Do you eat animals?

[Catherine]

Welcome back. It is good to hear from you.
That is a good list of movies. I have seen Cowspiracy, but I don't think I have seen the others. I will have to watch them when I have time this weekend.

We have vegan and vegetarian members, some of them for many years. I think a lot of us take seriously all animal issues from trophy hunting and factory farming to cosmetic testing and lab tests on animals and anything in between.  Many of our posts reflect a respect for all animal species. Certainly we reject the exploitation of all animals for any reason. I think we haven't specifically discussed this recently. There are so many  issues that come up. It is good that you reminded us about this.
I think many people are open to reducing their meat intake. That is a start and it moves us in the right direction. A lot of places have vegetarian and vegan food options on the menu. A few years ago this wasn't so. There are many vegan options in the grocery store now. Almost everything is available as a vegan option. 
My regular store has vegan ice-cream and vegan yogurt. There is vegan cheese and vegan milk too. They wouldn't carry these foods if people were not buying them. I think the number of people giving up animal products must be increasing. Of course the store I shop at is in the same neighbourhood where I saw a screening of Cowspiracy.

People are changing, our attitudes towards animals are changing. We still have a long way to go, but things are definitely better.
It is more possible to be vegan now. 

Quote:What would it take for you to go vegan for the animals?

To answer this question, I think it will take patient encouragement on the part of experienced vegans. Think of it as food mentoring. If people just stop eating meat, but don't know what to eat instead, they won't be able to keep it up. We have to teach people how to be vegan. The interest is there for many people. If we want them to do this we have to show them how.