giz says:
Fri, 2nd May 20084:37 am 

yes. I hate when this happens.

I love animals too, but my teeth are meat-chompers, and I plan to use them.

cali says:
Fri, 2nd May 20085:48 am 

I'm with you too.

Several of my friends have been vegetarians all their lives. I'm pretty sure they don't really care that I eat meat but that doesn't stop them from sending me youtube videos of animal cruelty.

I also agree about the fruit thing. I mean where do we draw the line at being "alive?" I mean you can't really communicate with a fruit but it's still alive…but then does that mean chickens are less alive then dogs because you can't train them or communicate with them as well?

Also I was a really picky eater up until the end of high school. I had to eat meat in order to stay healthy.

bdub says:
Fri, 2nd May 20085:49 am 

Your argument seems really oversimplified to me. I don't think eating meat makes anyone "a cruel animal hater" and I personally love meat, but I think its important to acknowledge the impact of our actions when we eat meat and dairy. If you eat meat from a cow raised in abusive conditions, you are supporting that cruelty, even if its unintentional. It might seem easier to ignore the fact that much of the animals who end up at the meat counter live miserable lives, but that doesn't change the moral implications of your food choices.

B says:
Fri, 2nd May 20086:50 am 

I feel the same way, too. I have nothing against vegetarians/vegans. It's great that someone has that much dedication in something they believe in. I do, however, not support PETA any way, shape, or form.

Allison says:
Fri, 2nd May 20087:42 am 

I have the exact opposite problem. I'm a vegetarian and whenever a friend finds this out they get all weird about eating meat in front of me. It's all 'I'm sorry' and 'no offense.'

I'm not offended, and it's alright. You can eat meat if you want, I don't care. I ate meat for a good 16 years and I know how it tastes. I get into conversations about certain types of meat and food. I don't eat it now for personal reasons, and I'm not going to project that on you.

So please, keep eating your hamburger. I'll be fine.

Josh says:
Fri, 2nd May 20087:58 am 

I agree… I mean, has anyone ever watched those national geographic videos of animals going out to find something to eat? Those lions and gazelles don't really play nice together.

thestorysofar says:
Fri, 2nd May 20088:19 am 

I totally agree. And the discussion makes me reminiscent of a favorite Chuck P (fight club etc) quote:

"What will you do today? How will you justify it? That mountain of dead animals and ancestors on which you stand.

Every breath you take is because something has died. Something or someone lived and died so you could have this life. This mountain of dead, they lift you into the daylight… How will you enjoy their gift? Leather shoes and fried chicken and dead soldiers are only a tragedy if you waste their gift sitting in front of the television. Or stuck in traffic. Or stranded at some airport.

How will you show their birth and work and death were worthwhile?"

-Chuck Palahniuk, Haunted

Jessica - FSU says:
Fri, 2nd May 20089:49 am 

I actually have a pretty big problem with PETA as well. Their tax returns show contributions to known fire bombers (Rodney Coronado), terrorists (The Animal Liberation Front)and they've likened animals to Jews in the Holocausts and meat eaters to Nazis. They are way too extremist and whatever good messages they have are lost in their fundamentalist rhetoric.

beth says:
Fri, 2nd May 200812:26 pm 

I agree 100% with you. It's fine to be a vegetarian or a vegan, it's also fine to eat meat. I am absolutely 100% anti PETA though, unless it stands for People Eating Tasty Animals. I cannot stand extremest groups of any kind, and publicity stunts like throwing paint on people and likening those of us who eat me to Nazis is beyond inappropriate and unacceptable.

beth says:
Fri, 2nd May 200812:27 pm 

yeah…I meant to say eat MEAT, not eat ME. haha.

Elizabeth says:
Sat, 3rd May 20085:29 am 

I agree with you guys. The 'friends' I have in PETA are very extremist and some of my vegan friends have spoken for PETA and found that their words/video footage were completely rearranged to serve their 'higher' purpose and not at all representative of what was said.

JaneTheFriendlyVegan says:
Sat, 3rd May 200811:05 am 

I can say that I am 50% with you and 50% on the other side (I am 98% Vegan btw, meaning:

I NEVER eat meat/animal fat or use animal hide/fur, BUT I sometimes, on occasion eat eggs or milk cooked into something.)

It’s not so much the animals are/were “alive” for me, BUT the complexity or their nervous systems (how much pain do they feel versus the tofu turned into very, DELICIOUS soy BBQ ribs?), their intelligence (and attachment to “family” members”), and brain function with emotional responses (such as fear, anxiety, sadness, mourning, etc…). Most everything people eat, Vegan or not, was “alive.” You breathe in living creatures.

Also, into play for me though, is the effect of the food on my body, I don’t eat meat and I don’t eat/drink stuff like sodas (maybe only a handful of times a year), because they are full of baaaaaad stuff (and I only have one body). I don’t say that from a bystander’s view either. I have had HORRIBLE side effects from some of the stuff in animal products (hormones, antibiotics, etc…) Yeast (the same, more or less, as a vaginal yeast infection) is ALL throughout my body because these additives have killed the healthy flora (bacteria) in my system that regulates things. This has screwed up my immune system, affected me in most ways you can get sick (flu, mono, cyst, etc.) and almost killed me! (Seriously, the ER doctors know me by name). You should look into ALL the health issues with eating animal products.

As a Vegan, I’ll say hell yeh meat/milk is tasty!, but… what about the breast cancer rates of those who drink milk vs. those who don’t or leukemia in children who eat hot dogs vs. those who don’t, and the list goes on with : allergies, heart disease, other cancers (esp. colon cause we have long intestines vs. the short ones carnivores have), etc…

All taste is, is a nerve response. So how important is the feeling on your tongue (to brain) versus keeping your whole body in check? Food is meant for fuel. People forget this, I think.

Then there is also world hunger and environmental issues. Factory farming SCREWS up the environment badly!!! LOTs of trees are cut down and topsoil is lost because of cattle farming.

If the land that was used to raise meat was used instead to grow soybeans, there would be enough food to feed the world!

And, of course the way factory farm animals are raised is a issue, but not because they are “cute” (beaten, sick, caged their whole life, kept in feces, etc…)

So it is beyond the “cuteness” of the animals. I can’t stand those kind of vegetarians either, and NO ONE, should force their own views down someone else’s throat. My throat is my own; your views are your own. I think people should say what they believe, and press for what they think is right, BUT!!! with kindness and respect (mutual: for themselves and those they are speaking to). It goes both ways though; people hate on vegans A LOT! People hate on people who are different than them, why? I don’t know. Can’t people have different views without getting angry and crazy?

“Why all of the hate?” I’m 100% with you on this

There are many intelligent meat eaters. Being informed or whatnot isn’t the same as intelligence.

I’m not a PETA supporter by the way. I think that it is wrong to exploit women/men (naked ads) to stop the exploitation of animals, and they support violence and tantrum throwing.

I love C.O.K. though (lol, I love saying that haha, no but it stands for Compassion over killing).

You know, if the animals were raised right (not drugged and caged up or beaten) and the factory “farmers” took care of the land, maybe eating meat wouldn’t be so bad in my eyes. I still wouldn’t eat me personally, but the impact of others doing it would bother me as much.

I mean, I don’t preach about it to my friends over their big Mac, but they know how I feel.

We have a running joke about me not eating “anything with a face.” They want to know if this is the same with “animal crackers” or happy face pancakes, haha I love my dorky friends and they love dorky me. I respect them, and they respect me. And you know, to me, the more peace the better with any fellow earthlings, human, animal, or the land (in a way, we are all one in body).

Heather says:
Mon, 5th May 20089:50 pm 

Okay, firstoff, I'm a vegan that hates peta. And i totally understand what youre saying, I never harass people over what they are eating. However, theres two sides to this coin, like when someone harasses me over how i'll never get the proper vitamins in my system (which i do). It is also really annoying when you go out to eat, and the waitress acts like you are being a pain in the ass if you ask what foods on the menu are animal-free. It got to the point where I just lie and tell them I am lactose intolerant, I get better service that way (and what has meat is usually pretty obvious). People just need to be more open to dietary restrictions, or lack thereof, and leave it at that. Honestly, I think its everyones right to decide what they want to eat, not me, although I do think that the animals should be given more decent lives up until the time they are slaughtered.

Anna says:
Tue, 6th May 20088:52 am 

Can someone explain to me why vegans won't drink milk or eat eggs? I mean, I understand that some chickens are treated terribly, but if you buy free range eggs you're ok since the eggs that come from grocery stores aren't fertilized so you're not killing anything. And if you don't milk a cow, she will actually be in pain. So if your problem is living conditions or growth horomones, just get organic milk. That's my solution…

I don't have a problem with vegetarians / vegans (just to clarify), I'm just curious because vegan doesn't make sense to me. I can understand being a vegetarian, but it's really hard to get all your important nutrients without milk or eggs and such.

Whatever says:
Tue, 17th Feb 20098:56 am 

Wow! This is just stunningly stupid. You say that I (vegan) shouldn't tell you how to live (I agree) yet you are demanding that I not express my thoughts on the issue. Also, this happy meat idea is fucking ridiculess. So if a person lived a good life so far it's okay for a serial killer to go and quickly and "humanly" kill them after all they lived a good life up till that point.

One more point, if aniamals, people, carrots are all "alive" then what stops you from killing other people? After all, in your version of realty we are all "alive".

Whatever says:
Tue, 17th Feb 20098:58 am 

*animals