dont eat meat ever again!

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  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    Ok.. I have to say this..

    I live where cattle are raised.. I pass pastures full of cattle every day. I see them grazing contentedly.. I see calves cavorting and playing.. I don't see how this is abuse or mistreatment..

    those are either free range farms or they're farms that haven't shipped the cattle off to the feedlot yet to be processed.

    do some research on factory farms in America and the volume of meat that comes from them vs. free range farms. Also, look into the processing practices. Or just watch Forks Over Knives or Vegucated.

    Yeah, they get shipped to the feedlot.. but they don't spend their lives there.. These animals are raised for food.. They're not pets. No matter how they're slaughtered, whether it be through large processing plants or locally, they are going to be 'fed up' before that happens.. And then they're going to be killed and butchered..

    it's really not that simple. for your perusal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_farming

    Yeah, it is that simple.. We have a massive population of people who cannot produce what they eat... Someone has to do that for them.. Small family farms cannot produce enough quickly enough to keep our population healthy..

    if our population ate less meat, we'd all be better off. Americans eat 100% more meat today than they did 50 years ago, that's why factory farming began to boom. We're no healthier now than we were then, so why not cut back and give ourselves better health, protect the environment, and lower the amount of animal abuse going on? Not to mention the introduction of all sorts of extra hormones and antibiotics into our systems.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    Ok.. I have to say this..

    I live where cattle are raised.. I pass pastures full of cattle every day. I see them grazing contentedly.. I see calves cavorting and playing.. I don't see how this is abuse or mistreatment..

    those are either free range farms or they're farms that haven't shipped the cattle off to the feedlot yet to be processed.

    do some research on factory farms in America and the volume of meat that comes from them vs. free range farms. Also, look into the processing practices. Or just watch Forks Over Knives or Vegucated.

    Yeah, they get shipped to the feedlot.. but they don't spend their lives there.. These animals are raised for food.. They're not pets. No matter how they're slaughtered, whether it be through large processing plants or locally, they are going to be 'fed up' before that happens.. And then they're going to be killed and butchered..

    it's really not that simple. for your perusal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_farming

    This guy...this is what I think of when I hear vegetarian.

    i take that as a compliment (though I'm not actually a vegetarian)
  • Diary_Queen
    Diary_Queen Posts: 1,314 Member
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    I am a non-vegetarian though I do have some vegetarian meal days where I eat tempeh, veg cheeses, lentils for protein and iron and a metric ton of 'traditional' green veggies. It doesn't happen often for me because I'm an omnivore and feel that I'm okay with that as my feeding patten.

    I think most people have the reactions you've experienced because the concept is foreign to them. I mean they KNOW you don't eat meat, but since they don't do the same thing then it seems like something that they would not enjoy - reverse reciprocal assumption sort of thing. If *I* enjoy A but have never done B and my friend enjoys B after having done A, then that must mean I don't enjoy A or *I* would be doing it too (not logical but a generic assumption based on other people's actions in this vague scenario) -- that sort of mentality happens a lot with things that aren't fully understood or something misunderstood. I agree that it's not that you can never have a burger or cheese or yogurt type stuff... it's that you've made a choice to eat those food items only when they are made from non-animal based materials. It sounds like you've experienced people that base their opinions and reactions on their own life experience in an ego-centric way.

    Can't say that that is right or wrong... I'm sure I do the same thing from time to time. However, it's easy for people to pop off a stand-offish response versus saying, "oh, well, I don't know what it would be like to be a vegetarian, but good on you." Not often that I come across folks that take an open-minded, humble response. Perhaps they will feel judged that they don't really know jack about vegetarianism and they assume you eat salads and wheat grass shots all day and if so, they may find that embarrassing and cover it up with a little humor, albeit humor at the expense of your feelings. Meh, people do as they please. We're all judged everyday for one reason or another........ I doubt that is going to change.
  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
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    I eat meat. My boyfriend who lives with me is a vegetarian. His sister is a vegetarian who briefly turned vegan for ethical reasons. My boss is a carnivore who hates all vegetables.

    Me: I have no problem with your decision to eat whatever one way or another until it somehow impacts me. My boyfriend being vegetarian is something I never had an issue with until I started seriously lifting weights. I need a lot more protein now, so I have to choose between a) cooking two different dinners so I can get protein from meat, b) eating foods I really dislike (like eggs) to get my protein, or c) just not getting as much in. I'd never, ever say anything rude to him over it, but there are some nights after heavy workouts where I make him take me out to dinner so we can both get what we need. Vegetarianism is a great lifestyle for some, but because it's restrictive it can impose a bit on others.

    My boyfriend: He was raised vegetarian. He's tried meat and hates it (e.g. seafood tastes like cement). However, because his dietary restriction is purely because of how things taste and not for religious or ethical reasons, he's the most lenient vegetarian in existence. I can cook with beef broth, he'll eat BBQ chicken pizza with me and just pick the chicken off, etc. As long as he can't taste the meat, he doesn't really care. He does tell people he's a vegetarian because if his workplace is catering lunch, he wants to ensure there's SOMETHING he can eat.... He'd prefer to not make a meal out of picked-apart sandwiches. He's definitely not asking anyone to change their lifestyles or give up meat.

    His sister: Same story as my boyfriend until she turned vegan. She decided using any sort of animal product was cruel to animals, and for a few months she became very preachy, telling my boyfriend he needed to give up eggs and not wear leather. It was effing annoying. She'd go to chain restaurants like Panera and ask to see the nutrition menu to verify no meat product whatsoever was in her meal of choice, and it would take an extra 10-15 minutes so she could read everything and make up her mind. This lasted until she lost too much weight and started getting kidney stones from malnutrition. Now she's back to eating vegetarian, and the preachiness has subsided, so everyone gets along again, but her family was really starting to hate her for a while. (I'm not saying anything bad about vegans or that it's an unhealthy lifestyle. It was a bad choice for her because she executed it poorly. I AM saying that whatever lifestyle you choose, don't try to shove it down others' throats. No one appreciates that.)

    My boss: He hates vegetables. HATES them. If there's a shred of lettuce stuck to his burger bun, he surgically removes it. When he hears someone is vegetarian, he ALWAYS asks "But WHY?!" To him, being able to live without meat is not just weird, it's an impossibility. All of his favorite foods are meat-based. If it wasn't for meat, he wouldn't be able to get enough calories in his system to live because he'd never gag down a tomato. He talked with my boyfriend about it and stared at him like he had three heads for the whole conversation. It just does not compute. He'd definitely be an "Mmmmm bacon" kind of guy... Not because he feels threatened to convert to vegetarianism, but because he just straight-up does not understand it and has nothing better to contribute to a discussion about it.

    Remember that food in general is personal and close to people's hearts. Sometimes not being able to share your food experience with others is disappointing and even frustrating, and rude comments can arise from that.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
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    Ok.. I have to say this..

    I live where cattle are raised.. I pass pastures full of cattle every day. I see them grazing contentedly.. I see calves cavorting and playing.. I don't see how this is abuse or mistreatment..

    those are either free range farms or they're farms that haven't shipped the cattle off to the feedlot yet to be processed.

    do some research on factory farms in America and the volume of meat that comes from them vs. free range farms. Also, look into the processing practices. Or just watch Forks Over Knives or Vegucated.

    Yeah, they get shipped to the feedlot.. but they don't spend their lives there.. These animals are raised for food.. They're not pets. No matter how they're slaughtered, whether it be through large processing plants or locally, they are going to be 'fed up' before that happens.. And then they're going to be killed and butchered..

    it's really not that simple. for your perusal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_farming

    This guy...this is what I think of when I hear vegetarian.

    You mean well educated and passionate about his choices? In that case, I agree 100%.

    ha ha ha you're new here right?

    btw he's not a veggie.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    Ok.. I have to say this..

    I live where cattle are raised.. I pass pastures full of cattle every day. I see them grazing contentedly.. I see calves cavorting and playing.. I don't see how this is abuse or mistreatment..

    those are either free range farms or they're farms that haven't shipped the cattle off to the feedlot yet to be processed.

    do some research on factory farms in America and the volume of meat that comes from them vs. free range farms. Also, look into the processing practices. Or just watch Forks Over Knives or Vegucated.

    Yeah, they get shipped to the feedlot.. but they don't spend their lives there.. These animals are raised for food.. They're not pets. No matter how they're slaughtered, whether it be through large processing plants or locally, they are going to be 'fed up' before that happens.. And then they're going to be killed and butchered..

    it's really not that simple. for your perusal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_farming

    This guy...this is what I think of when I hear vegetarian.

    You mean well educated and passionate about his choices? In that case, I agree 100%.

    ha ha ha you're new here right?

    btw he's not a veggie.

    you can't argue with the passionate part. :wink:
  • usernameMAMA
    usernameMAMA Posts: 681 Member
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    Ok.. I have to say this..

    I live where cattle are raised.. I pass pastures full of cattle every day. I see them grazing contentedly.. I see calves cavorting and playing.. I don't see how this is abuse or mistreatment..

    those are either free range farms or they're farms that haven't shipped the cattle off to the feedlot yet to be processed.

    do some research on factory farms in America and the volume of meat that comes from them vs. free range farms. Also, look into the processing practices. Or just watch Forks Over Knives or Vegucated.

    Yeah, they get shipped to the feedlot.. but they don't spend their lives there.. These animals are raised for food.. They're not pets. No matter how they're slaughtered, whether it be through large processing plants or locally, they are going to be 'fed up' before that happens.. And then they're going to be killed and butchered..

    it's really not that simple. for your perusal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_farming

    This guy...this is what I think of when I hear vegetarian.

    You mean well educated and passionate about his choices? In that case, I agree 100%.

    Not so much that as... here read this, watch this, let me tell you how it REALLY is, see how right I am?
  • diodelcibo
    diodelcibo Posts: 2,564 Member
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    I only get annoyed if they take the moral highground: being a vegetarian does not make you better than me :laugh:
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    Options
    Ok.. I have to say this..

    I live where cattle are raised.. I pass pastures full of cattle every day. I see them grazing contentedly.. I see calves cavorting and playing.. I don't see how this is abuse or mistreatment..

    those are either free range farms or they're farms that haven't shipped the cattle off to the feedlot yet to be processed.

    do some research on factory farms in America and the volume of meat that comes from them vs. free range farms. Also, look into the processing practices. Or just watch Forks Over Knives or Vegucated.

    Yeah, they get shipped to the feedlot.. but they don't spend their lives there.. These animals are raised for food.. They're not pets. No matter how they're slaughtered, whether it be through large processing plants or locally, they are going to be 'fed up' before that happens.. And then they're going to be killed and butchered..

    it's really not that simple. for your perusal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_farming

    This guy...this is what I think of when I hear vegetarian.

    You mean well educated and passionate about his choices? In that case, I agree 100%.

    ha ha ha you're new here right?

    btw he's not a veggie.

    you can't argue with the passionate part. :wink:

    Damn, true. :noway: but the educated bit...... :flowerforyou:
  • erinpd
    erinpd Posts: 96
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    Ok.. I have to say this..

    I live where cattle are raised.. I pass pastures full of cattle every day. I see them grazing contentedly.. I see calves cavorting and playing.. I don't see how this is abuse or mistreatment..

    those are either free range farms or they're farms that haven't shipped the cattle off to the feedlot yet to be processed.

    do some research on factory farms in America and the volume of meat that comes from them vs. free range farms. Also, look into the processing practices. Or just watch Forks Over Knives or Vegucated.

    Yeah, they get shipped to the feedlot.. but they don't spend their lives there.. These animals are raised for food.. They're not pets. No matter how they're slaughtered, whether it be through large processing plants or locally, they are going to be 'fed up' before that happens.. And then they're going to be killed and butchered..

    it's really not that simple. for your perusal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_farming

    Yeah, it is that simple.. We have a massive population of people who cannot produce what they eat... Someone has to do that for them.. Small family farms cannot produce enough quickly enough to keep our population healthy..

    Or, we just stop eating so much effin' meat?

    Without factory farming, we wouldn't be able to swing through a drive thru and purchase 15 hamburgers off the dollar menu. So it isn't about health. It's about our bloated sense of entitlement.
  • ron2e
    ron2e Posts: 606
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    the problem is that in America, the MAJORITY of livestock are treated cruelly. The ones that aren't are the exceptions, and thus cost more $$

    You know that for a fact? I can't comment as I'm not aware what happens to livestock in America, but it sounds like you need a consumer group to insist on compassionate farming as we are doing in Europe. See http://www.ciwf.org.uk/ for example, if you are at all interested.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Ok.. I have to say this..

    I live where cattle are raised.. I pass pastures full of cattle every day. I see them grazing contentedly.. I see calves cavorting and playing.. I don't see how this is abuse or mistreatment..

    those are either free range farms or they're farms that haven't shipped the cattle off to the feedlot yet to be processed.

    do some research on factory farms in America and the volume of meat that comes from them vs. free range farms. Also, look into the processing practices. Or just watch Forks Over Knives or Vegucated.

    Yeah, they get shipped to the feedlot.. but they don't spend their lives there.. These animals are raised for food.. They're not pets. No matter how they're slaughtered, whether it be through large processing plants or locally, they are going to be 'fed up' before that happens.. And then they're going to be killed and butchered..

    it's really not that simple. for your perusal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_farming

    Yeah, it is that simple.. We have a massive population of people who cannot produce what they eat... Someone has to do that for them.. Small family farms cannot produce enough quickly enough to keep our population healthy..

    if our population ate less meat, we'd all be better off. Americans eat 100% more meat today than they did 50 years ago, that's why factory farming began to boom. We're no healthier now than we were then, so why not cut back and give ourselves better health, protect the environment, and lower the amount of animal abuse going on? Not to mention the introduction of all sorts of extra hormones and antibiotics into our systems.

    Ah, so you've finally steared the thread around so you can get on your soapbox. I guess things were going too smoothly and you decided to make your prediction in the 2nd post of this thread a reality.
  • idream2bgwen
    idream2bgwen Posts: 424 Member
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    I turned vegan in November for health reasons. I was having migraines 2-3 times a week and my neurologist suggested the eat to live diet. I have had 2 migraines since I switched to a vegan diet. I love a big ol' steak but not taking a pill daily and not having migraines totally makes it worth it to me. I don't have many people that say anything other than maybe, "I could never do that" or "I love .... too much" and it really doesn't bug me.

    When I go out to eat, it is my responsiblity to make changes to their dishes. I usually tend to have a salad hold any meat or cheese. It is just easier that way. I live in an area that is not super vegan friendly but I am finding more and more places that are vegan friendly. I try to go to those places if I can. I hold all of that on my shoulders. I would not EVER go into a steak house and expect them to prepare something vegan for me.

    :flowerforyou:
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
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    if our population ate less meat, we'd all be better off. Americans eat 100% more meat today than they did 50 years ago, that's why factory farming began to boom. We're no healthier now than we were then, so why not cut back and give ourselves better health, protect the environment, and lower the amount of animal abuse going on? Not to mention the introduction of all sorts of extra hormones and antibiotics into our systems.

    Ah, so you've finally steared the thread around so you can get on your soapbox. I guess things were going too smoothly and you decided to make your prediction in the 2nd post of this thread a reality.

    :laugh: so true. It was a suprising well behaved thread until someone changed the topic.
  • annanderson77985
    annanderson77985 Posts: 57 Member
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    Ever since I learned that carrots scream when picked, I cannot eat a carrot until someone invents a humane way of killing them. I am a meatarian because I don't want to see the poor little vegetables cruelly treated.

    Oh do go away.
    To be ignorant to animal cruelty is one thing, some people genuinely don't know how badly animals can be treated.
    To take the p*** is another.

    How many slaughterhouses have you been to? Have you ever seen an ox poleaxed? I've seen animals killed humanely often and it hasn't put me off eating meat, in fact it makes me feel better that they don't suffer, most methods are very quick and the animal doesn't know what is coming. However they only exist and have any life at all because I and others like me are prepared to eat their flesh or they wouldn't be farmed. I am aware that is not the case everywhere and that cruelty to animals does exist, that is not a reason I should stop eating meat.

    And I'm sorry if my little joke hit a sensitive spot, but lighten up, I will take the p*** if I like you are perfectly at liberty to respond in a like manner.

    the problem is that in America, the MAJORITY of livestock are treated cruelly. The ones that aren't are the exceptions, and thus cost more $$

    I see from your profile that you live in Manhattan, NY.. How much farming experience do you have? In my experience, most of the people who campaign against the meat industry are urban dwellers who have had little or no hands on experience with the raising of livestock. They're knowledge comes from what they've read, mostly written by others who have issues with 'whatever'..

    Most of 'flyover' country is farming country.. Farming/ranching is hard, back breaking work with little reward.. Farmers are subject to the whims of weather.. insect infestation, diseases that can wipe out whole crops and/or herds.. and decimate a livelihood in a season.. I, for one, am eternally grateful that there are those hardy, independent men and women who relish such a life, and feed a planet..
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    the problem is that in America, the MAJORITY of livestock are treated cruelly. The ones that aren't are the exceptions, and thus cost more $$

    You know that for a fact? I can't comment as I'm not aware what happens to livestock in America, but it sounds like you need a consumer group to insist on compassionate farming as we are doing in Europe. See http://www.ciwf.org.uk/ for example, if you are at all interested.

    thanks for the info! yeah, Europe is way ahead of us on this issue:
    Factory farming now accounts for more than 99 percent of all farmed animals raised and slaughtered in the United States.3
    - Environmental Protection Agency, Producers’ Compliance Guide for CAFOs, August 2003.

    According to the Worldwatch Institute, 74 percent of the world's poultry, 43 percent of beef, and 68 percent of eggs are produced this way.[22]
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    Options
    Ok.. I have to say this..

    I live where cattle are raised.. I pass pastures full of cattle every day. I see them grazing contentedly.. I see calves cavorting and playing.. I don't see how this is abuse or mistreatment..

    those are either free range farms or they're farms that haven't shipped the cattle off to the feedlot yet to be processed.

    do some research on factory farms in America and the volume of meat that comes from them vs. free range farms. Also, look into the processing practices. Or just watch Forks Over Knives or Vegucated.

    Yeah, they get shipped to the feedlot.. but they don't spend their lives there.. These animals are raised for food.. They're not pets. No matter how they're slaughtered, whether it be through large processing plants or locally, they are going to be 'fed up' before that happens.. And then they're going to be killed and butchered..

    it's really not that simple. for your perusal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_farming

    Yeah, it is that simple.. We have a massive population of people who cannot produce what they eat... Someone has to do that for them.. Small family farms cannot produce enough quickly enough to keep our population healthy..

    if our population ate less meat, we'd all be better off. Americans eat 100% more meat today than they did 50 years ago, that's why factory farming began to boom. We're no healthier now than we were then, so why not cut back and give ourselves better health, protect the environment, and lower the amount of animal abuse going on? Not to mention the introduction of all sorts of extra hormones and antibiotics into our systems.

    Ah, so you've finally steared the thread around so you can get on your soapbox. I guess things were going too smoothly and you decided to make your prediction in the 2nd post of this thread a reality.

    i recognize the irony. wasn't intentional... just kinda happened. but I'll stop. Gotta go running anyway
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    Here is the problem. I do not think you are wrong and bad for wanting to eat nothing but veggies. You however do believe you are somehow better and more evolved than those of us who eat meat. (don't deny it) You are no better than the religious zealots that run around telling people they will go to hell if they don't believe exactly what the preacher says. You are wrong. You bought into a fad and you are wasting your time and mine by trying to convince any of us otherwise.

    I don't believe I'm better than anyone. Where did you get that from???
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    Ever since I learned that carrots scream when picked, I cannot eat a carrot until someone invents a humane way of killing them. I am a meatarian because I don't want to see the poor little vegetables cruelly treated.

    Oh do go away.
    To be ignorant to animal cruelty is one thing, some people genuinely don't know how badly animals can be treated.
    To take the p*** is another.

    How many slaughterhouses have you been to? Have you ever seen an ox poleaxed? I've seen animals killed humanely often and it hasn't put me off eating meat, in fact it makes me feel better that they don't suffer, most methods are very quick and the animal doesn't know what is coming. However they only exist and have any life at all because I and others like me are prepared to eat their flesh or they wouldn't be farmed. I am aware that is not the case everywhere and that cruelty to animals does exist, that is not a reason I should stop eating meat.

    And I'm sorry if my little joke hit a sensitive spot, but lighten up, I will take the p*** if I like you are perfectly at liberty to respond in a like manner.

    the problem is that in America, the MAJORITY of livestock are treated cruelly. The ones that aren't are the exceptions, and thus cost more $$

    I see from your profile that you live in Manhattan, NY.. How much farming experience do you have? In my experience, most of the people who campaign against the meat industry are urban dwellers who have had little or no hands on experience with the raising of livestock. They're knowledge comes from what they've read, mostly written by others who have issues with 'whatever'..

    Most of 'flyover' country is farming country.. Farming/ranching is hard, back breaking work with little reward.. Farmers are subject to the whims of weather.. insect infestation, diseases that can wipe out whole crops and/or herds.. and decimate a livelihood in a season.. I, for one, am eternally grateful that there are those hardy, independent men and women who relish such a life, and feed a planet..

    I grew up in Iowa
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    I believe that vegetarianism and veganism are different expressions of the same eating disorder. You're a human being, eat meat.


    See. This is what I am talking about.