I'm not sure, but a few things PETA has come out in protest of, and the way they protest can really disturb me.
I remember one PETA activist saying that when they die they want to be barbequed and fed to others. It was some form of final protest. That's a bit out there for me.
What I see in your argument above isn't so much a call against the consupmtion of meat, but against the wrongheaded way that big business is treating the animals.
I would agree that the system can abuse animals, though I don't believe that it is inherent in the idea of consumption that onemust be inhumane in the raising and treatement of the animals.
By not eating meat, you don't put money into the pockets of those corporations who choose to treat their livestock in this fashion, that's true. Although we all know that it is a rare thing these days for any such corporation to make their money on a single product. On the other hand, if we instead shift the consumer base towards the products of the companies that do treat their livestock in responsible and humane manners, then we're using the capitalist system against them.
Just as there's no one right answer, I don't think there will be one right solution.
I don't believe that it is inherent in the idea of consumption that onemust be inhumane in the raising and treatement of the animals, either. If I made that unclear, I apologize
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Well, you're definitely in a position to know the source of your food much better than most of us.
I think in the end the real issue isn't that one individual's true impact on the lives of animals is small. (Let's be honest, McDonalds has a weeklong promotion of 99 cent BigMacs and that impact dwarfs what any one individual can hope to accomplish.) What really scares me more, is how it all combines.
Eating animals requires a lot more plant matter. To create plants, we expend a lot of fuel. Most notably in the huge amount of fertilizers. The fertilizer off-gasses and leads to global warming. The animals "off-gas" which produces methane that leads to global warming.
Now consider this: India and China are slowly shifting from primarily vegetarian diets, closer to the typical American diet. That impact on the planet will undoubtably be far more lasting than SUVs ever would.
It's all drops into the bucket. Or not. In the end, we'll all have to make changes. If not all of us the same choices.
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I remember one PETA activist saying that when they die they want to be barbequed and fed to others. It was some form of final protest. That's a bit out there for me.
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I would agree that the system can abuse animals, though I don't believe that it is inherent in the idea of consumption that onemust be inhumane in the raising and treatement of the animals.
By not eating meat, you don't put money into the pockets of those corporations who choose to treat their livestock in this fashion, that's true. Although we all know that it is a rare thing these days for any such corporation to make their money on a single product. On the other hand, if we instead shift the consumer base towards the products of the companies that do treat their livestock in responsible and humane manners, then we're using the capitalist system against them.
Just as there's no one right answer, I don't think there will be one right solution.
Reply
Reply
I think in the end the real issue isn't that one individual's true impact on the lives of animals is small. (Let's be honest, McDonalds has a weeklong promotion of 99 cent BigMacs and that impact dwarfs what any one individual can hope to accomplish.) What really scares me more, is how it all combines.
Eating animals requires a lot more plant matter. To create plants, we expend a lot of fuel. Most notably in the huge amount of fertilizers. The fertilizer off-gasses and leads to global warming. The animals "off-gas" which produces methane that leads to global warming.
Now consider this: India and China are slowly shifting from primarily vegetarian diets, closer to the typical American diet. That impact on the planet will undoubtably be far more lasting than SUVs ever would.
It's all drops into the bucket. Or not. In the end, we'll all have to make changes. If not all of us the same choices.
Reply
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