The meat, dairy, and egg industries in the United States are riddled with animal cruelty
which even the most carnivorous people would agree is unwarranted. A vegan lifestyle is the
ultimate opposition to these cruelties, however, everyone can make small changes in their
lifestyle to decrease the suffering of our animal friends, and with these changes even work up to
maintaining a strictly vegan lifestyle.
First off, one might wonder how these animals suffer, especially cows and chickens
raised strictly for eggs and milk. Pigs and cows raised for pork are often skinned, or put into
boiling vats of water before they are actually dead, or knocked out. The lives they lead before
their slaughter are marked by neglect. Their entire lives consist of existing in small, cramped
locations. In addition to this, an investigation at Kaplan Industries leaked information that
cattle were being skinned alive in order to keep production lines running at more cost efficient
speeds. Chickens raised for eggs are forced into tiny battery cages where many die of
heart attacks from hormones, or from brutality from each other. Each year, 200 million male
chicks from laying hens are suffocated, gassed, or simply ground up as they are deemed useless
and too costly for the egg industry. The dairy industry is also guilty of cruelty to millions of
animals a year. A typical dairy cow has a life potential of about twenty years, however, after five
to six years of being perpetually impregnated or being administered hormones to keep them
lactating, these cows are sent to the slaughterhouse. Their male calves are also taken away from
them and never given a chance to drink the milk that rightfully belongs to them. Instead, these
young calves become products of the veal industry where they carry out their short lives in
wooden crates, and are fed a strictly liquid diet which requires drugs and hormones to be
consistently given in order to keep them alive. In today’s society, it has become literally
impossible to support the dairy industry without condoning the death of millions of baby cows a
year.
Most people think of the term vegan as referring to the diet, probably because of it’s
close relation to the word "vegetarian" This is, of course, true, however, a vegan lifestyle strives
to alleviate animal cruelty on all levels, such as animal testing, using animal skins for clothing,
and also using their products in our hygienic products. We will first discuss incorporating vegan
elements into one’s diet.
Going vegan cold turkey might seem like a daunting task to one who has grown up eating
chicken for dinner and cereal with milk in it for breakfast. It is not uncommon for people to
make this adjustment in small steps, though there are some who dive right in. However, if one
wants to make minor adjustments as a start, most people begin with removing red meat from the
diet. Besides being a compassionate decision, it is also a wise decision for any health conscious
individual. Red meat has been linked to the development of cancer, and has high content of
cholesterol. Also, ranchers often feed chicken feces to their cows as it saves a significant amount
of money. These cows are then slaughtered and sold to unsuspecting consumers.
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Haven't you vegans ever heard of organic and nonprocessed food? It's just as healthy as plants. Look at the Meditteranian, Italy, France, the Pacific islands, they all eat organic, non processed food and they live longer than humans here. It's not about not eating anything but veggies and fruit, its about eating organinc and nonprocessed.
Cuz even soy has been found to really not be that healthy for you.
Eating the flesh of an animal is not compassionate regardless of if it is organic or not. There is stil more of this to come, but even drinking organic milk makes no difference because dairy cows' calves are shipped to the veal industry. Soy is healthy in moderation, just like anything else. Of course too much isn't good for you. Too much of anything is bad for your body.
Actually soy has been found to not be good for you at all. I know you will be able to find government papers saying otherwise, and I only have scientists who aren't regarded highly by the government scientists. But I do not listen to the propaganda about whats healthy from the government. All this vegan or low-fat, low-cholesterol is said to be good because most food companies and groups have a huge influence over the govenment. Vegan is probably good though.
Animals were meant to be food, ok? The problem with the vegan mindset is you don't take into account overpopulation. I go work at ranches and see what happens when deer and hogs become overpopulated. They destroy everything. You have to kill them to get the population down. And giving the food away makes money, and feeds people. You have to kill animals sometimes to keep their population in check, not wipe them out, but keep them in check.
You have to look at the rest of the world, Asia has a high life expectancy, sure they eat mostly Vegan, but they do eat a percentage of meat. Look at the Meditteranean, they eat meat, veggies, use olive oil and drink wine. They are far healthier than the US. So is France where they eat meat, veggies, bread, drink wine and water. The only point vegans use is cruelty to animals. If you change the way animals are kill when they are used for food so that they die and no "torture" happens, then maybe most of this whole argument could be fixed.
I agree with you that overpopulation of these animals can be a problem. I am not suggesting that the entire world become vegan today. It has to be a slow process, one where, slowly, there would be less livestock being bred so as to not have mass amounts of them with nowhere to go. However, speaking of overpopulation, the huge amounts of the earth's population is starving to death, while we Americans stuff our faces. The amount of crops it takes to feed just one unit of livestock could easily feed a large portion of starving people. More crops are grown in the US to feed livestock than we actually consume. Global hunger is a big problem, and we are wasting mass amounts of food to produce food that only the rich, so to speak can even afford to eat. Meat is not neccesarry for the diet. Wheat gluten can be used as an alternative to soy and has even more protein in it, there are rice milks which do not contain soy, and nuts and seeds serve as protein and fat sources, so soy is not absolutely vital. If you look at how much soy is unknowlingly consumed by people in the form of hydrogenated soy bean oil (which is in many many products, just read the label) even the most carniverous people are consuming ample quantities of soy.
Meat is necessary for diet. You are avoiding the idea that animals are not people. They feel, but they are a food source, sorry. I also wasn't talking about livestock, I was talking about normal creatures like wild hog, deer and other nonstaple food items that are wild. I can't argue with you about that though, because it always comes back to that animals feel, which is a dumb arguement. We've been eating meat for thousands of years and nothing has happened to us. You are avoiding what stares you in the face. And the whole world hunger thing is, well if people are so inclined to believe evolution, then it's survival of the fittest isn't it?
We can't save everyone. For all the starving people, there is an underlying cause of government corruption, wars, and other things. Just because we eat only the vegan lifestyle, does not mean that it will stop world hunger.
Actually, the first humans ate a largely plant based diet simply because it was easier to obtain food that way. Hunter gatherer cultures still eat more vegetation than meat. In this sense, I see that hunting is part of survival, but sitting back and having animals be killed and then picking up the product at the store or a restaurant has nothing to do with survival of the fittest. If everyone went out, and hunted thier own food in order to survive that would be a different story, but animals are being consumed for pleasure rather than necessity. There is also leather in our clothes, and I see no logical reason whatsoever in why leather must be worn. It is not even particuraly warm, and a purse or belt can be just as handy and fashionable made out of various other matierials. This has nothing to do with nutrition or need at all. If, perhaps, we reverted to killing our own meat, I would say it would be fine to use leather, and all parts of the animals so not let them go to waste. You may say that it is a dumb argument that animals feel, but of course they do. They have a nervous system, they are able to feel pain, and studies have shown that they release increased hormones when being led to the slaughterhouse in fear. That right there is animal suffering, and is certainly not the way nature intended the predator to be hunted.
Ok, now we're getting somewhere. Um, I'll write a blog on all this soon to answer all this. But now I see something I can write.
Btw, I hate PETA, sorry.
"That right there is animal suffering, and is certainly not the way nature intended the predator to be hunted."
How exactly can you state that this is not the way nature intended for animals to be hunted? We are a part of nature and we use the facaulties nature bestowed upon us to gather meat in this fashion. We stand out from other animals in our uncanny ability to utilize tools and our enivornment to produce food. You wouldn't look at an orange grove or an olive plantation and shake your head with dismay, on the grounds that it wasn't the way nature intended for us to produce fruit, now would you?
I'm a rabid meat eater, in fact there isn't an animal that I wouldn't be willing to eat at least once, that includes human, if anybody has a bit of leg or something they're not using... That said, I don't buy bargain basement meat, I try where possible to buy free range meat, which for me is more important than organic. If I can buy or hunt wild meat, all the better. The thing is that people will always eat meat and rather than trying to talk an omnivore out of sating a natural craving by suggesting complete abstinence, I think the focus should be on ensuring that meat producers have strict standards imposed upon them.
These standards are more likely to come about if meat eaters insist upon them. People who are interested in protecting animals from unwarranted cruelty within the meat sector should spend their time trying to convince existing meat eaters to insist on free range organic produce, rather than just pissing them off by berating them for their meat eating habits. It would be far more constructive for Vegans to encourage responsible meat eating than to just alienate the group that will esentially decide how animals are treated by meat producers.
The meat industry doesn't give a shit about vegans and in my experience they just piss me off. That's an opinion based of first hand experience with about ten vegans that I know. Generally the vegan stance could be viewed as extremist vegetarian and I am not a fan of extremists.
As with drugs, 'just say no' is an intolerant approach that makes no effort to compromise. The approach that should be followed should be more along the lines of 'I personally say no, but I realise that many of you will say yes, so here's some ideas on how you can at least say yes responsibly and thus limit the damage your saying yes might otherwise reap'.
The sad thing is, in my personal experience with vegans, that vegans tend to be very annoying, kind of like really devout Christians. The vegans I know tend to see no problem with sitting down with a group of meat eaters and basically telling them that they are a bunch of idiots for eating meat, always delivering their message as if they are talking to children or simpletons. They do this with the expectation that nobody get offended by their condescending patter, yet when you turn around and criticize their lifestyle choice, they quickly start behaving like you're some kind of monsterous racist of some flavour.
PETA are a really good example of why vegans wouldn't ever be taken seriously. The very mention of that shower of pricks makes me want to buy battery chickens and baby seal meat just out of sheer spite. They really need to learn a bit more about communicating with their fellow humans on a meaningful level if they ever hope to improve the lot of animals, instead of just pissing everybody off, even people who might lend them some support if they were a bit more reasonable and less assholeish.
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I am the people my mother warned me about.
It really bothers me that you brought PETA up, and it makes sense that you would because the orgnanization is highly affiliated with vegans, however, we are NOT all like that. I respect others opinions and lifestyles, but that doesn't mean I will not voice my own and hope that people will take what I am saying into consideration. I certainly do not believe in accosting meat eaters and irritating them to no end like PETA does. While they are fighting for a cause I agree with, their methods make harmless vegans such as myself look like overzealous extremists who want to shove our opinions down everyone elses's throat, and that isn't fair to us who are just trying to bring attention to the matter rather than forcefully change people's minds.
"You have to look at the rest of the world, Asia has a high life expectancy, sure they eat mostly Vegan"
In Asia they are nowhere near vegan in their eating habits. In many places they will eat animals and parts of animals that most Western meat eaters would be shocked by. Even in areas that typically enjoy a vegetarian diet, they often still make great use of dairy and leather crafts.
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I am the people my mother warned me about.
You knew very well what was coming next.
Chop'd'd off the Haed
What about free-range, hormone free chicken? The chickens can run around free from tiny little cages and aren't subjected to drugs. It is possible to raise cows, pigs and chickens in a way where their existence is cruelty free until they are slaughtered.
A person who wants to eat a vegan diet has to be very careful not to become mal-nurished. Vegan people are at risk for anemia and B12 deficiency. They also need to make sure they ingest enough calcium and all the necessary amino acids.
Common sense is as rare as genius. ~Emerson
Most soy milks are fortified with B12 and there are also supplements available at grocery stores. Most soy milk is also fortified with calcium as well, and there are supplements available for that as well. All of the essential amino acids are available in forms other than meat. For example, rice and beans provide all the necessary amino acids, and is vegan. "Free range" chickens often are allowed outside for a few minutes a day. I am sure there are chickens who are not treated cruelly, and their eggs are taken and that is the end of that. The thing is, I don't know which "free range" chickens are treated with cruelty and which aren't. I am seriously considering buying my own chicken and eating those eggs because then I would know that my consuming eggs was not hurting anyone. First I have to look into chicken care though to make sure I am won't end up accidently killing it or something. I'm a bit clumsy.
Personally, I don't care how peaceful the animal's existence is before it is slaughtered. The end result is a death that is motivated more by corporate greed, and does not involve our species eating it for survival, but because it tastes good.
"Most soy milks are fortified with B12 and there are also supplements available at grocery stores. Most soy milk is also fortified with calcium as well, and there are supplements available for that as well."
It's funny that so many vegans will rail on about how unnatural it is for humans to consume meat and dairy, but then turn around and scoff handfuls of mass produced dietry supplements to fill the deficit their diet creates.
"All of the essential amino acids are available in forms other than meat."
This may be true to an extent. There are many sources of amino acids from plant based proteins, but in many cases it's not just down to the protein, but to the type of protein and the balance of amino acids it represents. Protein deficiency is more common amongst vegans and vegetarians than it is amongst omnivores. This is something which can be easily evidenced through the number of vegans and vegetarians I know who take supplements to prevent this. In fact most of the long term vegetarians I know from childhood, many of my friends being vegetarian, have nearly all taken to eating fish reguraly. Many more of them have always been lacto-ovo vegetarians who consume milk and eggs, egg white representing just about the most perfect protein available to humans.
Surely it's more natural and healthy to just consume the most beneficial protein nature provides, rather than consuming an inferior variety which needs to be topped up by supplements. The reality of the situation is, that just because somebody is vegan or vegetarian, that doesn't necessarily mean that they eat responsibly under their chosen diet's guidelines regarding aminos and calcium.
"Personally, I don't care how peaceful the animal's existence is before it is slaughtered. The end result is a death that is motivated more by corporate greed, and does not involve our species eating it for survival, but because it tastes good."
As a meat eater, I personally care about the animals existence before it's slaughter alot more than the fact that it is about to be slaughtered. When an animal kills and eats another for food it is highly unusual that it sits around feeling guilty about the slaying. Granted the difference between us and most other animals lies in our ability to recognize when we are being unnecessary cruel to the animals we eat. I would be opposed to unwarranted cruelty or callous neglect of an animals needs in the name of producing cheaper meat for consumption, but to oppose the slaughter of an animal just based on me not liking the fact that animals are killed is a little redundant. A bolt through the head of an animal that has been well cared for is far more preferable to a death at the hands of many natural predators for the quarry in question. Having witnessed what a dog or a raven will do to a sheep if given the chance, let me tell you, the boys at a well run slaughterhouse start to look like a bunch of sweethearts.
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I am the people my mother warned me about.
How can you be sure that the meat you are buying was treated humanely before its slaughter? Labels saying free range don't mean a lot because the regulations on that are not tight whatsoever. If you can't be sure, then you are likely consuming an animal that was treated cruelly. And what about in restaurants? They don't give a damn how the animal was treated, all they want to do is sell it.
There are numerous ways to get all of the essential amino acids in food that is not processed, or even made to cater to vegans. As I said, rice and beans is a perfect example of this. And no one considers rice and beans "weird vegan food"
Tofu is also really high in protein, and although in our culture mainly consumed by vegetarians, is eaten by omnivorous people in Asia quite often. It is also not an overly processed food such as veggie burgers which, even if they have a lot of protein, are still frozen food.
Free Range actually means a lot. Almost all free range meat is raised on farms that have been in a family for generations. They do their own slaughtering, and some of them will let you come see them being slaughtered to show that they aren't treated cruelly at all. They just put a bullet in the head of the animal, instant death, no cruelty.
"How can you be sure that the meat you are buying was treated humanely before its slaughter? "
To be fair, I have access to meat raised on small family run farms, so I am in a fortunate position. I actually know the guy who I buy most of my bacon from for instance. He even feeds the pigs a mixture of Guninness and poitin (an Irish variation of mooshine) just before slaughter. This method leaves the pigs drunk and as a result pretty much fearless. This helps to actually enhance the flavour of the meat because the animal doesn't get scared and produce excess amounts of adrenaline, which taints the meat.
I also pay attention to shooting seasons, when it is a good time to pick up wild birds from anybody I know that goes shooting. I myself only really hunt rabbits, which I can rest assured lived free range before ending up in a nice red wine based sauce with wild mushrooms and shallots...I digress.
I am not a typical example of the average meat eater. I will eat any meat bar none, but I try my best to ensure the meat I eat comes from a good source. Sometimes this isn't really possible beyond looking for free-range labeling. I believe that standards and regulations need to be tightened up to make it easier for people to buy quality meat responsibley. The meat I buy is generally more expensive than most store bought meat, but that just means I eat less of it, which is a healthy amount, and I eat better quality, which again is healthy.
"And what about in restaurants?"
Here again, I agree that standards should raised and regulations tightened. Restaurants and meat producers should be visibly certified for meeting specific requirements regarding meat quality, animal treatment, organic etc. This would make it easier for consumers and restaurant owners to buy meat responsibly through easily identifiable sources. This would also enable customers to select restaurants that source their meat responsibly to dine in. Admittedly, as it stands when I eat out I don't really know where my meat is sourced, but I'm a fairly handy cook, so I don't eat out a whole lot.
"Tofu is also really high in protein, and although in our culture mainly consumed by vegetarians, is eaten by omnivorous people in Asia quite often. It is also not an overly processed food such as veggie burgers which, even if they have a lot of protein, are still frozen food."
I eat tofu, if it's cooked and seasoned properly it's quite tasty. But I have to take you up on the veggie burgers bit. Processing aside, frozen vegetables are actually often more nutritious than the 'fresh' varieties in stores. With a good frozen vegetable company, their veg is picked packed and frozen in a very short space of time. This quick freezing after harvest preserves most of the vegetables nutritional content, vitamins, etc. Whereas the store 'fresh' variety is often transport long distance, subjected to storage, then displayed for even more time on shelves, all the while the nutritional value of the veg is decaying.
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I am the people my mother warned me about.