I'm a Vegetarian

[Chrissi]

Yes, those dreaded words... "I'm a vegetarian!" she cries, and won't eat hamburgers and you don't know what to feed her. Tell her they're veggie burgers, perhaps?

So anyway, I really am a vegetarian, and I am of the belief that everyone needs some sort of reason why they are still eating animals. I'm not going to go veggie-nazi on anyone. I don't do that. I wouldn't like someone to go full-diet-nazi on me, so I don't do the opposite, even though I hold my beliefs strongly. Also, concerning my introductory statement, I hate veggieburgers because I mean really, if a vegetarian still needs to eat meat that badly, they should go ahead and eat it for god's sakes, and not make something almost like it that will never taste quite the same.

I will -never- deny that we evolved to eat meat. We moved up the food chain, up and up and up until we were at the top, and that's one of the reasons why humans are so successful. Nor will I deny that some meat can be healthy for you in small quantities (although some all-meat no-veggie diets are healthy, this won't work for typical people).

But the reason I don't eat meat or use products that uses a dead animal is because I personally believe that humans don't -need- to anymore. Or at least, -I- don't need to. I don't see a good reason to kill animals when we've got plenty of food sitting right in front of us. We have the will to choose what we eat.

Now, I like when people develop their own reasons why they eat meat. My boyfriend eats it because he thinks that living for death is better than no life at all - basically, cows and such are bred for human consumption, but if they weren't, the cows wouldn't have existed in the first place. It is better for them to have lived for us to eat, than for them to have never lived at all.

I accept that, and I accept pretty much everything except for the horrid: "I like meat" or "I think it tastes good!" That's equivalent to saying "I kill people because it makes me feel good about myself" and justifying it that way. It's unacceptable. Another reason is needed, and that one reason can be just about anything.

Humans have come so far. We're obviously smarter than just about any animal in just about any possible way. We have more freedom and we get to do what we like. We can choose not to live off eating other animals if we want to. That's why saying "Well why is it okay for the lions to eat meat and not for me?" doesn't work. Lions haven't come to our stage yet. Get me?

It's strange how the very existance of peaceful vegetarians irks the hell out of some people. Take this real interaction for example.

---
I go to a pizza place and ask for a slice of garlic pizza. They say they don't have any in right now and it'll be 10 or 15 minutes. I sit down.
A guy sees this and asks, "Why would you wait so long for that? There's pepperoni right there you know."
Me: "I don't like pepperoni."
Him: "Who doesn't like pepperoni? It's good."
Me: "Ummm.. maybe me?"
Him: "Ohhhh are you one of those crazy hippie vegetarians?"
Me: "I guess you could say that."
He gets his pepperoni piece and starts moaning at me, "Oh my god I'M EATING A CUTE ANIMAL YUMMMMMM IT'S SO GOOD MMMMMMM!!! I LOVE THIS!!! I LOVE EATING ANIMALS!!"
I think of giving him the finger, but instead I just wait until he gets over himself.
---

Now, I guess some people are like that, kinda Maddox-y and trying to make people angry, but what is the reason for that? I've also come across many "Anti-vegetarian" websites. No, not "Anti-pushing-their-diet-in-our-face-vegetarians", anti-all vegetarians. They truly believe that all vegetarians should go to hell and burn.

Would anybody happen to know why? It just makes me sad, because I'm the same species as them.


So I guess I'm asking.. what's your reason for eating meat? If you say "I like meat" I'll whack you with a baseball bat, for this is Critical Thinking, not "I like doing what people hate". Do you think it's healthier for you? Think animals belong to humans? Etc etc etc.. I don't care, just let 'em fly.

Or your reason for NOT eating meat, if there happen to be any vegetarians here? (which is highly unlikely, but it's worth a shot)


Edit: I need to clarify so I don't get flamed. Your reason could be "I like meat" if you believe something else along with it, like it's good for you or the animals dont' really need their lives anyway or.. or just about anything that shows that you actually know what you're doing and have thought about this sort of thing rather than just accepting the trend that society takes. There's just no excuse to be oblivious and say you eat meat 'cause you like it. Unless you're 12. Ugh, I'm no good at saying exactly what I mean in these situations. Well all right, if you flame me, whatever. I probably deserve it.

[zildjian133]

why would you eat meat for any other reason besides the fact that some people like the taste, i doubt anyone would seriously eat meat for a reason like living for the death is better than no life at all, no loser you eat meat cuz it tastes good he lied to you, i dont eat things for any other reason except taste, if god allowed it taste so good why not eat it shiiit

[Chrissi]

Troll. Go away. You don't belong here.

Edit: Wait. You said God allowed it to taste good. So you're religious and you eat meat because God made it good? Is that it? If that's it, you DO have a reason other than "It tastes good". And please don't talk about my boyfriend as though you know him better than I do.

[DracIV]

I continue to eat meat for one main reason: I believe that we are not at a level above the animals. Why do we think we are so great? Humans are not the top of the food chain- many animals like lice and bed bugs eat humans as their main food source. Humans are not above animals at all. We eat, we sleep, we seek shelter, we steal, we fight, we mate, we're the same as them. If you think language makes us better, how do you know that they have none? If you think technology makes us better, has it ever occurred to you that it may be a better choice to stop breeding like rabbits and limit your population to what can survive happily in an area, not miserably like we always do? If you think wit makes us better, how do you know every other animal isn't just as smart? Humans are dumb as a turd when they grow up totally alone. All babies copy their parents, even if that might be a dog or a moose or a human. Anything you know now is from what you copied. I see no advantages except a thumb, do you?

And so my personal way of showing this is to avoid doing something that says, "I'm better than everything else in this world." I eat meat, I use what I need and in the amounts that I need, and I keep no pets, for any I might have would be equals not slaves, etc. I know I am no better and I don't try to delude myself into thinking I am.

Is that a good enough reason for you?

[Chrissi]

Yeah that's cool, DracIV. I never thought of it that way...

[Verruckter]

One reason why i eat meat is that it provides with all proteins and stuff. I know a girl whos vegetarian since shes born, and now shes all white and skinny. I don't want 2 be like that.

[classof04]

What I think is that were not at the top of the food chain like drac said but I wanna add that maybe it's not a food chain but a cycle. Any ways back to the thread, I think that we got here ( evolution or creation, etc. whatever you believe) and were superior to animals in some aspects so we have the PrIvIlAgE to eat meat, and privilages are earned and can be used or not. I use my privilage.

[aleco]

Some people don't like meat, and I accept that.
But I like meat because it tastes good, is nutritious, and was provided by God for us to use.

[fusi0n]

Originally Posted by Verruckter

One reason why i eat meat is that it provides with all proteins and stuff. I know a girl whos vegetarian since shes born, and now shes all white and skinny. I don't want 2 be like that.

You don't belong in the Critical Thinking forum, but that did make me laugh out loud. btw, I think your sig is backwards.


Why does sex feel so good? To urge humans to reproduce.
Why does meat taste so good? To urge humans to eat it, and control the animal population by doing so. What happens when you are hungry? You might crave a humburger, or steak. But what do you think about when you want to have some meat? "I think animals are our equals. I better have a sausage pizza to show them." or "I want humans to breed cows for death. I'm going to have a nice steak." If meat tasted bad, then you would not eat it solely for those reasons. Sure they are a way of making eating meat logical, but in the end that is not the reason you eat meat.

In conclusion, I like to eat meat because it tastes good.

[GuidoHunter]

I like meat because it tastes good.

That's the first reason that comes to mind, because I always imagine biting into a sweet, sweet piece of beef or chicken or whatnot. I love the "God-shows-that-he-loves-me-every-time-I-eat-meat" feeling. I suppose that reason comes to mind for the same reason I like pie: I just think about how good it is and rarely consider where it came from. That's why I don't think "It tastes good" is a bad reason. There are some foods which I'll eat until I find out what comprises them, and then be disgusted. If people don't care why they eat meat, but do so because they like the taste of it, that's fine with me, and I don't consider them any dumber than anyone else.

Once I think about my food's origin, I get into Drac's argument. I actually do think we're better than other animals (I really don't want to think about why, but I'm sure there's a good reason, albeit not very pertinent to this thread), but at the same time I realize that we still are animals on some level. We evolved from the same lifeforms and still act on carnal desires. I don't find this to be contradictory or hypocritical in any way.

Meat's also healthy and part of a good diet. That's a fine reason right there.

@Chrissi: I suppose I'm the same way with vegetarians. I can respect people who have a good, logical reason for being that way, but I can't stand the PETA-supporting I-don't-want-to-hurt-the-little-animals wild-eyed Greenpeace-member vegetarians.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[Chrissi]

Well I don't know, fusi0n. I personally think meat tastes bad now. I didn't before, obviously, but I have tried it a few times in the past just to see if I still hate it, and I do... I haven't had the urge to have meat since the first few months of going veg.

I think we're raised to like meat, because of some of the reasons you said. Of course, I suppose we're raised to like vegetables too. Except most people hate those. :P I guarantee that if you stop eating meat for 5 or 6 years, you'll hate it.

Oh Guido, you just mentioned one of my pet peeves. PETA. Oh my god are they a bunch of dumbasses who disgrace vegetarians everywhere. They're definitely the extremists, no matter how much they try to deny it or justify their acts.

[evilbutterfly]

you know, 1 serving of meat uses enough grain to feed 10 people. thus, if more people were vegitarian we'd conserve our resources and environment, and we may end world hunger.

fuck that, cows taste good. in the words of Homer, "mmmmm, burger."

[Chrissi]

evilbutterfly, not to be mean, but go away. You're not taking this seriously.

[fusi0n]

He did make a good point.

It's ok if people decide to be vegitarian, but I think if everyone did, there would be tons of animals we wouldn't want to eat running around, and all of our resources would be expended quickly.

[Verruckter]

If we where all vegetarian, the world economy would certanly crash. Meat production is a big part of economy, and it is useful.

[classof04]

Originally Posted by fusi0n

He did make a good point.

It's ok if people decide to be vegitarian, but I think if everyone did, there would be tons of animals we wouldn't want to eat running around, and all of our resources would be expended quickly.

So then there would be MORE people hungry, so this is actually a system of checks and blances, and we play a very important part in the system

[Laharl]

It's not like there aren't any animals that die in grain harvesting and other such practices that yeild non-meats. There really isn't any way that people can get away from killing animals to eat food unless they grow it themselves.

I eat meat for health reasons. There's a lot of vital nutrients and protiens in meats that vegetables just do not have, in all of the plant kingdom. I don't want to have to live on supplementary pills the rest of my life.

[IronMonk]

Verruckter

If we where all vegetarian, the world economy would certanly crash. Meat production is a big part of economy, and it is useful.

correction, it is a big but unnecisary part of the economy, you can grow grain on the land you grow cows on. i am a vegitarian, i eat meat right now because i have no alternatives, my parents do not give me an option. that said i still considder myself to be a vegitarian because when givien a choice i choose not to eat meat.

[Anticrombie0909]

Basically, I eat meat because I've never seen a reason not to. I don't feel sympathy for the animals I eat- they're already dead, what do they care? The hamburger in front of me is not going to be offended. I don't see it as unhealthy- I'm an unhealthy eater anyway, no denying it. I eat crap, and that's who I am. Meat is part of that. I don't see it as morally wrong- if we weren't supposed to eat animals we wouldnt' have evolved to eat animals (but I probably wouldn't care anyway). And finally, meat tastes good- very few things top a giant, juicy, 22 ounce steak. Or a rack of ribs, dripping with BBQ. Or a one pound, greasy, cheeseburger. *drool*

Holy crap I'm hungry.

[GuidoHunter]

Meat is definitely not an unnecessary part of our economy. Sure you could grow grain on the land used for meat, but grain doesn't sell for nearly as much. From feed, herders, ranchers, slaughterhouses, packing, and sale (I'm sure there are plenty of other intermediaries, too), a vast amount of people would become unemployed if meat were taken out, and that would absolutely cripple our economy. That doesn't even take into account other countries. I'm not too sure about meat exports, but I'm sure nothing good would come out of removing them from the system.

Oh, and what would we do with that excess grain? In recent years, we've been producing too much, and the government's been paying farmers to cut back on grain production.

(Damn, it feels good to be back on the forums. Life without the internet sucks.)

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com