Originally Posted by RationalMystic
Now before I start this thread, I want to notify you all that I'm an vorocious meat eater and have always been a voracious meat eater. That being said this little insight has given me good reason to quit as soon as I get the time and willpower.
One of the most prevalent measures of whether an animal is worthy of not being eaten or not is their intelligence. Eg. Dolphins, primates and humans are worthy but chickens, sheep and cows are not.
Why is it though that people feel that an intelligent animal does not deserve suffering as much as a stupid one? After all pain is a very primeval sensation in animals. One justification is that intelligent animals suffer more emotionally. This is also false as all mammals possess the limbic system in their brains that enable them to feel emotions. Where do we draw the line of what can be eaten or not? Isn't it simply better to just turn vegetarian or vegan?
Another one is that through the killing and eating of animals, man is keeping the natural equilibrium running. This is also false as the vast majority of meat we eat comes from domesticsized animals that live in largly enclosed conditions with little interaction with the ecosystem. The few animals we hunt, we hunt in a completly unsubstainable way that disrupts the ecosystem more then"preserves" it.
Since we can get all of our nutrients from plants or supplements I have to come to the conclusion that the only reason why people are so resistant to veganism is because it represents a severe break from tradition.
Thoughts?
Totally agree. I am a vegetarian myself (although I do eat an occasional crawfish), and go in and out of veganism. However, I think this only addresses some of the reasons for vegetarianism. Meat eating is an environmentally unsustainable practice. Meat protein versus vegetable protein consumes more land, fossil fuels, and resources, and produces more greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide and methane. In essence, a meat eater consumes resources twice - the grain, water, land, etc. to feed and raise the animals that they in turn eat. The average vegetarian between 300 and 400 pounds of grain per year, the average meat-eater consumes over 2000. Nearly half of the total amount of water used annually in the U.S. goes to grow feed and provide drinking water for cattle and livestock. According to some estimates, supplying the entire world with a western, meat-centered diet would deplete the planet's oil reserves within ten years.
Rational Mystic, if you find it hard to let go of your meat eating diet, why not just try reducing it at first? Even cutting your meat-eating in half certainly has a positive global effect. At first, you can try going just one day a week without meat (Meatless Mondays?). Hit me up if you need any tofu recipes
As for why more people aren't vegetarian, I think it is more than just a break with tradition. People in general, and certainly Westerners, are selfish and short-sighted. How many people do you know that don't even recycle despite that this is a minor inconvenience of putting your trash in a different bin?
Originally Posted by littlezoe
I have a simple response whenever this topic comes up: Fine, stop eating meat, be a vegetarian, make your immune system weaker. Just because you won't buy and eat that meat anymore, someone else will buy your share and eat it. Nobody will stop butchering the animals just because some people decide not to buy that meat anymore.
Just be realistic... you do nothing good with this.
This is not realistic or rational at all. Vegetarianism does not weaken your immune system. Vegetarians are, on average, much healthier. Vegetarians often have a lower risk of heart attack, lower blood pressure, lower rates of cancer and diabetes, have less sick days and live longer. And yes, just one vegetarian does have an impact. Just one person abstaining from meat throughout their lifetime will significantly reduce the consumption of water, grain, land, and fossil fuels.
Aside from which, I don't believe the OP was trying to convert the world to vegetarianism, he was simply raising a logical argument for the reduction of suffering of animals, which is completely legitimate. Personally, although health, environmental, and animal cruelty are all factors in my vegetarianism, I mostly do it as a personal religious choice to not cause needless suffering to any sentient being. It wouldn't matter to me if I was the only vegetarian on the planet, reducing suffering effects a change in my consciousness.
|
|
Bookmarks