All I can say, is wow.
- Thread starter Shadows
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I don't think any meat-eaters here are adverse to the points of buying local, raising awareness, making sure (on all levels) that the meat you eat is (relatively) humanely "farmed". It's just that a lot of us are being reactionary bastards to Casey's rebellion, hehe.
Casey, serious question. I get where you're coming from, especially from the moral perspective. But are you against the way "we" consume meat (perfectly understandable) or are you against the act of eating an animal altogether (which I would think is a ludicrous statement)?
Through all the specifics I sometimes lose track of a person's back-to-basics views. So help me remember.
Casey, serious question. I get where you're coming from, especially from the moral perspective. But are you against the way "we" consume meat (perfectly understandable) or are you against the act of eating an animal altogether (which I would think is a ludicrous statement)?
Through all the specifics I sometimes lose track of a person's back-to-basics views. So help me remember.
My stance is that animals are the equivalent of children, and as civilized beings of a higher intelligence, we should be protecting them and not killing them for our own wants (No matter what anyone says, eating meat is a want, and not a need).
Obviously, I'm not adverse to the way meat is consumed in say, the third world or with tribespeople. Because many of those people don't have a choice. They survive on what they can.
All of us in the Western world have a choice. It is no more difficult to abstain from eating meat than it is to eat it. So it comes to a moral perspective (as well as a health one, but that's a different issue).
You may find it to be a ludicrous statement - but yes - I am against the entire concept of taking a life for selfish reasons. Eating meat is selfish. Who says we have the right to take the lives of these animals?
If, for example, bears suddenly gained higher intelligence, formed societies and raised humans for the sole purpose of killing and eating them, would you not have a problem with that? Even then - we'd have the advantage of being aware of what was going on. The animals killed by humans for food do not have that luxury. So mankind exploits that for it's own benefit - like a virus, like a parasite.
Gandhi said that the life of a lamb is of no less value than the life of a human being, and I happen to agree with that stance.
Also - I find that people are locked in to the values they were raised with and find themselves unable to question them. Most don't even consider to question them. That's why the world is full of meat-eaters as well as religious people. They are brainwashed by what they've always been told.
The reason I say this, is because, I imagine you would find it unacceptable (as most in the Western world would) - to eat a dog, or to eat a cat. In India, it's unacceptable to eat beef because cows are sacred. There are many examples. The point here, is that different cultures find different levels of value in different creatures. However, we are moving towards a unified, globalized culture. The world is a smaller place than it used to be. Go to any city in India and you'll see a Starbucks on every corner the same way you will in the USA. I'm a product of modern times, being mixed race and having that understanding of multiple cultures my entire life. Maybe because of that, I see the value in all lifeforms. That's why eating any animal is unacceptable to me. The reasons each culture has for not eating certain animals are all equally valid - I happen to apply them to all animals.
Obviously, I'm not adverse to the way meat is consumed in say, the third world or with tribespeople. Because many of those people don't have a choice. They survive on what they can.
All of us in the Western world have a choice. It is no more difficult to abstain from eating meat than it is to eat it. So it comes to a moral perspective (as well as a health one, but that's a different issue).
You may find it to be a ludicrous statement - but yes - I am against the entire concept of taking a life for selfish reasons. Eating meat is selfish. Who says we have the right to take the lives of these animals?
If, for example, bears suddenly gained higher intelligence, formed societies and raised humans for the sole purpose of killing and eating them, would you not have a problem with that? Even then - we'd have the advantage of being aware of what was going on. The animals killed by humans for food do not have that luxury. So mankind exploits that for it's own benefit - like a virus, like a parasite.
Gandhi said that the life of a lamb is of no less value than the life of a human being, and I happen to agree with that stance.
Also - I find that people are locked in to the values they were raised with and find themselves unable to question them. Most don't even consider to question them. That's why the world is full of meat-eaters as well as religious people. They are brainwashed by what they've always been told.
The reason I say this, is because, I imagine you would find it unacceptable (as most in the Western world would) - to eat a dog, or to eat a cat. In India, it's unacceptable to eat beef because cows are sacred. There are many examples. The point here, is that different cultures find different levels of value in different creatures. However, we are moving towards a unified, globalized culture. The world is a smaller place than it used to be. Go to any city in India and you'll see a Starbucks on every corner the same way you will in the USA. I'm a product of modern times, being mixed race and having that understanding of multiple cultures my entire life. Maybe because of that, I see the value in all lifeforms. That's why eating any animal is unacceptable to me. The reasons each culture has for not eating certain animals are all equally valid - I happen to apply them to all animals.
By brainwashed I mean that people generally do not question the diet (or the religion) that their parents follow and give to them growing up. They don't take time to think things through for themselves. Vegetarians are not exempt from that either. It is a shame that people do not take the time out to really think and question these things, and study them also.
The more I studied (when I ate meat), the more I was motivated to become vegetarian. Likewise with my transition from vegetarianism to veganism. It's a question of education. I occasionally browse a vegan forum, and the level of intelligence there is amazing. For me, two of the best possible qualities to have in life are intelligence and compassion, and I try to practice both as much as possible. Obviously, being a vegan is a good discipline for both of those qualities.
The more I studied (when I ate meat), the more I was motivated to become vegetarian. Likewise with my transition from vegetarianism to veganism. It's a question of education. I occasionally browse a vegan forum, and the level of intelligence there is amazing. For me, two of the best possible qualities to have in life are intelligence and compassion, and I try to practice both as much as possible. Obviously, being a vegan is a good discipline for both of those qualities.
Yes. I might be a meat eater but I'm not a hypocritical meat eater. I'll eat it, no matter how fluffy it was when it used to be alive.
What about animal populations in the wild that, because of human meddling, have become way too large and need to be culled? Can we eat those animals? Just throwing them on a heap and burning the carcasses also seems such a waste.
What about animal populations in the wild that, because of human meddling, have become way too large and need to be culled? Can we eat those animals? Just throwing them on a heap and burning the carcasses also seems such a waste.
Oooh i'd like to answer this question.
I'm not against the idea of eating meat all together. I'm against the inhumane treatment of animals in these factory farms. The way meat is mass produced, the animals who suffer for it although meat isn't really a necessity to live. That's what i'm against.
As for tribes, or people on farms, or whatever.. the people who live with their animals, care for them and then when they feel the time is right.. humanely kill the animal and eat it.. i'm not against that. Could I or would I do it? Nope. But i'm not against another person doing it either.
I don't eat meat because it helps me sleep at night. I would like for other people to eat less meat because we could get rid of some of these awful factory farms. But I would never say that I expect the entire world to give up eating meat all together. I would just like (and this is wishful thinking) for it to be handled in a different way. Stop treating the animals like cotton for clothing and more like living things. In the long run.. it's not only better for the animals but it's better for the humans who are consuming the diseased meat as well.
I'm vegan and my boyfriend eats meat. BUT, because I don't pressure or hound him.. he will also eat vegan meals that I prepare several times a week without a problem. He LOVES cheese and he has switched to Daiya (non-dairy cheese) with no problem. He does seem to required chicken wings at least once or twice every two weeks and so what? Less meat is better than meat at all 3 meals every day. I don't think people refuse to eat vegetarian or vegan because they are against the idea of plant based food.. rather they are against the idea of being insulted for eating what they like and for feeling as if someone is trying to force them to eat a certain way.
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