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As you probably know, it's a very popular topic that pops up regularly in the ED forum.

I have nothing against not eating meat and becoming a Vegetarian and Vegan, I have a couple of friends who are veggie and vegan. However, I don't like it when people try to propaganda it and try and tell you "Meat is wrong" "Eating meat is immoral" "You wouldn't like it if someone ate you".

I also hate it when they use shock images or videos to prove their point. One video that always sticks in my mind is a longish advert with children shouting "Meat is murder" then showing images of people killing cows, horses, pigs, chickens and sheep. What made it worse was it was slotted at the peak time children watch TV, so imagine a lot of children in shock.

Yes the way they kill animals is unpleasant, but 99.9% they are killed that way, because it is the quickest and painless method to use. Using poisons is not the way to go, because it will affect the meat and the dairy/milk, and could make us ill and even kill us. Farmers take good care and pride of their live stock. Stress and not treating it right can lead to horrible and unpleasant meat. A lot of rules are kept in place in England, to ensure the animals are not treated badly, even though most of them will be killed.

I eat meat, because it's healthy in moderation. But you have to eat fruit and veg as well to stay healthy. I also hate it how some people make it think that meat is some kind of trend (strange, but true); we've been eating meat and plants since the first human 'evolved'. It was the only way to survive, since we appeared roughly in the ice age, so eating mammoths was a source of food and recourses to keep warm and use the bone as equipment.

And of course I wouldn't like someone to eat me. That's cannibalism, so what's got to do with eating animals? wink

Like I said, I have nothing against it. Some people just don't like meat, some can't digest meat properly, and some people think it's cruel, that's fine, just stop trying to force us to become one.

Also, you probably know this but;
Vegan is someone who doesn't eat meat OR dairy products (basically, they can't eat anything that has came out of an animal)
Omnivore is someone who eats meat and veg/fruit

So Discuss:
Your views on Vegetarianism and Vegan
Why you eat meat/omnivore? Or Why did you become a Vegetarian/Vegan?
Do you think some people take their views too far?
Your views of 'shock' tactics: is it okay or missing the point?
Again, am I being grumpy ol' lady? xd

Yeah meat is so damn tastey xd I particuarly a nice bit of chicken straight from the butchers, it may look on the skinny side, but the meat is really tender and just damn tastey.

Anyways, yep I agree with you; people who become vegiterian to save animals is a lost cause. People are still going to eat it meat for many reasons. It's not like animals are just goning to gete wipped out and die, beauce farmers breed them, and the more they breed them, the 'better' the produce will be.

Milk is healthy in moderation, like a bowl of cereal or couple of glasses of milk. All Diary products contain Vitimen D, which is good for the skin, put you need to go out into the sun as well, so the body can 'chemicalise' it. I think one of my Vegan friends is lactose intolerrent, which does make sense if your a vegan.

I think eggs is protien, but I sure love a good fried egg or omlette, AND eggy bread! Best thing ever invented!

LOL Draxxus. It does >.<

my friend and my boyfriends roomeates are vegetarians. For some of the people I know, I think its just an excuse to why they don't eat food.

There is awlays this debat where I live over this one vegetarian grocery store. Many vegans/ vegitars shop there and they decided recently to supply meat because they are loosing money to other grocery stores. So many of the vegans/vegitars are going to boycott it. They keep saying things such as- "I don't want to see a dead carcuss when I'm shopping" or- "I'm not a murderer"
And then, the funniest thing of all- "Why do all meat eaters insult us and say we are weird? We don't do that back" (>.>--<.> And this was after someone else had called us murderers)

But really, the best way (and pretty much the only effective way to get iron) is through meat. Iron through pills is good, but its best when its from a live source. (no pun intended?)

D: I also think that maybe some people who try to force that onto others don't seem to realise that we don't actually sit at the table and think, "Hm, someone killed this, how cruel, Yay!" I get accused (During heated arguments with several friends) of enjoying causing the death of animals. Errrm no.

As for the whole DEATH thing. I think I like the Jewish way of thinking. Kosher meat, where the animals are killed by one cut with a sharp knife through the carotted artery, virtually painless.
So what's up with that?

Not that I mind particularly how the animal has been killed. Well... Yanno. Death by mace shoved up the arse is a little... anyway.

I think that shock tactics are wrong in every way. People should be given the facts, and should be allowed to make their own descision based on the truth. I also think that forcing your opinions on people is wrong.

*Sigh* Ignorant threads in the ED about vegetarianism drive me absolutely crazy. People using PETA "Meat is murder!" propaganda make vegetarians and vegans on whole look bad, and people saying, "Vegetarians/vegans are stupid" come off as ignorant asses with no respect for our personal choices.

There are several reasons to go vegetarian or vegan. Some people honestly feel that it's wrong to intentionally slaughter an animal. Some people feel that the methods we use to obtain meat are wasteful. Some can't consume it becuase their body can't process it properly (yours truly), and some are a combination. That does NOT mean we're ignorant, nor that our lifestyles are more valid than anyone else's. However, that alse means that your lifestyles are any more valid than ours.

Honestly, it amounts to personal health, morals, and choices. Why on earth should it be anyone's business but your own?

Some people have been relatively healthy on all-meat diets, but they were prone to problems later on because of high levels of fat and cholesterol, and even having too much iron and protien. Veggies ARE necessary in a balanced diet because there's some vitamins in fruits and veggies that aren't in meat, just like protien and iron are harder to get from non-meat sources and vitamin B12 has to be added to vegetarian/vegan foods.

Some people don't find it delicious. The smell of it makes me gag, quite frankly; I wouldn't eat it even if I were capable of doing so. And I'll repeat, some people do feel it's wrong or wasteful to slaughter animals soley for meat.

I'm exactly the same way. I don't care if people eat meat, I don't mind them eating meat in front of me, I politely decline it when offered, and explain my reasons if pressed, but it ******** pisses me off when they try to force me to eat meat or try to make me feel bad about my food choices. Leave me alone, and I'll leave you alone. Shouldn't that just be standard?

In bars? You're kidding. Bars are supposed to be one of those places where smoke is a given. Gimme a break!

I have doubts about secondhand smoke being that harmful, anyway. I'm an asthmatic in a house full of smokers, and I'm in perfect health. I'd think that since the lungs repair themselves, then any damage done by secondhand smoke over the course of a few hours would be gone in less than a day. confused