There have been a lot of animal rights/dog eating 
/various other meat eathing threads lately. I was just wondering how many people out there think about becoming a vegetarian.
I know there are a lot of people that are heavy meat eaters. I used to be too, i was raised eating everything from beef to goat, but nothing more exotic than goat. I quit beef while I was in college for several reasons. I still eat other meats, though, for the past month I have cut down a lot. I am thinking of becoming completely vegetarian one day, relatively soon.
Personally, I cannot stand people who are animal rights activists and are meat eaters. That is a prime example of supreme hypocrisy. And I know 1 in real life. She's one of those people that would rather hurt a human than an animal, then, if we eat something, she orders chicken. I'm like WTF? but I know she's very sensitive about it, so I don't bring it up.
Anyways, whether we want to believe what some of the radicals of PETA say or not, i think, if nothing, common sense dictates that animal cruelty exists in the meat industry. And if you have ever owned a dog, you know that animals do have emotions and feelings. Whether their pain suffered is mental or physical, eating meat invariably involves cruelty to the animal somewhere down the line.
I have not quit yet, because it is very hard for me, but I am weaning down. I eat meat about once a week now, maybe less. Its kind of hard sometimes. I have also started employing the Buddhist approach, which, as far as I understand it means that you don't ORDER a meat dish. I.E. if the animal is already killed, it is better to not let their food value go to waste (i.e. their life had value, so, at this point we should go ahead and eat it). Its kinda philosophical stuff, and I know ATOT people don't really like to think about things like that. IF I order the dish, then that increases the demand for more meat production i.e. animal killing. In 2005, with so many varieties of vegetables, and so many soy products, i just dont' feel it is worth it to take another life to satisfy an appetite that can be satisfied 80% as well as a diet that includes meat. (80% is my take. I'm sure some think soy products + vegetarian food canno't replace a diet with meat by 80%, and I'm sure some think that you can replace 100%). If you shop in a nice grocery store (i.e. not Walmart, but one that caters to people who really like to cook and eat), you will find that there are MANY soy based meat like products that are pretty good. Really. I know you can't compare sometimes, in certain categories to the real thing (Like a whopper. damn, i'm getting hungry thinking of it.), but at the end of the day, you feel good knowing that another living creature did not have to die to quench that hunger. So my problem isn't with eating meat. Its with the taking of a life, and that my diet should not contribute to a system that engages in said practices.
If you step back, and look at it, American culture and corporations have done much to propogate meat eating as essential to the American diet. BBQs, Cookoffs, Commercials (Beef - its whats for dinner; Pork - the other white meat), etc. Please think about it, and do not be fooled by so much hype. From everything i've read, and seen (people who are 100% vegetarian can be strong, i've known some from childhood and they are - they can take protein supplements that help offset any less protein from not eating meat). We don't really need meat to be strong. I'm not a lefty or pro animal lover here. I'm just someone who respects animals as living creatures, and feel that we all should respect it too. I still eat meat, but I've made vast reductions in my meat intake. I think others should consider it too.
So, anyone here thought about it? Anyone raised as a meat eater and then think about converting to vegetarianism sometime down the road? Unfortunately, I can see a lot of people say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with eating meat. Well, if this is true, can you also tell me that animals do not have emotions and feelings? Can you tell me that, morally, is it okay to take a life to improve the taste of your diet? You can be just as healthy being vegetarian - scientists have proved that now. So it does not come to survival or health reasons anymore, it has simply come down to personal preference. Well, if has come down to something so insignificant as personal preference, and on the other side, something so morally important as God created life, should we indulge in meat eating?
I don't want to make this into a fight, but I do want to provoke and engage a thoughtful debate/discussion on it.
thanks.
/various other meat eathing threads lately. I was just wondering how many people out there think about becoming a vegetarian.I know there are a lot of people that are heavy meat eaters. I used to be too, i was raised eating everything from beef to goat, but nothing more exotic than goat. I quit beef while I was in college for several reasons. I still eat other meats, though, for the past month I have cut down a lot. I am thinking of becoming completely vegetarian one day, relatively soon.
Personally, I cannot stand people who are animal rights activists and are meat eaters. That is a prime example of supreme hypocrisy. And I know 1 in real life. She's one of those people that would rather hurt a human than an animal, then, if we eat something, she orders chicken. I'm like WTF? but I know she's very sensitive about it, so I don't bring it up.
Anyways, whether we want to believe what some of the radicals of PETA say or not, i think, if nothing, common sense dictates that animal cruelty exists in the meat industry. And if you have ever owned a dog, you know that animals do have emotions and feelings. Whether their pain suffered is mental or physical, eating meat invariably involves cruelty to the animal somewhere down the line.
I have not quit yet, because it is very hard for me, but I am weaning down. I eat meat about once a week now, maybe less. Its kind of hard sometimes. I have also started employing the Buddhist approach, which, as far as I understand it means that you don't ORDER a meat dish. I.E. if the animal is already killed, it is better to not let their food value go to waste (i.e. their life had value, so, at this point we should go ahead and eat it). Its kinda philosophical stuff, and I know ATOT people don't really like to think about things like that. IF I order the dish, then that increases the demand for more meat production i.e. animal killing. In 2005, with so many varieties of vegetables, and so many soy products, i just dont' feel it is worth it to take another life to satisfy an appetite that can be satisfied 80% as well as a diet that includes meat. (80% is my take. I'm sure some think soy products + vegetarian food canno't replace a diet with meat by 80%, and I'm sure some think that you can replace 100%). If you shop in a nice grocery store (i.e. not Walmart, but one that caters to people who really like to cook and eat), you will find that there are MANY soy based meat like products that are pretty good. Really. I know you can't compare sometimes, in certain categories to the real thing (Like a whopper. damn, i'm getting hungry thinking of it.), but at the end of the day, you feel good knowing that another living creature did not have to die to quench that hunger. So my problem isn't with eating meat. Its with the taking of a life, and that my diet should not contribute to a system that engages in said practices.
If you step back, and look at it, American culture and corporations have done much to propogate meat eating as essential to the American diet. BBQs, Cookoffs, Commercials (Beef - its whats for dinner; Pork - the other white meat), etc. Please think about it, and do not be fooled by so much hype. From everything i've read, and seen (people who are 100% vegetarian can be strong, i've known some from childhood and they are - they can take protein supplements that help offset any less protein from not eating meat). We don't really need meat to be strong. I'm not a lefty or pro animal lover here. I'm just someone who respects animals as living creatures, and feel that we all should respect it too. I still eat meat, but I've made vast reductions in my meat intake. I think others should consider it too.
So, anyone here thought about it? Anyone raised as a meat eater and then think about converting to vegetarianism sometime down the road? Unfortunately, I can see a lot of people say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with eating meat. Well, if this is true, can you also tell me that animals do not have emotions and feelings? Can you tell me that, morally, is it okay to take a life to improve the taste of your diet? You can be just as healthy being vegetarian - scientists have proved that now. So it does not come to survival or health reasons anymore, it has simply come down to personal preference. Well, if has come down to something so insignificant as personal preference, and on the other side, something so morally important as God created life, should we indulge in meat eating?
I don't want to make this into a fight, but I do want to provoke and engage a thoughtful debate/discussion on it.
thanks.
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