Do you eat animals?

[Rory Vegan Heart]

E Hello ?,
 What would it take for you to go vegan for the animals?
 All animals have rights, not just humans and dogs and cats. Do you think it is hypocritical for people to get so upset at trophy hunting and cry bloody murder at Yulin and then go eat steak, sausage, hotdog, burger, bacon, ham, fish or any other meat? Why do we adore dogs and cats but eat pigs, cows (etc)? Surely, shouldn’t we apply the same love and compassion to them, too? 
 Animal rights documentaries (which you should watch, despite how graphic they are, if you eat meat and claim to love animals. “Earthlings” and “Land of Hope and Glory” all probably contain graphic imagery (I can’t speak for “Land of Hope and Glory” - I am a vegan and I haven’t watched it. I haven’t watched all of “Earthlings”, but it is known to be graphic. If you really don’t want to watch the graphic ones, please at least watch “Live and Let Live”, which is less graphic).
https://youtu.be/8gqwpfEcBjI
https://youtu.be/dvtVkNofcq8
https://youtu.be/yWi9ve2LECI
 Health documentaries.
https://youtu.be/dvtVkNofcq8

One Environmental Documentary.
https://youtu.be/thuHNqEQMIs
 Thank you and go live vegan!

[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.

[Tobi]

(04-23-2021, 05:23 AM)Rory Vegan Heart Wrote: Do you think it is hypocritical for people to get so upset at trophy hunting and cry bloody murder at Yulin and then go eat steak, sausage, hotdog, burger, bacon, ham, fish or any other meat? Why do we adore dogs and cats but eat pigs, cows (etc)? Surely, shouldn’t we apply the same love and compassion to them, too? 

You make an important point here. There is often a cognitive dissonance with people adoring the roast lamb on their plates, yet being "sensitive" and upset when they see scenes of hunting, for example, and loving to see the Spring lambs with their mothers in the fields.
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And yes, our compassion should extend to all animals. There is no such thing as a "human food animal" opposed to a "cute and friendly animal". They are all Souls and creatures.

I understand certain people having to eat meat, such as some indigenous hunter-gatherer people, who have no other food options because of the conditions or environments they live in. Or those who definitely cannot digest or tolerate vegan or vegetarian foods (there actually are such people.)
But for many of us, we can choose, and it is heart-felt to choose as kindly as we can with full consciousness.

[Catherine]

Quote:And yes, our compassion should extend to all animals. There is no such thing as a "human food animal" opposed to a "cute and friendly animal". They are all Souls and creatures.

This is the point exactly. If we do not respect all animals then we do have a cognitive dissonance. There is an imbalance in our thinking an in our spiritual and emotional states. If we are not in harmony with the world we live in then we are not in harmony within ourselves.  Indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples do not disrespect the animals they harvest. The idea of trophy hunting would be foreign to the more natural way of life.

Until we live in peace with the world around us we will never be at peace.  Choosing to eat in a way that respects other life on the planet is a choice that harmonizes us with the planet.  A vegan diet would be a step in the direction of harmony.