Animals Should Be Off The Menu- An inspiring speech

[Taeryyn]

I agree, the speech was inspiring. Thank you for sharing! I'm going to watch the entire debate later when I have some more time. I'm very curious to see what the opposition has to say.

To be honest, the subject of whether or not to eat meat can be pretty emotionally charged, so I generally don't enjoy discussing it. sweatdrop I do have a couple of things to add, though.

Most of us grow up eating meat. Our families introduce us to meat products when we're young, and we're taught that it's part of a normal, healthy diet. For many of us, meat is even a staple in some of our happiest memories. It's there during the holidays, at sporting events, and at parties.

I think that for many people, it's hard to reconcile all of that with the reality of the meat industry. Having a "delicious" hamburger is something tangible, whereas the idea of countless animals being tortured is just a horrific, distant concept. The environmental implications are more abstract still, and therefore have even less of an impact.

So, considering all of that, this statement in particular resonated with me: "If slaughterhouses has glass walls, we would not be having this debate."

But, what can we do?
The meat industry continues to flourish, partly because people are detached, desensitized, or apathetic. But, those who try to raise awareness about vegetarianism and animal rights are often faced with outright hostility. Personally, I think the anger and defensiveness is at least partly a response to shock- and shame-tactics used by groups like PETA. This is why I love to see civil, well-spoken individuals (such as Mr. Wollen) speaking up.

While I'm not optimistic enough to see vegetarianism as quite the panacea that Wollen implies it to be, I do feel very strongly that most of the common arguments against vegetarianism don't hold water. It isn't, and has never been, my desire to make anyone feel badly about eating meat. That said, I do wish more people would educate themselves about their food. Whether you're a vegetarian or not, it's very hard to deny that our general eating habits here in the West are not only unhealthy (for us and for the planet) but unsustainable.  

[Shanna66]

i would not mind seeing more vegan foods avaliable, they are hard to come by. i refuse to cut meat out of my diet alltogether for a few reasons though, one of the main ones being that im going to buy meat anyways since i have cats, a dog, rats, and reptiles who need to eat meat to be healthy and i figure if im buying that much meat anyways then i may as well enjoy some.

one of my goals in life though is to raise my own beef so i can make sure its treated well before its killed

and as an animal lover i have to agree with Taeryyn
, peta gives the vegan lifestyle a really bad name and when alot of people think of a no meat diet their minds instantly go to peta or to other overly pushy vegans and they just shut down all thoughts of eating less meat  

[Saint Sims]

Very enlightening!

Hmm, the whole cutting meat out of a diet business is rather difficult for most peoples.

Generally speaking, people are raised having meat on their plate at least for one meal every day. It becomes something expected, habitual even, and as such people continue to perpetuate that behavior day in and day out.

I for one consume meat every day. My quantity of meat varies, but generally speaking I included mostly poultry or fish in my daily meals.

Lately, however, I've gotten into the mindset after thoroughly reviewing factory farming in my high school econ class, that eating meat isn't necessarily bad. I understand it more as where I purchase my meat from and how that has a greater affect on meat production.

If you look at it in the sense of buying meat from anywhere other than an actual butchers or straight from a local farm, you can safely assume your meat has come from a factory farm. That's just how it tends to go. It has such become my belief that all peoples should lean towards purchasing from their local vendors, easier said than done, but realistic nonetheless.

Additionally, I also understand that peoples habits need to change. People shouldn't be eating meat, specifically red meat, everyday. One, it's far from healthy, and two, it's entirely unnecessary.

As stated by my fellow guildies, I think people really should just be more food conscientious, educate themselves both on where their food comes from and how altering their diet, even the littlest, can have a rather large impact both on their lives and that of others.