2008 Woodie Awards
Comedian and animal activist Dan Piraro visits Marist
Kaitlyn Zafonte
Issue date: 11/2/06 Section: Entertainment
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How do you incorporate humor into a serious situation that is far from funny? And why would you want to? Comedian Dan Piraro asked himself these very questions and provided the answers to Marist students Friday evening in the PAR. Piraro, creator of the award-winning syndicated newspaper cartoon Bizarro, presented "Cartoons, Comedy, and Compassion" in an effort to shed light on the horrific abuses to which humans subject animals. The show was sponsored by FoxP.A.W., Marist's own organization for animal welfare. In their endeavors to aid and save potential victims of factory farming, the president of FoxP.A.W., Robin Henderson, and Piraro met through the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. Piraro was asked to speak because he shares the same vision as the club.
The subject matter of the presentation was indeed a serious one. Every year in the United States alone, billions of animals are sent to slaughter houses where they are brutally killed. The majority of Americans are not aware that their seemingly innocent dinner is supporting the cruel industry that is factory farming. The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary rehabilitates the animals that are fortunate enough to escape slaughter. At the farm, "food-production animals" such as cows, pigs, turkeys, and sheep are provided shelter and a peaceful living environment. The sanctuary promotes the fair treatment of animals by allowing people to visit with the creatures that could have ended up on their plates. This is the issue on which Piraro focuses: vegetarianism/veganism and understanding that animals deserve equal respect as humans.
Piraro, however, eased the crowd into this topic with his humor. One of the cartoons he projected summed up the attitude and message of most of his show. It featured a pig sitting in a restaurant and asking the human waiter, "Can I substitute the pork chop for a fried chunk of your left buttock?" Amusing? Absolutely. Yet it has a strong underlying message. This cartoon, along with many of his others, stresses how humans have a tendency to treat others with disrespect, but if our actions are turned around it is viewed as simply appalling. One of Piraro's favorite quotes is, "'humans aren't the only species on earth-we just act like it." However, it wasn't until five years ago that he actually reached this epiphany.
The subject matter of the presentation was indeed a serious one. Every year in the United States alone, billions of animals are sent to slaughter houses where they are brutally killed. The majority of Americans are not aware that their seemingly innocent dinner is supporting the cruel industry that is factory farming. The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary rehabilitates the animals that are fortunate enough to escape slaughter. At the farm, "food-production animals" such as cows, pigs, turkeys, and sheep are provided shelter and a peaceful living environment. The sanctuary promotes the fair treatment of animals by allowing people to visit with the creatures that could have ended up on their plates. This is the issue on which Piraro focuses: vegetarianism/veganism and understanding that animals deserve equal respect as humans.
Piraro, however, eased the crowd into this topic with his humor. One of the cartoons he projected summed up the attitude and message of most of his show. It featured a pig sitting in a restaurant and asking the human waiter, "Can I substitute the pork chop for a fried chunk of your left buttock?" Amusing? Absolutely. Yet it has a strong underlying message. This cartoon, along with many of his others, stresses how humans have a tendency to treat others with disrespect, but if our actions are turned around it is viewed as simply appalling. One of Piraro's favorite quotes is, "'humans aren't the only species on earth-we just act like it." However, it wasn't until five years ago that he actually reached this epiphany.
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