Tags: print
March 18, 2004
A vegan's beef with meat-eating
Glue for my craft projects, Tupperware to hold my lunch, plastic bottles for my soda and the cheese crackers on which I munch.
The daunting list of animal-exploiting products that I’ve used nearly every day goes on and on.
In a quest to combat our societal dependency on animals, I’ve been a foot soldier for the past three weeks in the vegetarian brigade, marching forward in a personal experimental journey to experience firsthand the discipline of veganism, the ultra-vegetarian lifestyle.
The V-word
I’ve joined a whole contingent of vegans (pronounced VEE-gun) who avoid using animal products and products tested on animals. This includes eliminating not only meat and fish from their diet but also milk, cheese, eggs, honey and clothing made from leather, wool and silk. Motives for such drastic dietary limitations stem from the belief that the lifestyle reduces animal suffering, conserves resources and benefits one’s personal health.
In the U.S. alone, there are an estimated 12 million vegetarians, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), including some right here at Blair. And some Blazers, like me, have taken vegetarianism a step further and have adopted veganism. Gone are our cheese omelet breakfasts, after-school chocolate milkshakes and traditional roast-beef suppers.
Meeting my meat
When shopping for my new diet at the natural-food store, I run into a fellow vegan soldier who encourages my reconnaissance of the vegan territory. Eager to help, the man loans me a video called Meet Your Meat, a short, PETA-made documentary exposing the horrors of the meat industry processes for raising and slaughtering livestock.
Back at home, I brace myself to watch the video, comforted knowing that under federal law, slaughtered cattle and hogs must be “stunned"—rendered insensible to pain—before meeting their death. But on screen, a subtitle reads, “Many pigs have their throats slit while they are still conscious," while the accompanying image shows a man swiftly cutting the necks of pigs. As if on cue, the pigs begin to jolt and spasm, but the killer saunters off unfazed. The video continues to show similarly stomach-churning scenes at farms and processing plants.
A meat-eater all my life, I am bothered by these brutal images. For starters, my conscience begins pondering the difference between pet animals and livestock: I fawn over the fowl that is my beloved parakeet but think nothing of hungrily devouring the fowl that is my rotisserie chicken dinner.
My own soul-searching helps me understand why veganism regards animals as sacrosanct; nothing should be done that violates the integrity and well-being of any animal.
Embracing alternatives
Secure in my new vegan outlook, I see that respecting animals includes not only avoiding their meat but also avoiding the leather that comes from their skin. Luckily, as the anti-animal-cruelty contingent continues to grow, shunning animal products is easier because of the increasing availability of alternatives.
Senior Michael Blair, a vegan for 18 months, can prove that there are viable ways to avoid consuming animal products. Pulling up his pantleg and stretching out his leg, he shows me his vegan and sweatshop-free shoes bearing a white tag which reads “Vegetarian Shoes."
Others, however, don’t see the need to find alternatives for their chicken nuggets, let alone their designer leather boots.
Got beef?
Senior Sergio Garcia believes that meat is a fundamental part of the human diet which should not be sidestepped. “Ham for breakfast, some meat for lunch," Garcia says, pausing to pull out a sandwich from his backpack and flop it open to show me the ground beef packed inside, “and ham, beef or steak for dinner."
Garcia justifies his ideas, citing the human race’s historical diet of animal meat. “Yes, it’s sad, but it’s the only way," he tells me. “I just think, ‘It’s meat. I’m gonna fry it, gonna eat it, and it’s gonna taste good.’ End of story," he says, his voice confident.
Vegans, however, point to the fact that every day, 840 million people worldwide, one quarter of which are children, go hungry. Producing meat, a food high up on the food chain, requires much more energy and many more natural resources than crops do; the beef in just one Big Mac represents enough wheat to make five loaves of bread.
It is estimated that if everyone adopted a vegetarian diet and no food was wasted, current food production could theoretically feed ten billion people, which is more than the projected population for the year 2050, according to PETA.
Differentiating the V-isms
The difference between veganism and vegetarianism lies in a vegan’s refusal of eggs, dairy and honey in addition to meat. Many foods are out-of-bounds when these are cut from the diet, especially tasty treats like pastries, pies and buttered popcorn.
But the reasoning behind relinquishing these foods is good enough for me. “Egg-laying hens are the most abused animal on the planet," says Josh Balk, Outreach Coordinator for Compassion Over Killing, a Washington, D.C.-based animal advocacy organization that promotes vegetarianism as the way to take a stand against animal cruelty. “And male chickens in the egg industry are useless in production because they can’t lay eggs," Balk continues. “So as soon as they’re born, they’re discarded in trashcans and simply thrown away."
Hearing about the horrible treatment of egg-laying hens roused vegetarian sophomore Mollie Segal’s interest in adopting a more restrictive vegan diet. Segal is an active and devoted member of PETA 2, PETA’s kids’ and teenagers’ domain, and recently founded Blair’s first Animal Rights Club.
Despite her devotion to animal rights, though, she expresses the difficulties that may prevent many people from assuming a vegan diet: the temptation to delve into yummy desserts and non-vegan foods. “It’s easy to forget sometimes and, like, dive into a chocolate bar," Segal admits, smiling sheepishly (most chocolate contains forbidden milk).
Cravings may be abundant in the world of veganism, but hit with a hankering, I simply recall egg-laying hens who pass their brief lifespan jammed into tiny wire cages and the resulting cage-mate cannibalization and self-mutilation. Suddenly, dealing with the cravings is not half as bad.
Nailing nutrition
For Segal and some others, practicing vegetarianism hasn’t been easy. In her early days as a vegetarian, Segal faced a problem not uncommon among teen vegetarians and vegans—malnutrition. When fits of vomiting and fainting became more frequent, Segal soon learned from her doctor that she suffered from anemia, a lack of sufficient iron in the blood.
Sophomore Stephanie Alfaro was forced to drop her vegan diet after being hospitalized for complications relating to anemia. She had been a vegan for one year and started to have fits of fainting, cold hands and concentration troubles.
Anemia-related sickness can be avoided, though, by the use of iron supplements and nutritional discipline. Both Segal and Alfaro now take iron vitamins, and Segal, still a vegetarian, pays better attention to eating foods that are rich in protein.
Christine Rushing, a registered licensed dietician at Brook Lane Health Services in Hagerstown, says the most important thing vegans must do is get enough Vitamin B-12, a vitamin that is found almost only in meats. Rushing is yet another dietician to endorse vegetarian-related diets.
Every person counts
As for me, I don’t feel more energetic or more tired since adopting veganism, but I do feel an enlightened sense of accomplishment. And I didn’t suffer during these several weeks of veganism, except when watching slaughter sequences on tape and scratching my head on how to push veganism to a scale large enough to tackle world hunger.
But I’m inspired by the committed words of Blair MAPS teacher Alan Kellerman, a vegan of 22 years, which will guide me as I continue to maintain a vegan diet and outlook. “It’s a long process," he tells me, following up with references to the significant strides veganism has made in the past decade.
“Who are [consumers] going to listen to: Colgate, Palmolive or me?" Kellerman asks rhetorically, pausing long enough for me to smile at him. “That doesn’t mean I have to give up, though. And I won’t."
I agree.
Pocket guide for the beginning vegan:
*Learn the fundamentals: Research veganism online, check out books from the library and talk to vegans around you.
*Get stocked: Keeping healthy vegan food around the house is important, so stash your fridge with vegetables, sesame crackers and soy ice cream.
*Find a friend/family member to do it also: The two of you can create a mini support group.
*Take vitamin supplements (protein, calcium, B-12): Keep yourself healthy by getting
the nutrients your body isn’t getting through the meat you used to eat.
*Keep your motives in sight: If at any points you doubt your commitment and feel like giving into a craving, remember your reasoning for becoming a vegan.
The daunting list of animal-exploiting products that I’ve used nearly every day goes on and on.
In a quest to combat our societal dependency on animals, I’ve been a foot soldier for the past three weeks in the vegetarian brigade, marching forward in a personal experimental journey to experience firsthand the discipline of veganism, the ultra-vegetarian lifestyle.
The V-word
I’ve joined a whole contingent of vegans (pronounced VEE-gun) who avoid using animal products and products tested on animals. This includes eliminating not only meat and fish from their diet but also milk, cheese, eggs, honey and clothing made from leather, wool and silk. Motives for such drastic dietary limitations stem from the belief that the lifestyle reduces animal suffering, conserves resources and benefits one’s personal health.
In the U.S. alone, there are an estimated 12 million vegetarians, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), including some right here at Blair. And some Blazers, like me, have taken vegetarianism a step further and have adopted veganism. Gone are our cheese omelet breakfasts, after-school chocolate milkshakes and traditional roast-beef suppers.
Meeting my meat
When shopping for my new diet at the natural-food store, I run into a fellow vegan soldier who encourages my reconnaissance of the vegan territory. Eager to help, the man loans me a video called Meet Your Meat, a short, PETA-made documentary exposing the horrors of the meat industry processes for raising and slaughtering livestock.
Senior Michael Blair shows off the vegan and sweatshop-free shoes he wears instead of traditional footwear.
Back at home, I brace myself to watch the video, comforted knowing that under federal law, slaughtered cattle and hogs must be “stunned"—rendered insensible to pain—before meeting their death. But on screen, a subtitle reads, “Many pigs have their throats slit while they are still conscious," while the accompanying image shows a man swiftly cutting the necks of pigs. As if on cue, the pigs begin to jolt and spasm, but the killer saunters off unfazed. The video continues to show similarly stomach-churning scenes at farms and processing plants.
A meat-eater all my life, I am bothered by these brutal images. For starters, my conscience begins pondering the difference between pet animals and livestock: I fawn over the fowl that is my beloved parakeet but think nothing of hungrily devouring the fowl that is my rotisserie chicken dinner.
My own soul-searching helps me understand why veganism regards animals as sacrosanct; nothing should be done that violates the integrity and well-being of any animal.
Embracing alternatives
Secure in my new vegan outlook, I see that respecting animals includes not only avoiding their meat but also avoiding the leather that comes from their skin. Luckily, as the anti-animal-cruelty contingent continues to grow, shunning animal products is easier because of the increasing availability of alternatives.
Senior Michael Blair, a vegan for 18 months, can prove that there are viable ways to avoid consuming animal products. Pulling up his pantleg and stretching out his leg, he shows me his vegan and sweatshop-free shoes bearing a white tag which reads “Vegetarian Shoes."
Others, however, don’t see the need to find alternatives for their chicken nuggets, let alone their designer leather boots.
Got beef?
Senior Sergio Garcia believes that meat is a fundamental part of the human diet which should not be sidestepped. “Ham for breakfast, some meat for lunch," Garcia says, pausing to pull out a sandwich from his backpack and flop it open to show me the ground beef packed inside, “and ham, beef or steak for dinner."
Garcia justifies his ideas, citing the human race’s historical diet of animal meat. “Yes, it’s sad, but it’s the only way," he tells me. “I just think, ‘It’s meat. I’m gonna fry it, gonna eat it, and it’s gonna taste good.’ End of story," he says, his voice confident.
Vegans, however, point to the fact that every day, 840 million people worldwide, one quarter of which are children, go hungry. Producing meat, a food high up on the food chain, requires much more energy and many more natural resources than crops do; the beef in just one Big Mac represents enough wheat to make five loaves of bread.
It is estimated that if everyone adopted a vegetarian diet and no food was wasted, current food production could theoretically feed ten billion people, which is more than the projected population for the year 2050, according to PETA.
Differentiating the V-isms
The difference between veganism and vegetarianism lies in a vegan’s refusal of eggs, dairy and honey in addition to meat. Many foods are out-of-bounds when these are cut from the diet, especially tasty treats like pastries, pies and buttered popcorn.
But the reasoning behind relinquishing these foods is good enough for me. “Egg-laying hens are the most abused animal on the planet," says Josh Balk, Outreach Coordinator for Compassion Over Killing, a Washington, D.C.-based animal advocacy organization that promotes vegetarianism as the way to take a stand against animal cruelty. “And male chickens in the egg industry are useless in production because they can’t lay eggs," Balk continues. “So as soon as they’re born, they’re discarded in trashcans and simply thrown away."
Hearing about the horrible treatment of egg-laying hens roused vegetarian sophomore Mollie Segal’s interest in adopting a more restrictive vegan diet. Segal is an active and devoted member of PETA 2, PETA’s kids’ and teenagers’ domain, and recently founded Blair’s first Animal Rights Club.
Despite her devotion to animal rights, though, she expresses the difficulties that may prevent many people from assuming a vegan diet: the temptation to delve into yummy desserts and non-vegan foods. “It’s easy to forget sometimes and, like, dive into a chocolate bar," Segal admits, smiling sheepishly (most chocolate contains forbidden milk).
Cravings may be abundant in the world of veganism, but hit with a hankering, I simply recall egg-laying hens who pass their brief lifespan jammed into tiny wire cages and the resulting cage-mate cannibalization and self-mutilation. Suddenly, dealing with the cravings is not half as bad.
Nailing nutrition
For Segal and some others, practicing vegetarianism hasn’t been easy. In her early days as a vegetarian, Segal faced a problem not uncommon among teen vegetarians and vegans—malnutrition. When fits of vomiting and fainting became more frequent, Segal soon learned from her doctor that she suffered from anemia, a lack of sufficient iron in the blood.
Sophomore Stephanie Alfaro was forced to drop her vegan diet after being hospitalized for complications relating to anemia. She had been a vegan for one year and started to have fits of fainting, cold hands and concentration troubles.
Anemia-related sickness can be avoided, though, by the use of iron supplements and nutritional discipline. Both Segal and Alfaro now take iron vitamins, and Segal, still a vegetarian, pays better attention to eating foods that are rich in protein.
Christine Rushing, a registered licensed dietician at Brook Lane Health Services in Hagerstown, says the most important thing vegans must do is get enough Vitamin B-12, a vitamin that is found almost only in meats. Rushing is yet another dietician to endorse vegetarian-related diets.
Every person counts
As for me, I don’t feel more energetic or more tired since adopting veganism, but I do feel an enlightened sense of accomplishment. And I didn’t suffer during these several weeks of veganism, except when watching slaughter sequences on tape and scratching my head on how to push veganism to a scale large enough to tackle world hunger.
But I’m inspired by the committed words of Blair MAPS teacher Alan Kellerman, a vegan of 22 years, which will guide me as I continue to maintain a vegan diet and outlook. “It’s a long process," he tells me, following up with references to the significant strides veganism has made in the past decade.
“Who are [consumers] going to listen to: Colgate, Palmolive or me?" Kellerman asks rhetorically, pausing long enough for me to smile at him. “That doesn’t mean I have to give up, though. And I won’t."
I agree.
Pocket guide for the beginning vegan:
*Learn the fundamentals: Research veganism online, check out books from the library and talk to vegans around you.
*Get stocked: Keeping healthy vegan food around the house is important, so stash your fridge with vegetables, sesame crackers and soy ice cream.
*Find a friend/family member to do it also: The two of you can create a mini support group.
*Take vitamin supplements (protein, calcium, B-12): Keep yourself healthy by getting
the nutrients your body isn’t getting through the meat you used to eat.
*Keep your motives in sight: If at any points you doubt your commitment and feel like giving into a craving, remember your reasoning for becoming a vegan.
Digg
del.icio.us
StumbleUpon
reddit
Facebook
Discuss this Article
if anybody's gonna do this veganism stuff (you'll miss the starbursts and gummy bears though, beware) get those supplements... they should definitely be included in any vegan diet.
it sounds like a pretty cool idea to be vegan.
Just because they don't speak doesn't mean they don't suffer. Imagine the pain a potato must feel when you boil it! Or how a tomato screams in silent agony when you slice it with a sharp knife!
Our ancestors knew this, they hunted down and slayed the giant plant killing mammoth and ate it's red raw meat with pleasure.
We must join with the other great predators of Earth and eat meat! Animals should eat animals, not plants. Nobody today speaks of vegetable rights, but just because we are animals doesn't mean that we have the right to oppress other lifeforms. Plants don't speak, but they breathe, procreate, grow and die like us. When you cut down a tree, it bleeds. Who can say it doesn't suffer when the chainsaw cuts through it's veins? Who gave a 40 year old man the right to kill a 700 year old oak? This organism saw it's first sunlight when the black plague was killing the 40 year old's ancestors in Europe in the 1300's. We must protect the silent, lifegiving majority of organisms on this planet!
Carnivores, unite! Eating meat is not just a way of staying healthy! It is a necessity! Our struggle is being sabotaged by vegans, so we need to eat more meat than ever to compensate for this. These people eat more plants than any other group in society!
http://www.wildlifedamagecontrol.com/animalrights/leastharm.htm
During his or her lifetime, the average American meat-eater is responsible for the abuse and deaths of some 2,618 factory farmed animals, including approximately 2,494 chickens, 82 turkeys, 31 pigs, 11 steers and calves, as well as several thousand fish. By eating only vegan foods, Brittany is personally saving the lives of thousands of animals!
She is also helping herself by following a vegetarian diet. While many kids her age are facing an obesity epidemic, Brittany can stay healthy by eating cholesterol-free plant-based foods that are generally much lower in fat and calories than animal products.
These days, veganism is easier— and more mainstream— then ever before. Great-tasting, good-for-you meat and dairy alternatives, such as Boca Burgers, Gardenburger vegetarian sausage, Smart Dogs, Silk soymilk, Hormel vegetarian chili, soy cheese, Morningstar Farms Burger Style Recipe Crumbles, Tofutti non-dairy ice cream, and more, are available in most supermarkets and health food stores Many restaurants also offer a variety of vegetarian options; even Burger King now offers a BK Veggie!
PETA offers a free vegetarian starter kit, which includes helpful cooking and shopping tips, delicious recipes, resources for dining out, and helpful information on protein, calcium, vitamins, and other nutrients easily obtained from a vegan diet Anyone interested can visit GoVeg.com or call 1-888-VEG-FOOD to order a copy. Caring young people can also visit PETA2.com, PETA’s site specifically for teenagers and young adults, for more information on animal rights and plenty of free literature, stickers, posters, buttons, and more.
Heather Moore
Staff Writer
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
But you vegatarians are cool!
Goooooooooooo meat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And just so you know, in Africa (I believe maybe some other country) they do eat Parakeets since there are so many of them ;)
Oh and by the way, how many animals do you think are killed each year in the harvesting of the grain/vegetables that you eat? Thousands of small rodents, like mice, voles, etc., are killed during the harvesting process, not to mention the countless thousands upon thousands of insects killed using pesticides (oops; guess I just did).
Decent article; I just disagree with the principle.
Fish Eggs Turkey Beef Seafood Ham.....
Taste Gooooood!!!!!!!!!!
you are incredibly talented and should be really, really proud of yourself--maybe i'll stop making fun of you when you eat lunch. i actually don't think veganism is so dumb anymore. you wrote this like a true master, and with a lot of creativity. this article is possibly the best feature i've read all year. congratulations you crazy vegan!
Um, whats the point of posting comments about loving meat? Are you being somehow provocative or funny? How about providing some actual cognitive arguments beyond the childish "it tastes good"?
Christian Brown, your point that vegans place a burden on "past peoples who couldnt avoid (meat eating)" and those in the third world is illogical. First, why what does it matter if I place a moral burden on the people of the past? Theyre all gone now anyways, so who cares what I think about them? Secondly, where did you read that all vegans are dogmatic and unaware of the workings of the world? American's ARE the biggest consumers of most of these factory farmed meats and dairy products to begin with, so being "picky" with what we ate would help the enviornment and save the lives of million if not billions of miserable, terrified animals. I can also say with certainty that few educated vegans would condemn a third world family or community for using animal exploitation as a means of necessary survival, as much as that may be hard to swallow. Besides, how are we going to stop them from doing it, and why would THEY care if I thought that way? A vegan world is only something that will succeed if people voluntarily realize the benefits. Finally, while certainly humanity could not have reached our evolutionary status without the use of animals for survival, we've reached the point where we can see that we have alternatives to our diets that can not only lighten our burden on the world, but end the suffering of millions, we should be eager to take it.
Also *sigh*, your absolutely right that modern harvesting techniques kill animals. So does driving. So does walking. So does riding a bike. Unfortunatly, I cant stop eating vegetables if I want to survive, and until I can grow them on my own, using agri-buisness is my only supply. Also, if you compared the number of rodents that accidentally die in harvesting compared to the number of cows, chickens, pigs, etc., that are intentionally killed in factory farms, there is not really any argument. I know that I cant just stop killing animals, and Im fine with that. I understand that death is a fundemental part of life (so telling me isnt anything shocking). I also understand though that animals have feelings and some even concious, rational thought, and to deprive them of the enjoyment of life is sick and unnessecary.
remember though, being vegan/vegetarian alone is not enough to end the suffering of our non-human friends.
You have more power than you think.
Look at yourself, what kind of person you want to be, and make the change
Not true.
http://www.wildlifedamagecontrol.com/animalrights/leastharm.htm
The reason why I am submitting a comment is because my oponion wasn't fully shown in this article. I don't blame this on Britney since the article was about "Vegans" not "Meat Eaters".
The thing is that we as human beings get nutrients nessesary for life from plants, animals/fish and fruits. So, to live a healthy life one should eat a relatively balanced diet. Where all the nutrients are found in order to avoid defininces/surpluses and the consecuentent health problems. Meats are a great source of amino acids, specially the 9 that we cannot produce in our bodies and iron. I find it a mistake to completely eliminate meat from our diet, and isntead rely on pills and looking for high-protein foods that are not meats. When it is easier to just eat a steak (it is not nessesary to do it as often as I do). Keep it simple.
(I know that as I grow older I have to reduce how much meat I eat because too much can lead to major problmes later in life. And I do eat vegetables, and fruits)
Also have you ever wonder why is meat so tasty and why we crave it so much. It is because through our evolutionary history humans have evolved to like meat. THis is because it gives us the nessesary nutrients hard to find in plant and fruits in sufficient amounts.
I'm a meat eater, and proud of it. However, I do applaud those who are vegan/vegetarian for their commitment to keep animal by/products out of their diets. I've recently cut out pork from my diet and it feels great, just chicken and beef and seafood as the meats I choose to eat.
However, some of you are wrong in saying that these animals are abused so badly. I've been to slaughterhouses and they do stun the animals before they chop their heads off. I've heard things like "they skin them alive' and 'they let them bleed to death.' Not true. You should go to a slaughterhouse before you say such things. Some people in the meat industry do know what decency is. Maybe you should go and take a look see before you open your mouths.
Also, Brittany, I am so glad that you've decided to take the challenge of being a vegan. I think it's wonderful. It's too bad that you're going to miss out on the great foods that animal by/products afford you, not to mention the tastiness. Good job, and I hope that you are able to keep being a vegan.
And those who claim to be a vegan must realize that by eating fruits and vegetables harvested from crop fields, they are personally responsible for the agonies of THESE innocent animals.
Great article, Brit.
To prevent anemia resulting from lack of iron you should focus on eating kale and green leafy vegetables, brocolli too, these contain plenty of iron. You should also try to avoid things containing calcium as they can make the iron impossible to get into your bloodstream.
Not that I disagree with partaking a vegan (vegetarian) lifestyle, but it would have been nice to also mention to meat eaters that it's possible to be less cruel and get free range meat and egg items, not ever hen is treated badly. The majority of this article sounded like PETA propaganda, though effective, it's still just as bad as the milk commercials we see telling us milk is healthy. Good luck.
I believe animals have feelings, and they have needs just like people do. But for me seeing animals killed and slaughtered, seeing photos, + graphic movies it just makes me feel bad, and pretty sad. I know i can't go to a factory farm and tell them to stop killing chickens, cows, pigs, ducks, etc. . . Because they have feelings and they just shouldn't do that, but if I get the chance to keep different types of animals i would do because I love animals. All I can say is that if you want to be vegan just eat alot of greens and take iron, calcium, vitamins. I love animals, just like i said before, and i'll try to do whatever to help them. But if I can't then, I can't which really sucks!
(don't know i probably turn vegan again)
congrats brit on the amazing article, and good luck with your vegan challenge. after reading the article, i have restarted my vegetarianism. great job!
I am vegan. It may be difficult, and I have to pay close attention to my diet, and eating at restaurants is nearly impossible. But I make these sacrifices because I believe that factory farming practices are disgusting and unnatural. Why would I support that kind of suffering when I don't have to?
but meat tastes like murder, and murder tastes pretty DARN GOOD DON'T IT?!"
The Great Dennis Leary
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/oped_detail.cfm?OPED_ID=145
http://www.sierratimes.com/03/08/07/ar_elf_peta.htm
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0203/peta_ass.asp
Here are some other great things PETA is accomplishing with some of the money it saves from tax-exemption:
* In 2001, PETA gave a direct contribution of $1,500 to the North American Earth Liberation Front to "support their program activities." Berman notes that ELF has taken credit for "activities" such as the firebombing of a Vail, Colo., ski resort that resulted in $12 million damage.
* PETA also gave $5,000 last year to the "Josh Harper Support Committee" to defend an ALF activist convicted of assaulting a police officer.
* In 1999, PETA gave $2,000 to David Wilson, then spokesman for the ALF, who acknowledged that his group had taken part in "actions like the one in Vail."
* In 1995, PETA made a $45,200 contribution to the support committee for Rodney Coronado, a convicted arsonist who firebombed a research facility at Michigan State University. The group also had made a $25,000 unreturned loan to Coronado's father the previous year.
If you would like to sign a petition to revoke PETA's tax exemption, go here: http://www.consumerfreedom.com/petaPetition.cfm
PETA is a terrorist organization who must be stopped! Despite its deceptively warm-and-fuzzy public image, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has donated over $150,000 to criminal activists -- including those jailed for arson, burglary, and even attempted murder
How about humane techniques that are being developed? That is, essentially painless, quick, clean deaths in sanitary conditions. Are they morally deplorable too?
I'd give it up, Joe. People aren't very open to information that goes against their beliefs (assuming they can't refute it).
Jackie, of course the video took place in a slaughterhouse. A. One. The vast majority of slaughterhouses treat their animals according to regulations. But a by-the-books slaughterhouse wouldn't make very good PETA propaganda.
Lauren, since when isn't milk healthy?
christian...
that's similar to asking someone who's against the death penalty whether they would be less opposed to death by lethal injection than by a firing squad. it's still murder, my man, still murder. (that dennis leary quote is hilarious) so yea, i'd say the answer to that one is probably not, depending on how hard-core vegan you are of course.
oh and christian, free will exists!
to jackie h and others who will argue that the "majority" of slaughterhouses do process animals according to "regulation," think about this: the fact that a person is at all able to watch the sickening images that are shown in the "meat your meat" video speaks for itself. it doesn't matter if it is happening in every slaughterhouse or not; the fact that that brutality occurs at all is so completely wrong. plus, there are so many loopholes in the current meat-processing regulations in america anyway that an animal processing plant running "according to regulation" is not difficult to do.
it's a little ironic to think that a society which reprimands manslaughter and murder among the people can overlook the mass killing of organisms who leave and breath just like we do. what makes us think that we as humans are so supreme to be able to subject so many animals to such unnatural lives, only to cruelly kill them in the end?
good job, Brittany. this is a great article.
to the person who posted all that anti-PETA stuff, you are right that PETA is pretty extremist. but the fact that they are taking a stand against such animal cruelty should count for just as much as anything else. and in this article, PETA seems to be used fairly as an entity that supports vegetarianism and veganism, as well as anything that limits the amount of animals being killed to end up on our plates and subsequently in america's flabby arms and bulging love handles. so maybe you should back off a little, eh?
Also, cowboysRule - I agree. Free will exists. Your definition of free will is wrong, my friend. =)
I don't believe in the morals of veganism. Although they sounds holier-than-thou, meats, milk, etc, have always been a part of our diet. The result from not eating it is being hospitalized or having a hard time making sure you get enough vitamin B12, iron and proteins, etc, to live. And an even harder time if you want to weight lift or engage any other heavy phisical activity. (The body demands much more protein when building muscle, and more iron is needed since there are more redblood cells that need to supply oxigen)
It is true, seeing animals being killied is disgusting, and extremely sad at the same time. And many people ask "Why would I support that kind of suffering when I don't have to?" (question by "...") The answer is simple, we are on TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN. Killing animals is the only way to get meat, and have them emprisoned is the best way to get milk and eggs. This is no different than hunting for food, and stealing eggs in the wild. Either way the animal is dead. The only different is that the modern way is much more efficient, but still brutal. (If this sounds harsh, them I am sorry for the ROUGHNESS OF THE TRUTH)
If people want to decrease "animal suffering" the best way is to work to make sure regulations are being enforced, and create less painful killing techniques. Stoping to eat meat or burning a farm ain't gonna help.
To realist thinker, I never knew our anscestors had domesticated cows around to drink milk from, any proof of this? Even if it was true they did much more work than modern humans will ever do, how many people do you know they hunt and kill their own game without the aid of guns. You can also get iron, B12, and protein without meat or milk, so don't say that you must eat milk, eggs, and meat to get them.
Former Blazer: Your right that being vegan isnt going to challenge the worlds hunger crisis. There is much more to the reasons that people starve than lack of food. You can also take a nihilistic viewpoint on things and say that it isnt going to change anything, but then nothing individuals can do is, so whats the point in doing anything? Well, you can always hope and do as much as you can, because the more people that go vegan, the less demand exists for products that destroy the enviornment and cause undue suffering.
saying PETA is extremist is really laughable when actually look at them in comparison to other aspects of the animal rights movement. Im not one who advocates attacking humans, but do any research on the Animal Liberation Front (whom consumerfreedom.com claims is connected to PETA, but is sorely mistaken), and you'll come up with a much stronger argument on the "violence" we crazy vegans are capable of.
Honestly, ELF has a worthy cause, but they won't get many followers by taking such harsh and just plain mean actions. I happily support EarthFirst!, and half support PETA, but I simply cannot fully support anybody who is the main contributor of funds for an organization that scares away more possible supporters from its cause than it recruits.
http://www.wildlifedamagecontrol.com/animalrights/leastharm.htm
Go there. Read arguments. Refute. (Contradicting myself, Joe, but I don't think they will anyway).
"So, every time the tractor goes through the field to plow, disc, cultivate, apply fertilizer and/or pesticide, harvest, etc., animals are killed... So perhaps fewer animals would be killed by producing beef, lamb, and dairy products for humans to eat instead of the vegan diet envisioned by Regan."
taking all that at face-value... it sounds pretty sketchy. you're comparing the number of domesticated animals killed to the number of wild animals killed (animals who aren't kept there). these mice and other rodents aren't bred to be slaughtered... they're just chilling out in the fields, having a good time, when ol' trusty the tractor messes them up, unintentionally. you don't attack drivers of automobiles (do you?) that accidentally run over a squirrel, but those two situations are very comparable. the farmers' intent is not to slaughter the rodents, it's just a sad byproduct of technology. with domesticated animals, though, the animals are born and raised to be killed and packaged. i see that as an inherent difference.
basically, in the beautifully crafted Wild Life Control propaganda... a mouse run over by a tractor by accident amounts to the same death and horror that is humanity as a cow getting electrocuted (but not quite dying) and then getting chopped up for food... and the people who did it meant to do it. i dont like that comparison one bit.
Also, animal testing leads to the prodution of incilne, cure for hepatitus a and b, small pocks, whoop and cough, and have lead to the development of prostetic hips, shoulders, and limbs.
PS- a vice-pres of peta uses inciline (tested on animal and made using animals) everyday.
Also the phrase 'I was just hiking and scuba diving minding my own business' is a lie, to mind your own business you would stay out of a wild animals habitat, knowing full well that they exist there and only in said habitats you would be knowingly heading into their space.
So humans should never, ever venture into nature at all, because we are obviously not part of it? Should we rot in cities that pollute said precious environment? Or should we cast off all evidence of civilization and run naked into the wilderness? Humans. Are. Natural. We evolved alonside nature. Obviously in some ways we gave "grown apart" from nature, but that sure doesn't mean we can't enjoy the outdoors by exploring it.
It is estimated that if everyone adopted a vegetarian diet and no food was wasted, current food production could theoretically feed ten billion people, which is more than the projected population for the year 2050, according to PETA."
This statistic isn't really correct. Of that wheat, germ, plant matter etc. etc. that "could theoretically feed ten billion people,"....how much of it is fit for human consumption? I don't know the exact statistic - but not all of it is. Certainly not even half. But if someone gives an exact statistic with a credible source, I'll stand corrected.
Furthermore, our problem isn't a problem of having enough food - it's the distribution of it. Spain has a holiday in which cities throw, what, two tons of tomatos at each other? Don't even try to say that the world doesn't have enough food - it does. The problem is that something like 1/3 of Americans are obese, gorging themselves on food while other people starve. Again, if anyone can correct this statistic, I welcome them to, but I remember learning in class that America has 1/4 of the world's population, but uses more than 40% of the world's resources.
By the way, I'm not blasting America - I'm just pointing out the inequities of the world and our highly affluent lifestyle.
"When shopping for my new diet at the natural-food store, I run into a fellow vegan soldier who encourages my reconnaissance of the vegan territory."
THIS is why there seems to be a "holier-than-thou" tone to this article and the posts following it.
A soldier, eh? So we're the enemy?
I respect your choice to eat whatever you want to eat. What I want to eat, however, is my business, and the tone of this article is rather condescending towards non-vegetarians. I'm not going to feel bad about eating an animal lower on the food chain unless a tiger/bear/shark shed some tears for me when they eat ME.
And by the way, I am ADAMANTLY pro-environment. Rampant deforestation, blatant unconcern about a future without hundreds of plant/animal species, terrible waste of resources - they all sicken me. I just wanted to make that known, so no one accuses me of not loving my fellow mammals or anything like that.
Again....the problem is not availability of food, its the distribution of it.
And as for our ancestors never having any domesticated cows to drink milk from...read "Guns, Germs, and Stell" by Diamond (I don't remember his first name).
[Editor's Note: The author's first name is Jared]
" Humans. Are. Natural. We evolved alonside nature" vs. "Should we rot in cities that pollute said precious environment?"
We created cities to NOT be in the wild, we gave wild animals specific places to be like preserves and national forests with strict regulations on humans. We created these spaces for them so that they could be at peace. If an animal leaves said environment and comes into a nearby town, it gets shot or tranquilized, if a human goes into a wild game preserve they can be mauled, or cause destruction. Maybe our hunter friend was not on preserved land or at a national park prohibiting the very things humans do, cause destruction.
Humans ventured out of true nature a very long time ago 'sigh'. What 'outdoorsman' was doing was not simply exploring so please don't put it that way, if I explored the way he did in a place full of humans, I'd be arrested.
Simply trying to find your soynuts, they are the greatest. I found them at )bhelieve it or not) the 99cent store, but have not been able to find them anywhere else. Being a vegan they are one of my favorite "treats". Can you tell me where I can find your soynuts and other products in the Orange county area. I have tried all of the ordinary places (i.e. Mothers, Wid Oats, Henris and so far nothing....)Please tell me how to purchase you soynut snacks and other things, thank you, Kitzy
There is one thing I really wonder about... What happened in the history of nature, for us to have an herbivore body and yet have no natural resources to feed our body of complex B12 vitamin(which is needed for our survival)? Where does the B12 suplements from the shelves come from?? would it be possible to conveniently extract our own???
i was really confused about the whole b12 thing for a while but after researching it, i've come to this conclusion. we don't get b12 from non-animal foods because our food is too clean. humans, in their natural state, get b12 from bacteria common in nature. through chemicals in our food and compulsive cleaning of food, we don't get it anymore. animals eat unclean food, getting b12 in their bodies, and then people eat the animals. you can get b12 frmo sprouts and it is supplimented in many amazing foods, like nutritional yeast and rice milk, so you don't have to be a robot, popping pills for nutrition.
Thank you.
We are recently being made aware of how beneficial vegetarians diets are and how they can prevent against various illnesses and diseases as well as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. However, this is only providing that a vegetarian diet is both healthy and well balanced. What about diets that aren’t healthy and well balanced? What nutrient deficiencies/ potential health implications are people who lead these sorts of diets making themselves susceptible to and how do they affect their general state of health?
It's good to see the lack of bias, though the "soldier" reference could be misconstrued as elitist, I trust the author's intentions were purely defined by the commitment to veganism, and not with the purpose of creating segregation.