[NF] vegetarianism / veganism versus meat eating

[Lexicon]

Thank you for the link. And I am aware of this, as Ive been researching the topic for quite a while now. And honestly, Im on the fence still on this.

Again, I do appreciate the serious steps that have been taken in improving especially the welfare of animals in both the bio and organic industry but Im also not naive enough to believe their welfare will *ever* outweigh the dollar. The fact of the matter is that in many cases, anaesthetics and antibiotics are expensive and a cost theyd rather not bother with, especially with large animals as anaesthetics get administered per pound of animal and the price can really go up that way. The difference in care between pets and farm animals is...mindboggling. And even with pets, the amount of abuse and negligence that happens due to the power position people hold over them is detestable. And then Im not even talking about looking at this from my animal behaviorists pov, where the environmental factors for these animals are just...detrimental to their mental and physical health as giving them the proper space and respecting their natural behavior would cost the company so much money they wouldnt be economically viable. So forgive me, if I do not buy that line of thinking.

Otoh, I am aware and fully accepting of the fact that I am an omnivore. And that my health might be at stake, which is why Im reluctantly admitting that I might not be able to fully go vegan. But I'm willing to explore it, and try to go as vegan as I can without risking my health in the process. Either way, it is never a bad idea to go for a healthy amount of veg, fruit, and other plant type foods which is what im trying to improve in my own lifestyle atm.

No, I completely agree- the moral issues may never be solved, because of mankind's greed. Was just moreover making a sidenote that more people are becoming aware of these unethical practices, &, while not all may stop eating meat, some will explore other ways to get it that don't benefit those contributors. Like getting the local farm fare, etc. I have no belief it'll ever be fully resolved- like many of mankind's problems- but I do like to point out where improvements have been made/are possible. Hopefully with the rise of our internet age, the spread of awareness will continue, and people will start to make better personal choices, like what you've described.

 

[kyuuei]

I really do love meat. Bacon, turkey, seafood, chicken.. these are my favorites.

It does not really disgust me that it came from an animal at all. I prefer veggies over meat, though, with all that said. They just feel better, taste fresh, and you really enjoy them. Meat is more like a dessert to me--a small portion of delicate taste and style.. something to enjoy to accompany a meal, like a nice dress, rather than being the star of the show herself.

 

[prplchknz]

I do not think you are a sociopath, but why don't you care?

they're gonna die whether or not i care.

 

[21%]

I am more concerned about the way animals are treated in the food industry than I am about the moral issue of eating animals so I try my best to buy from ethical sources. I mostly eat fish and chicken, some pork, and very little beef (a few times a year). I'll be perfectly fine with a pescetarian diet. I think it will be difficult to be vegetarian, because I can't seem to drink milk anymore and it will be hard to get enough protein.

I really understand why people would think it's immoral to eat animals, but I think humans are naturally omnivorous. I don't believe we are better than animals. We're also part of the cycle, where animals eat animals. The only difference is that animals only kill when they have to. Humans just do it wantonly. We are in serious need of a better system.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I am more concerned about the way animals are treated in the food industry than I am about the moral issue of eating animals so I try my best to buy from ethical sources. I mostly eat fish and chicken, some pork, and very little beef (a few times a year). I'll be perfectly fine with a pescetarian diet. I think it will be difficult to be vegetarian, because I can't seem to drink milk anymore and it will be hard to get enough protein.

See, this I understand. I can't grasp the idea that humans eating animals is intrinsically morally wrong, but factory farms are probably sort of shitty. I'd like to say I avoid them, but the truth is I'm too damn lazy, and i'm skeptical of all the labeling anyway. Is it just something they slap on their to justify ramping up the price? I could probably look that up, which is legit and which isn't, but I don't because I'm lazy.

 

[SoraMayhem]

bumping an old thread, yaay (also back from the abyss)

I'm vegan (no compromises!) and surprised at the lack of other veg*ns.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

bumping an old thread, yaay (also back from the abyss)

I'm vegan (no compromises!) and surprised at the lack of other veg*ns.

I'm going to guess by your avatar that you are judging the rest of humanity.

 

[SoraMayhem]

I'm going to guess by your avatar that you are judging the rest of humanity.

Oooh, I never even THOUGHT of it like that, but how deliciously accurate.

 

[WALMART]

I am a post-modern vegetarian, I eat meat ironically.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Really? It seemed so perfect....

 

[Scott N Denver]

I am vegetarian. All the major reasons are in there for me, but health/nutrition and religion/spiritual are the top two for me.

 

[Bamboo]

Let's say there was a race of aliens that looked like lobsters and cooked like lobsters and tasted like lobsters.

Well Lobstermen could talk like us and work like us and build things and hang out and we could even be friends.

Would it be ok to eat them?

Huh.





I'd prefer not to, but I guess so. Would it be ok to keep Lobstermen in a cage to raise them for food and slavery? Nah, that doesn't seem right.

As it is now, I'll eat basically anything that was once alive. It's what I seem to be designed for.

 

[Betty Blue]

Vegetabletarianism, was brought up vegie... given a choice aged six or seven in front of a field of soon to be slaughtered calfs... with the explanation of how they would end up on plates in full detail of course.

It's no surprise i am in it for the love. I abhor the mass production and abysmal treatment that animals have to suffer. I have no issues with people killing animals for survival, most would find it very difficult though.

 

[cafe]

I eat meat. I love a thick ribeye or filet mignon nice and pink in the middle. It's delicious and I feel better when I eat meat.

The ethics of meat-eating does concern me, especially the way we do things in the US. It's pretty horrible. However, it's not like we're a lot more ethical in our treatment of the humans that harvest a lot of our produce, and humans hold more value to me than animals.

Ideally, I would eat organic, ethically grown/raised and harvested foods, but that isn't within or budget at this time unless I want to spend all of my time cooking and washing dishes, which I don't.

We are working toward more ethical living as best we can, though. Our next step will probably be switching from purchasing food and sundries at Sam's to Costco, but that will increase out drive from fifteen minutes to ninety minutes each way, so we won't be able to do it every week like we do now. So that will take some planning, but we're hoping we can take this step to support a business that offers better treatment to the humans that work there.

 

[Mole]

Consider the Kangaroo

It's good for our health to eat lots of fruit, vegetables and sprouts, and small amounts of nuts, seeds, whole grains, fish, oysters and milk, and even smaller amounts of eggs, chicken, turkey, beef and kangaroo.

Kangaroos are delicious, grass fed, fat free and free roaming. We have many more kangaroos than people but are reluctant to eat our national symbol so we export our kangaroos. So eat a kangaroo and munch on the national symbol of Oz. "Take that, you Aussie bastards", you can say as you bite into your kangaroo for lunch or even dinner.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

It's good for our health to eat lots of fruit, vegetables and sprouts, and small amounts of nuts, seeds, whole grains, fish, oysters and milk, and even smaller amounts of eggs, chicken, turkey, beef and kangaroo.

Kangaroos are delicious, grass fed, fat free and free roaming.

I really want to try a kangaroo, in all seriousness. I discovered a restaurant in Philadelphia that serves gator.

Ok, I just pissed a lot of people in this thread off, talking about all the dead animals I haven't eaten. Oops.

 

[Mole]

I really want to try a kangaroo

It will put a hop in your step.

 

[21%]

Let's say there was a race of aliens that looked like lobsters and cooked like lobsters and tasted like lobsters.

Well Lobstermen could talk like us and work like us and build things and hang out and we could even be friends.

Would it be ok to eat them?

I don't eat lobsters anyway. I'm scared of lobsters.

But talking about lobsters, my cousin worked in a kitchen once, and after seeing a half-killed lobster trying to crawl away for its life, he just lost all appetite for meat forever. He's been vegetarian for about five years now.

 

[Bamboo]

I don't eat lobsters anyway. I'm scared of lobsters.

But talking about lobsters, my cousin worked in a kitchen once, and after seeing a half-killed lobster trying to crawl away for its life, he just lost all appetite for meat forever. He's been vegetarian for about five years now.

I've been catching crawfish lately just wandering around. Similar enough.

I feel sorta bad dropping them in the water, but I don't know if I would have the same reaction. Most animals I kill I have the general desire to consume for food, even snakes I've killed out of fear, though I haven't eaten one of those yet.

I don't know what that says about me.

Animals I don't want to eat are generally rodents or animals I've put out of misery, like the slowly dying mice cats catch. (Is rabbit a rodent? I'd eat a rabbit.)

 

[cafe]

I've been catching crawfish lately just wandering around. Similar enough.

I feel sorta bad dropping them in the water, but I don't know if I would have the same reaction. Most animals I kill I have the general desire to consume for food, even snakes I've killed out of fear, though I haven't eaten one of those yet.

I don't know what that says about me.

Animals I don't want to eat are generally rodents or animals I've put out of misery, like the slowly dying mice cats catch. (Is rabbit a rodent? I'd eat a rabbit.)

I killed and gutted four fish with one of those combination steak/butter knives the other night. Someone else caught them and didn't want them and my kids had lost my filet knife. I was a little grossed out and had to get passed it to eat the fish, but eat them I did and kept them down, so I'm pretty sure I could get used to killing my own critters if I needed to. You just try to make it quick so they don't suffer long. I was more worried about distressing my kids than anything else.