A lot of local business would be lost if everyone stopped eating meat, local butchers, local abattoirs, farmers markets. Farmers would find it hard changing after being livestock farmers for their whole life. Just saying don't eat meat does not fix the problem. If you want to fix the problem you have to stop being lazy and go out there to find the good local produce.
What is the Point of Veganism?
- Thread starter Kosmiche
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Yes but a lot less land is used to grow vegetables that to raise cattle. Whilst I don't say your greenhouse argument is invalid, I will say I think it's a different argument altogether, since I see greenhouses as a way of growing foods that wouldn't naturally grow in that climate, so if that's a reason to grow other vegetables instead, I wouldn't call it a reason to eat meat.
The land used to grow food for the meat cattle is already overwhelming as it is. Any food production for the Human race is extremely resource heavy and everyone becoming vegetarians or vegans wouldn't do much to change that.
I think you have the right attitude. Unfortunately, many do not. I would say most of what you have said is also true for a large proportion of meat eaters. They take issue with vegetarians but can't last 30 seconds in a rational debate on the issue.
So be it. At the end of the day, we live in a capitalist, demand driven economy. If an industry is no longer sustainable, it has to die and the people working in it, have to adapt and find something else to do. It's not pleasant, but it's happened many times before and will happen many times again and it's better than the alternative of communism. But, I think we are a long way from this anyway.
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I'm not a fan of militant veggies either, but there's the other side of the coin of meat eaters who look upon veggies as if they're some sort of freak. I once went to a sandwich shop and the guy thought I'd asked for ham, so I asked him to take it out, and he then went on to proclaim that he hates vegetarians.
I'm not sure why people can't just accept the diets of others.
Don't eat it often enough for it to be an issue tbh. And yes to confirm, I don't eat meat because I can't stand the taste of it. When I was young I used to swap meat for sprouts with my sis. Even the smell of bacon makes me a little ill, the only meat I liked was liver because I guess its not the usual meat texture.
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Well that doesnt really stand as a vegetarian/vegan diet is an unnatural diet for the human body. Its not what we have evolved to process and without the protein, mineral and energy rich cooked meats we eat our bodies do not function optimally. Admittedly with vitamin supplements you can get around some of the issues involved with not eating meat but ultimately you make yourself into a weaker human. Also most vegetarians I know would not even touch meat if they hand reared it themselves and watched it die of natural causes, which quite frankly means that they dont do it for the reasons they state.
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Sorry, but I'm not in debating this issue. All I'll say is that I'm a very healthy person, and do a lot of cycling, so I'm clearly not lacking any nutrients, etc.
I agree there are "meat eaters" that are like that, however I would just class them as morons as eating meat for most people isn't a sort of stance, it's more the "norm" and a lot if not most people will consume meat without much thought on the matter as that's all they know.
Vegetarianism will usually be a stance that has been purposefully chosen and unfortunately that type of thing *seems* to attract a certain type of person.
I will admit to looking down on "vegetarians" (not by default, of course) based on the overwhelming number of nutjobs that are militant over it, while not actually being able to articulate why like I was saying in my other post.
As for the meat eaters who try to convince vegetarians to eat meat, I don't find it annoying as such because it usually stems from invalid reasons why they don't eat meat. Now I wouldn't try to convince a vegetarian to eat meat myself, but I'd have no respect for them as a vegetarian if their reasons for being a vegetarian were inconsistent and made no sense. Like I mentioned about the fish thing, I've come across so many vegetarians that don't eat land mammals due to "ethical" reasons, but can't get enough of the fish, and it just demonstrates that they don't actually know what they stand for and why they're even doing it.
I think the reverse doesn't work quite so well because meat eaters don't tend to have illogical reasons for eating meat as they haven't had to come up with any sort of thought process to rationalise it, they eat meat because they like it, and generally that's it.
I kinda see it as a religion of sorts, and often it's more than just the diet, a lot more. It's the whole way of life thing that they get caught up in. I do know that it is a crazy bunch of people ruining it for everyone else of course, I'm just waffling about general experiences I've had, but most of them who've tried to lecture me on eating meat have been able to be shot down by the fact that they're sitting there in leather or suede shoes, wearing make up tested on animals, or something to that effect.
It's unfortunate that those people are the face of vegetarians to most other people.
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I am not a vegetarian but that really is so much nonsense.
A balanced well planned diet doesn't have to have meat in it to make for a healthy lifestyle and I really don't get why people have to get on a kick about diets in this way. If someone posted all meat eaters eat take out, weight 100 stone and have arteries so thick their blood cannot flow people would be up in arms.
I don't really get being vegan but then I don't follow it. I do try and eat ethically farmed meat (I am more of a fish fan but that is a choice I make because I like the taste) as I think that is a positive and its my choice..the idea of sabotaging someone's diet choice for laughs however is actually a bit disturbing.
Protein content doesn't mean much if your body can only synthesise a certain amount of it.
I'm pretty sure a lot of vegetarians are malnourished, or at extreme risk of it due to their diet, much more so for vegans. A lot of vegans seem to have the Ghandi physique going on, stick thin arms and legs and yet have quite a belly. It might be a case of they don't know how to have a balanced diet as a vegan or vegetarian however thus the malnutrition, but it seems to be a trend I've noticed.
There was another thread on kids being malnourished..I would wager (which is as much of a generalisation as yours of course but sauce gander etc) most of those kids are not veggies.
Its perfectly possible to have a healthy balanced diet with and without meat in it. The point is really knowing how to have one, which takes some brains and a bit of research (and some money), for meat eaters and non meat eaters. I'd say you could find meat eaters with appallingly balanced diets but that is about them, not their meat consumption per se.
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One thing i've always wondered, If we didn't milk cows what would happen? I mean they don't always have calves to feed.
^ Exactly my thoughts on the matter.
But hey, it's personal choice.
Eating animals does cause suffering, no doubt about that - but I can only fight so many battles & steak tastes too good.
Not really, I doubt many do it for attention - it's more of a case of cross species empathy.
They can get preachy, no doubt about that.