Originally posted by cyberddot
OH! And as one of those inconsiderate omnivours that actually has a job that encorporates his "care" for animals, I consider the CHOICE against eating meat a resonable one, but to support it by suggesting that humans that eat meat are some how less compationate or less civilized is just silly.
My gal pal and I both have jobs in animal husbandry and get up from the armchair when we speak about "compassion for animals". We both love "animals" and make it a daily goal to educate people about the world around us. If, as part of our jobs in pointing out that we are all "animals" on the planet, we also pointed out that caring for our fellow species means "rising above" eating meat, as the animals before them are doing (image of predators eating "food"), then I really would feel like a hypocrite.
By the by...How does one equate choosing not to eat "meat" with other people "...spending their time working on cures for cancer..."? My g/f is a vegetarian, I'll have to ask her if the choice leaves her with a similarly "noble" feeling.
my point was not that i have a noble feeling at all, but just that i think it's what's right for me to do. i don't "need" to eat meat or animal products (most of the time mind you), so i don't.. do i think that people who can barely pay the rent should pay extra for soy products, rather than 99¢/lb. ground meat? no. do i think that the meat industry is overly subsidized by the gov't? yes.
i'll say again, i don't think i'm better because i do it, though i wish everyone had the option, i just think it's a particular thing that i, as a single person, can do. and while i can definitely see evo's point of "if i thought it would make a difference....", i choose not to let that thinking keep me from doing it. same with voting for who i think is best (ie, voting for a candidate who i respect and want to win, but clearly will not win)...
i do not equate not eating animal products to working on a cure for cancer as far as their impact on humanity. i'm just trying to give an example of things that people seem compelled to do, to use what they have and try to make some difference. i'm not a scientist. i'm an animator. i'm looking forward to the point in my life/career when i can make animations that will support the causes i believe in, just as i'm sure many scientists have to work through some "non socially impacting" job until they get their shot at working at what they want to do (for argument's sake, finding a cure for cancer)... please don't try to make me out to be some sort of "holier than thou" jackass when i was actually trying to go out of my way to show that i'm not.
also, sure we are all "animals" on this earth... but i do believe that we as humans have choices (sometimes) in what we eat. i feel that society/tradition has dictated what we *should* eat, rather than some sort of animal instinct to eat meat (that was raised, by the way, in a very sophisticated, unanimalisti sort of way)...
evo- i agree that eating gelatin and rennet, and buying leather stuff is hypocritical. i was just pointing out that i am not going to throw away leather products i had prior (though i *might* give them away i guess) to coming to my current lifestyle. likewise, if i receive a leather gift or something, i won't turn it away. if i'm at taco bell and i get my burrito and they slipped some "meat" in there (if you can call it that) that i don't find til the 2nd or 3rd bite, i will keep eating. i will not waste the food just because.
sorry for length of this. wasn't my intent. didn't expect to be attacked for being uppity.
