I would like to propose a political but positive point to vegans. You have no hope of persuading more than a tiny minority to give up eating meat, and as nations such as China become richer the people eat more meat. But the methods by which animals are prepared for eating are in many and perhaps most cases horrible. They are often raised in terrible conditions (pigs spending all their lives trapped in a narrow cage) and killed in ways at which we can only shudder.
It is also the case that many if not most people (even meat eaters) are in principle animal lovers and enhanced campaigns against the methods of raising and killing animals would have the effect of changing things for the better, though the campaigns would have to be determined and continuous. Indeed there have been some successes in this direction......in the cases of how chickens are kept, and in the production of veal. This is the way forward, and to argue against eating meat in principle will weaken the impact - those that eat meat will dismiss the whole matter as the views of a minority of special pleaders
I would add that it is only vegans and vegetarians who can legitimately campaign against traditional fox hunting. The cruelty to the fox is marginal to the cruelty involved in fattening and killing animals for food. And as for the moral fault in killing animals for pleasure, one has to say that any campaigner against hunting who takes pleasure in eating meat without considering how it is brought to the table is even more morally at fault
It is also the case that many if not most people (even meat eaters) are in principle animal lovers and enhanced campaigns against the methods of raising and killing animals would have the effect of changing things for the better, though the campaigns would have to be determined and continuous. Indeed there have been some successes in this direction......in the cases of how chickens are kept, and in the production of veal. This is the way forward, and to argue against eating meat in principle will weaken the impact - those that eat meat will dismiss the whole matter as the views of a minority of special pleaders
I would add that it is only vegans and vegetarians who can legitimately campaign against traditional fox hunting. The cruelty to the fox is marginal to the cruelty involved in fattening and killing animals for food. And as for the moral fault in killing animals for pleasure, one has to say that any campaigner against hunting who takes pleasure in eating meat without considering how it is brought to the table is even more morally at fault
One recalls one's favourite public figure's quote:
ReplyDelete"Stop being vegan and start enjoying what you eat." - Jamie Oliver
It is a spot on because people who love to eat (and enjoys it uninhibitedly) are always the best people.
Brillat Savarin said " Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are"
ReplyDeleteI had to Google that one because I thought you were pulling my leg of cheese quoting wisdom.
DeleteBrillat Savarin came before the cheese. His book The Phisiology of Taste is worth getting
ReplyDeleteWe campaign both for the Cessation of killing Unnecessarily for food and also for ethical animal husbandry. No paradox there. Nor does some people's belief that the world will never be vegan stop us. 'right thinking people' used to have slaves. One day people will look back On meat eating as barbarism.
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ReplyDeleteMy point is a political one. Whatever your aim in the long term, the impact of a campaign for the right treatment of animals raised for food will be significantly weakened if you also campaign against eating meet at all. Those you wish to convince about animal welfare will in most case dismiss the relevant arguments as points made by extremists.
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