"Don't think I'll give up steaks just yet," Lew said, "but it does make a man wonder how disconnected those folks down there'd have to be."
* * * * * * * * * *
"disconnected"
That's sort of the Heino's point, I think. That the American Cowboy was far more connected to the rearing and slaughter of cattle than any consumer of beef will be again. The cattle are othered and so drained of any semblance of life in this new process that sightseers can tour the killing floors and be blind to the pain and suffering within. They simply see the place where their delicious hamburgers come from. It'll take writers and documentary film makers to reinvigorate the spirit of the animals so that audiences can see it for themselves, far better than seeing it in person. Sure, not for everybody! But you definitely have to cultivate a certain level of "disconnected" to continue to eat meat. Lew imagines what's going on inside the Stockyards but doesn't see it and, so, he can remain disconnected enough to not give up steaks. But he wonders aloud how anybody can look upon, smell, and hear the things he just imagined were happening in the slaughterhouse and still find a steak mouthwatering.
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