eating your pet open discussion

[Sonya9]

I haven't eaten an animal since January 1 of this year. I haven't died. So it isn't a matter of whose life is more important... it's just what I'm choosing. My husband eats meat, that's ok. All of you eat meat, that's ok. Me,I love my chicks. I can't watch them grow, watch them interact, watch them discover stuff then eat them. and in turn, I don't understand how anyone could. That's all. So no animal has to die for me to live, because I eat beans and nuts and vegetables. I didn't think of vaccines and fossil fuels because the thread topic is about eating your pets. Jeesh and good lord people seem to like to attack the people that choose to NOT eat meat and avoid fast food, why is that?
I am learning,I am new to this and I am just doing what I feel is right in my own typically black heart

Of course you won't die from not eating meat, a bazillion Hindus have proved that many times over.

 

[Oliver Douglas]

Wareham has certainly changed since I lived nearby. My cousin owned a place on Cottage Street in New Bedford, and my aunt lived in New Bedford. Most of the others were in Mattapoisett, Wareham or Rochester. Still have a brother out there and his family, and assorted cousins. Aunt Mildred had the most chickens, mostly Barred Rocks, including one mean rooster. Miss the quahogs!

 

[Nupe]

Jeesh and good lord people seem to like to attack the people that choose to NOT eat meat and avoid fast food, why is that?

Actually you attacked first when you said:

No animal needs to die for us to live.


That pretty much implies the rest of us who eat meat and are willing to utilize our livestock for its intended purpose are somehow wrong, immoral and/or cruel. Most people don't take kindly to that and will put up a fight.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I think we are all willing to make sacrifices in order to improve the quality of what we are eating, whether it be for motivated by the health of our families, the health of the animals we are interacting with or the health of the planet. Just like religion, diet is a personal thing and something we often get passionate about and while discussion should always be an option, argument and attack is usually counterproductive. I've made lots of sacrifices in order to feel good about what I am eating...mostly in time and money because raising my own meat (and trading chicken and turkey for goat, beef and this year pork) is not nearly as cheep and convenient as swinging by the meat aisle in the grocery store. I also realize that my tiny contribution to ending the unhealthy and inhumane practics of factory farming, while huge from a single family perspective does little on a national or international scale. I am pleased to see that so many others are, in their own way, trying to impact this issue and I salute you all, even if your personal choices differ from my own.

Just saw this on Facebook about "Food Revolution" day: https://www.change.org/p/jamie-oliver-needs-your-help-fighting-for-food-education-foodrevolutionday

 

[pingu1]

this thread is coming really exciting
and I will say that now I have asked my parents and have related it to the bible I believe that we are superior to animals

 

[Oliver Douglas]

Not so much superior, since I have met people who were obviously raised in the shallow end of the gene pool, but we as humans have a moral and ethical obligation to be good stewards of the earth. It's not like we have another planet to move to should we screw this one up beyond repair. Conservation of resources, smart usage, and consideration of our environment should be our prime directives (not a Star Trek reference....). That's why so many folks these days are into backyard farming. It may not be cost effective at times, but we are doing our parts as best as we can. Recycle, re-use, compost where you can find the room. Reduce land fill waste. Take advantage of what nature provides for us. With this drought in California, we water only when necessary to maintain the fruit trees in the orchard, using a hose rather than sprinklers. We water the lawn twice a week, and only then if it doesn't rain. Having moved from a 6000 square foot city lot in San Jose to .4 acres here in the Sierra foothills, we've had to make adjustments to preserve water. One of them was NOT giving up bathing....

 

[Drewnkat]

this thread is coming really exciting
and I will say that now I have asked my parents and have related it to the bible I believe that we are superior to animals

That gets into religious beliefs, which may also cause some... stimulating debate.

However, I believe:
Human beings are the only species known to plan ahead (even several generations ahead).
Human beings are so far the only species known to have a concept of "morality" as defined by right and wrong, truth vs. lie. Some animals have displayed instincts that we anthropomorphize as "empathy" or nobility, but it cannot be proven that the animal consciously understands these concepts on any level.

Despite what some radicals have claimed, I believe humans are part of the environment, and their intervention in their habitat is just as "natural" as the beaver chewing down trees and damming up a river to make a pond, despite the negative effects this may have on other animal populations. The difference is, you don't see the other beavers clucking their tongues and criticizing the Beaver Family for their construction choices!

I believe that because humans have the capability to reason and plan, they have a greater responsibility to manage natural resources and take good care of their environment.
I believe this can include ethically raising animals for meat, milk, eggs, wool, honey, leather and other animal products.
I believe this can include keeping animals for companionship.
I believe this means people who consciously choose to mistreat animals are making an immoral choice, but I categorically do not include humane butchering or thoughtful wildlife management that includes hunting as "mistreatment" of animals.

I absolutely respect the decisions of some to avoid animal products altogether. That is their right.
I respect that some people prefer not to eat meat, or feel that eating meat makes them feel unwell.
That respect does not extend to those who believe their right to make decisions extends to me or my family. That respect does not include those who are in such denial about the reality of life on this planet that they lose all compassion for those who have different life experiences or different needs.
E.g. people who require animal-based medications to treat diabetes or thyroid problems.
People who come from tribal cultures and whose traditional lifestyle includes hunting.
People who live in areas where they cannot sustain their calorie needs on what grows there, and animal protein is necessary for their survival.
People who are not at optimal health with a vegetarian diet, and whose nutritional requirements are better served by an omnivorous lifestyle.

 

[Madison-Jamil]

Yep.. The only group people that really come close to being true vegans would be the Jains in India and when it gets down to it they really do not have many food options. They won't even eat root veggies because pulling them out of the ground can kill other organisms and since root veggies sprout off roots into new plants they consider them a living being.

 

[Oliver Douglas]

Vegetarian...native American word for "lousy hunter".

 

[I Love Layers]

I believe yes
I could, it's better than the stuff you buy at Wal-Mart LOL