(-səf,ˈjōzəf) Stalin(ə) quote(kwōt)? The one that goes, “One death is a tragedy(ˈtrajidē); a million deaths is a statistic(stəˈtistik)”? And I thought, “Why am I thinking about Joseph Stalin when I’m reading about chickens?” And I realized that it’s because we are causing a genocide(ˈjenəˌsīd). But not even a genocide. We’re not trying to wipe(wīp) out chickens. We’re breeding(ˈbrēdiNG) them so they can lead miserable(ˈmiz(ə)rəbəl), hormone(ˈhôrˌmōn)-injected lives inside filthy(ˈfilTHē) cages(kāj) and never see the sun. Then we slaughter(ˈslôtər) them and eat them or even just let them go to waste(wāst). That isn’t right. There’s no way that that is a moral(ˈmär-,ˈmôrəl) thing to do.

It’s not like you can tell me that chickens don’t feel pain(pān). I know they’re not smart, but neither are babies. That’s kind of not the point, right? They don’t think much, but they can be afraid and it hurts when you chop off their stupid heads! And, like, if we were killing kittens(ˈkitn) then people would be freaking(-kiNG,ˈfrēkən) out, but we’re not, even though kittens would probably taste(tāst) just as good as this stupid chicken!

Sorry, Mom. Don’t…don’t be mad at me! No, don’t cry, your chicken doesn’t taste like kittens…I assume. Look, ughhhh, just listen to me, okay? I’m just trying to give you some perspective!

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