Foie-gras battle highlights a number of inhumanities

Activist Nick Cooney and his supporters show how shallow the veneer of modern "culture" is, in particular how lacking in sophistication and grace many of the upscale eateries and their patrons really are ("All's not ducky on foie-gras front lines," June 7).

Cooney criticizes the cruel treatment of geese, but in doing so he also holds up a mirror to our entire way of life. So much of what we think of as "normal" is barbaric at its core: breeding animals to kill them, disciplining children by hitting them, stockpiling guns in our homes, waging wars. Cooney shows us one small piece of this, the mistreatment of geese, and teaches us so much more about ourselves.

David Odell
Philadelphia