Well, any animal cruelty advocate is guilty of making the fallacious 'appeal to emotion' which essentially renders any claim along those lines asunder. The animals that you eat have been specifically breed to be eaten, by us. So, in some sense, you're 'fulfilling their purpose' by consuming them. And I am of the opinion that things should serve their specific purposes. Pencils are for writing and chewing, books are for reading and burning, cows and chickens are for eating and making you feel well.
When I 'was a veggie' so to speak, although I never really called myself that formally, I did it because I didn't really like meat. I am also of the opinion that people should do what they want, generally. That was my terribly complex reason
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I don't eat anything that casts a shadow, but...so_many_penpalsMay 8 2008, 09:54:40 UTC
I pretty much agree with everything you wrote, but have heard a few other arguments for going vegitarian or vegan. One is basically that, a diet that requires farm animals is both worse for the environment (leads to significantly more methane production), and could support a smaller population of people than a diet that doesn't require farm animals.
Hm, but I'm fundamentally a pretty selfish person, and I don't believe that the world includes facts about right and wrong. I also just ate a bunch of cheese and spicy doritos...
I think you're mostly right here -- animal cruelty issues aside, it's probably perfectly okay to eat meat. I went vegetarian mostly to try to avoid putting money into the factory farming industry (though I still buy eggs & milk, hypocrite that I am), but buying small-farm-raised or 'animal-friendly' meat would amount to the same thing.
It depends on how strict their definition of the term is. On a federal level, the only stipulation you have to adhere to to get the "free range" label is giving the animals "access to outdoors". Generally that translates into something like "stuff a shed with de-clawed de-beaked chickens and give them one door opening onto 2 square feet of dirt". It usually doesn't end up being a whole lot more humane than factory farming.
from a nutritional standpoint there are things you can get from meat/animal products that you just can't get from vegetables and veggie products. for example, vitamin b12. also the iron in meat is better absorbed than the iron in plants. and of course, protein.
then again, there are vitamin supplements you can take.
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When I 'was a veggie' so to speak, although I never really called myself that formally, I did it because I didn't really like meat. I am also of the opinion that people should do what they want, generally. That was my terribly complex reason ( ... )
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Hm, but I'm fundamentally a pretty selfish person, and I don't believe that the world includes facts about right and wrong. I also just ate a bunch of cheese and spicy doritos...
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then again, there are vitamin supplements you can take.
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