Vegetarianism

Roraborealis · 2007-02-20 02:42:48

Approximately, one in twenty five of us call ourselves vegetarian - refusing to eat meats, fish and products that include these, or animal fats.

Some people think that rearing animals for slaughter is cruel, that bringing them into the world only for an early death is wrong. They do not like the taste or the idea of eating meat, or they're brought up not to eat it, or maybe their religion is against it.

However, some people think that as humans, we are inclined to eat other animals, due to evolution. Evolution has brought us to the right that we can eat meat. Other animals eat other animals - so why can't we? We have the resourses, farming methods have made it possible...but the oppositions say that as intelligent life forms, we have a choice to save lives and can only make life a little easier if we only gave some thought and gave it up. We could even help produce more food by eating more vegetables (as animals used for food will have to be fed on plants that we could be eating before they are killed).

There are many thoughts and arguments on this matter of deciding on your diet. What do you think?

espeon · 2007-02-20 02:47:33

hmmm. im an omnivore. i say meat is deliceous but we have to be reasonable. i mean. the shops already killed them so we might as well eat them to stop them dieing for nothing right? plus they taste SCRUMPTOUS!(however you spell that word)

Roraborealis · 2007-02-20 02:57:14

That is true - once they're killed, you can't do anything about it.
But, say, if two hundred people in a town suddenly stopped eating meat, then I think the demand for meat would drop significantly, hence the shops supplying it would order less to sell from farmers, and that would mean the farms would start producing less. So if you stop, it does make a difference.

espeon · 2007-02-20 03:03:00

yes but. if farmers lose out on selling livestock then they wont have enough money. that means there wouldnt be enough money for their homes, food AND seeds to plant new vegatables. so then in the end theres no more food. that is unless you plant ur own but most people cant be bothered and because of lack of food there will be lack of energy. energy to earn money and to grow things.

its best to be balanced. the animals are going to die anyway and the longer they live the more they must suffer.

Ricky · 2007-02-20 04:18:35

espeon, if people stop eating meat, hopefully they will start eating something else. Such as more vegetables, pasta, and so on. Farmers will see a decrease in livestock, but an increase in other crops.

espeon · 2007-02-20 06:14:45

yh but they still wouldnt get as much money. the livestock pay for much more than vergatebles and even if they had increase in crops they wont have as much money. and anyway the animals will die soon. if they just die then they'll be wasted.

MathsIsFun · 2007-02-20 10:08:32

It would be interesting to ask a bull "Hey Mr Bull, Sir, ..." (after all, he is rather large) " ... what is your preference: this short life ending on someone's plate, or simply not to have been born?"

Of course that is silly, because bulls don't speak (but do make excellent listeners).

Ricky · 2007-02-20 10:23:53

yh but they still wouldnt get as much money. the livestock pay for much more than vergatebles and even if they had increase in crops they wont have as much money.

Can you actually back that up, or are you just saying it cause you wish for it to be true?

Jai Ganesh · 2007-02-20 16:34:51

Roraborealis,
I have been a herbivore all along, I don't know how non-vegetarian food tastes!
Since I love animals, I don't normally use animal products like leather, silk etc.
But I believe it is the individual's decision. I do what I think is right. You are entitled to your opinion, right?

Toast · 2007-02-20 19:04:54

I'm an omnivore but its terrible to think of where the meat comes. They treat the animals like objects, not lives. I try not to think about it though, "it's not something else's meat, it's just meat".

espeon · 2007-02-20 20:51:13

i have chickens at home too bad around 18 died most of them were itty bitty quails that were just born. OMG THEY WERE SO CUTE. too bad the mothers pecked them. its nature. techniquly i wish i wasnt born anyway. then you wouldnt have to face the pain of cruelty isolation and solitude

Roraborealis · 2007-02-22 00:16:40

I'm not sure what I believe about the situation. There was quite a large debate about it in one of my RE classes last week and I was wondering what other people thought about it. The people on this board are far more mature than the people in my class, I can tell you.

Since we're the only species on the planet intelligent enough to be able to make complex decisions about our diet, I think it all depends about on what's good for the planet. It's natural to eat other life forms for protein and fat (although there is other ways to get this, although it's quite difficult), but since we're wrecking the planet already we might want to try eating less or stop altogether - if we were still cave men and women we wouldn't be eating as much as we do now. Rearing cows for people to eat excessively already causes a lot of methane production which in turn is contributing to global warming.

Like ganesh says, it is entirely the induvidual's decision - which I think is whether they want to help the planet or not.

Zach · 2007-02-22 00:36:03

I had a big paragraph of stuff written about how humans were designed to tear apart meat and hunt down animals, something about it being nature to eat animals and the food chain, but I pressed a wrong button and went Back a page, deleting all my hard-done work.

So, in conclusion; we're Humans. We're the dominant species on this planet. It's our perogative.

Ricky · 2007-02-22 05:36:23

So, in conclusion; we're Humans. We're the dominant species on this planet. It's our perogative.

Exactly right, Zach! We're humans, dang it. We are better than any other species, so screw our children and our children's children, cause you know what? We're the best. And that's all that matters.

espeon · 2007-02-22 07:50:03

Yeah but the point is about global warming the reply that rora said is that...

The world is corrupt anyway! Global warming is going to kill us all anyway! So we might as well enjoy it and the animals will suffer even longer if they stay alive! And the children are the ones suffering. Elder people only have to live a few more years but we have to live through the living hellish nightmare! So we might as well. As many people (including me and friends) have said,' The government is a scam and President Bush is a 'bobba'

MathsIsFun · 2007-02-22 08:45:09

Don't despair!

We will fix our problems. We have in the past. War is not as serious (there are more conflicts, but not so intense) and the economy is far more stable. Imagine living in the Great Depression or World War II.

So far humans have "muddled through" and will hopefully continue to do so.

But at the moment we don't know what the right thing to do is ... should we Save the Whale, Reduce Greenhouse Gas, Fight Terrorism or ...what? There seem too many things to do all at once.

And Politicians only respond when they see it is a popular thing to do. So it takes a lot of effort to get change.

So, first decide what you want changed, then get behind it and push

espeon · 2007-02-22 10:18:06

yh but most people dont understand. The world doesnt belong to us... We don't have the right to damage it OR try to fix the damage. If people were religeous they might say ' for being cruel to the world we will get our punishment through global warming lol'

we dont have right to try to save whales or to do anything other than try to live fairly. FAIRLY!

luca-deltodesco · 2007-02-22 10:48:20

also, think about this.

how quickly will all chickens become extinct if they were allowed to live on their own, without being kept alive for food?

Toast · 2007-02-22 17:36:54

Well, how did they survive in the first place?

espeon · 2007-02-22 21:07:22

Exactly! The chickens are going to get slaughtered by meanfoxes anyway so at least WE give them food and shelter and eat them. At least we do a good deed to them before we eat them ( I don't eat my pet chickens though. I eat other chickens)

Math Is Fun Forum

#1 2007-02-20 02:42:48

Vegetarianism

#2 2007-02-20 02:47:33

Re: Vegetarianism

#3 2007-02-20 02:57:14

Re: Vegetarianism

#4 2007-02-20 03:03:00

Re: Vegetarianism

#5 2007-02-20 04:18:35

Re: Vegetarianism

#6 2007-02-20 06:14:45

Re: Vegetarianism

#7 2007-02-20 10:08:32

Re: Vegetarianism

#8 2007-02-20 10:23:53

Re: Vegetarianism

#9 2007-02-20 16:34:51

Re: Vegetarianism

#10 2007-02-20 19:04:54

Re: Vegetarianism

#11 2007-02-20 20:51:13

Re: Vegetarianism

#12 2007-02-22 00:16:40

Re: Vegetarianism

#13 2007-02-22 00:36:03

Re: Vegetarianism

#14 2007-02-22 05:36:23

Re: Vegetarianism

#15 2007-02-22 07:50:03

Re: Vegetarianism

#16 2007-02-22 08:45:09

Re: Vegetarianism

#17 2007-02-22 10:18:06

Re: Vegetarianism

#18 2007-02-22 10:48:20

Re: Vegetarianism

#19 2007-02-22 17:36:54

Re: Vegetarianism

#20 2007-02-22 21:07:22

Re: Vegetarianism

Board footer