PIGS & PROSPERITY ▶▶▶


Learning to listen F


or many of us in the United States, at least for me, the 60 Min- utes segment about antibiotic use on farms left a knot in my stomach. My reaction had nothing to do with the topic of the segment, nor my concerns with antimicrobial resistance on


the whole. My reaction was based on the unending challenge of try- ing to describe an extremely complicated issue in a 13-minute video clip. As a veterinarian and scientist, I will do just about anything to avoid providing my personal opinion regarding my work in animal welfare. Much to my editor’s dismay, I stick to my comfort zone of providing ob- jective science-based information in my columns and report on the statistically significant work published in peer-reviewed journals. This is not because I don’t have opinions on animal welfare (I have plenty), but, in a world with technology constantly surrounding us, the ability to selectively capture flattering or not-so-flattering snapshots of a per- son’s life is all too easy. I recall that during my second semester teach- ing I found out I was a popular hit on Snapchat among my students as they circulated a picture of me teaching with a phallic symbol drawn on the board behind me. Obviously, I was not aware the image was there and was never asked permission for my photo to be taken or to be put up on social media, yet my legendary moment remains. In 20 years from now, I can only imagine what topic people will think I was teaching.


As trivial as this experience may have been, I do believe it gets to the root of my concerns with segments such as the one I saw on 60 Min- utes. Attempting to cover a topic like antimicrobial resistance in so little time will never do justice for anyone, regardless of what side you are on. This also creates a combative relationship between parties, as we spend more time pointing fingers than we do working on the prob- lem together. I believe if we spent more time bringing people like Liz Wagstrom and Lance Price together to discuss and communi- cate the challenges of antimicrobial resistance, we would be that much closer to finding a solution. Some could say that the controversial nature of this piece will be the impetus for change. And they may be right. However, I do not feel that the approach of mainstream media allows for the ability to comprehend a situation in full, and I feel that there has to be a better way to create change through collab- oration and integration. For now, I will stick with my science- based research and data and leave the interviews to those with abilities to eloquently describe this complicated world in 280 characters or less.


Monique Pairis-Garcia Before joining North Carolina State University in 2019, Dr Monique Pairis-Garcia received her Doctor of Veterinary Medi- cine and Doctor of Philosophy degree from Iowa State University with a focus in swine welfare and health. Her research interests include pain manage- ment in live- stock animals.


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▶PIG PROGRESS | Volume 36, No. 1, 2020


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