Sunday 31 January 2010

formspring.me

As a vegan, what is your view on people who do eat meat?

oooh,this is an interesting one!

first of all,i'd like to say i don't hate meat eaters,and i don't think they're evil...though i do hate the consumption of meat and production of it.

in a way,meat eaters make me sad,as i just wish they had the same views as veggies and vegans.normally i would never want people to have exactly the same views as me,as that wouldn't be right...and it would make the world a very dull place!

but in terms of meat,i wish all people could see how unnecessary it is,and the cruelty involved.

i have been vegan for around 10 months and have loved every minute of it.before that i was veggie for around 3 years or so.i really can't believe how long it took me to go veggie!i have always loved animals and hated animal cruelty (i even attempted to be veggie when i was in my early teens) but i think it was easier to close my eyes to what goes on,and eat meat.

eating meat is just purely unnecessary i feel.i can understand that others would find it hard to go vegan,it's definitely more tricky.i do find it easy now,but i'll admit (as i think most vegans would) that sometimes i would love to eat a chocolate bar,or a cake,or cheese!(i think cheese is what a lot of vegans miss!).i mean there is substitutes for each,though they're not as nice,but they're not as readily available as the dairy versions.however that said,not eating anything animal derived gives me such a buss and makes me so happy,that the pros of being vegan totally outweigh the cons.

as with eating meat,i ignored the negative sides of the dairy industry as it was purely the easiest thing to do.i don't think many people realise what goes on with the production of milk.how cows are constantly impregnated to produce vast quantities of milk,how the milk that is meant for the calves is taken away,and how the calves themselves are treated (female calves await the same fate as their mothers,and male cows are shipped off to their terrible fate to become what we call veal).we as humans do not need to do this to other sentient beings.i have always believed in treating others as we would like to be treated.imagine if this all happened to humans...the people doing it would be branded monstrous,and as murderers.the world is in a bad shape as it is,how can we ignore the plight of innocent animals that have no voices?they cannot tell us that they want to live.but they do.every creature wants to live.

so,people who eat meat...i can't judge as i too used to eat meat.but i do urge those who do,to at least look into how meat and dairy is produced.and as awful as it is,watch video footage (such as peta)...if you can then eat meat,then that is your choice.but these videos tell it like it is.the horror of the slaughterhouses can never be forgotten.is a beefburger really worth it?and veganism...it is hard at times.but i feel healthier from being vegan (i used to be such a junk food girl!),my teeth don't hurt so much (as i rarely eat chocolate,and if i do it's cocoa) and i know that no animal,in any shape or form,has been harmed to provide my meal.it's an amazing feeling.

Ask me anything

7 comments:

  1. I don't know about anywhere else, but in Canada we're pretty strict on how cattle used for dairy is treated. Most cattle farms here adhere to a set of laws that state things like, farmers needing to have proper comfy bedding for the animals, and they need to have enough room to stand, lie down, adopt comfy resting positions and they must have visual contact with other cows. I know a handful of people with farms and their cows are happy, fat and under no stress whatsoever, they roam the fields all day around here and only spend night time in their barns.

    But, that's not the same for other countries, which I agree, is terrible and completely unnecessary cruelty, they definitely don't treat any of their farm animals with respect and they sure as hell don't have laws governing that they HAVE to be kind to their farm animals.
    I don't tend to eat meat very much just because I personally don't like the idea of eating cooked flesh, but I will eat it sometimes because I like bacon.
    I don't mean for this to sound super snotty bitchy-pants but I really just wanted to tell you about how farmers treat their animals in Canada because I feel PETA misrepresents everything, and their videos of said farm animal cruelty are American usually. I think if I were there, I'd be a vegan too.

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  2. while what peta shows are the horrors of how animals are kept and treated, not all meat is subject to this. much meat here is regulated, and generally its not all bad. like most things, you should take things with a pinch of salt. climate change is another. for every reason there is that we are to blame for the ice-caps melting, theres also evidence that its happened before naturally. yes theres animals being treated cruelly out there, but for every horror story there is there are also many more stories where they're well looked after.

    i'm a meat eater, and i'm not proud of it but i'm certainly unashamed. i have much respect for people who can live without it, and i do eat some veggie dishes. quite often i wont eat meat in the presence of vegans too, just out of respect and common decency.

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  3. Ashley,you don't sound snotty at all!your opinion sounds very reasonable to me!and its actually really good to hear about canadas strict laws in relation to farming,just goes to show we always have something we can learn!with regards to peta,they are certainly not the be all and end all when it comes to animal rights,I mainly used that as most people know of peta.kev: I thinl it is really good of you to not eat meat around vegans,but I wouldn't expect that from meat eaters,being vegan is my choice and isn't to be imposed on those around me.I have to disagree with you saying that there's a lot of animals treated well in the uk.its just not true,animals as a whole in the uk are mistreated so much.amd that's before you even take into account what happens at the slaughterhouse.its not a simple slit their throat and their dead job,as if that isn't horrendous enough.they endure a lot more than we could ever imagine.and to think that people slaughter animals as a job is beyond awful...that can't be good for the hrt and mind.we don't see a lot of what goes on in the animal cruelty world.because it is all behind closed doors.and because animal liberators are put in jail,often receiving longer jail terms than murderers.I think what we humans need to learn is that we do not have a god given right to take what we want from everything on this planet.

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  4. truth, i agree.
    i get really upset when i see people mistreating animals, but i get even more upset when it's their own pets.
    up the street from my boyfriend's grandparents house is a housefull of douchebags, they have a pony that they barely pay attention to and a sweet 11 year old doggy that hasn't seem a groomer in years (his fur is all dirty and matted). They don't get his fur or nails clipped, and last time I was around, i found out that they had thrown chemicals on him and he was missing a huge patch of skin on his back. he's the sweetest dog in the world and the boyfriends grandparents take him in every day and feed him and let him relax on the couch with them, but the SPCA in that area won't do anything despite numerous complaints against the owners. Next time I go back home, I might steal the doggy and make him my new best friend who gets to sleep in my bed (whether boyfriend likes it or not) and gets a bath whenever he gets grossy and dirty

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  5. good post. i love hearing peoples views on vegans and non meat eatters.

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  6. aw,you so need to dognap that poor doglet!there is no excuse for people to treat animals like that.i think it's just cowardice,because they're too chicken shit to do it to humans.they're obviously also pretty scummy to do such a thing in the first place.pah:( it's a double shame because the doggy probably still loves his owners,dogs are so loyal.

    thanks blotchy!x

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  7. I want to, but boyfriend doesn't think it's a good idea, because i'll get too attached. he started dating me before my hamster died and when Tribble kicked the bucket, i wouldn't get rid of his cage for months (it was cleaned out, no shavings, no hamster) because I wanted to hold on to something tribble had and that was only a hamster.

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