Meat-Eating Debate (Relocated Thread)

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by jannieC

Obviously, I feel the same way. I know that I won't be able to ever eat meat. But truthfully, I know that a non meat diet is not for everyone. I mention the intelligence thing to bring awareness. Animals do not need to be treated with cruelty and disrespect to end up on one's dinner table.

I have to restate what I said earlier:

We use animals for food, clothing, transport, protection, entertainment and companionship. In return, humane treatment is the least we can provide.

(Though hardly anyone is responding to me here. Is it because I am a moderator? I will not ban anyone for disagreeing with me!)

I think people are put off by some of the outre comments about overpopulation (which really has nothing to do with the issue of eating meat). And others think it's a hot-button issue that should never be discussed. But I disagree... the decision over eating meat is not an intrinsic factor that we are born with; it is purely choice. And the more informed we are about our choices, the better.

Personally, I do think a non-meat diet would work for everyone. Food is one of the necessities of life. But it can also be an addiction. And the most ubiquitous food choices we have today are invariably the most quickly prepared, made of the cheapest ingredients, have unimaginably long shelf lives/stability, and offer abundant stimuli for the western palette- sweet, oily and salty. Meat and dairy products fit perfectly into that equation. So it is no wonder that there is so much resistance against eating fresh, unprocessed "real" food; it doesn't whop you over the head with stimulation, and people are addicted to this stimulation. But as with any other drug, I think people can be detoxed. And, yes, people can lose their taste for meat. Very quickly too. When I stopped eating meat 23 years ago, within two months I was convinced that I would never eat meat again, and these days I can't even stomach the thought, just from a taste perspective alone. Earlier in my life I had assumed that vegetarians/vegans were all hippie freaks who were malnourished and living a miserable life of self-deprivation and longing. That's so not true at all. In the least. I think the bottom line is that people who claim that eating meat is a necessity, or that they could not survive without meat, should actually test that theory. Not only will they lose their taste for meat, they'll probably feel a lot better physically.

/propaganda