Really?

I'd wager that most people who care about animal welfare care just as strongly about the other issues you mentioned.

The animals involved (humans in concentration camps, cows, pigs and chickens in factory farms) are different, but this has no bearing on the point: whether human or non, the animals in question experience pain and our current agricultural system seems content to completely ignore this.

"Historically, man has expanded the reach of his ethical calculations, as ignorance and want have receded, first beyond family and tribe, later beyond religion, race, and nation.

To bring other species more fully into the range of these decisions may seem unthinkable to moderate opinion now. One day, decades or centuries hence, it may seem no more than ‘civilized’ behavior requires."
--“What Humans Owe to Animals,” The Economist, 8/19/95

"[T]hose who claim to care about the well-being of human beings and the preservation of our environment should become vegetarians for that reason alone. They would thereby increase the amount of grain available to feed people elsewhere, reduce pollution, save water and energy, and cease contributing to the clearing of forests.…

[W]hen nonvegetarians say that ‘human problems come first’ I cannot help wondering what exactly it is that they are doing for human beings that compels them to continue to support the wasteful, ruthless exploitation of farm animals."

--Peter Singer, Animal Liberation, 1990

Funny, starvation is the first of the "more important things" you mention. Eating lower on the food chain is much more efficient, and we could most likely feed the entire world on a vegetarian diet.

Regardless, while comparing slaughterhouses and concentration camps might be a little extreme, so is your talk about viruses. More importantly, eating less meat is something that the vast majority of us can do, and relatively easily. It is an individual decision that we each can make, as opposed to ending war or child abuse.

I would argue that reducing meat intake is one of the more important things we can do to lessen starvation, environmental damage, water shortages, global climate change, and healthcare costs.

get off our high horse ay?


first of all none of us are on our "high horse"



people that are aware that their clothes come from slaughtered cows , and their entertainment (bull fighting in spain, circuses) mean the suffering and death of millions of animals.. and that some questionable experiments go on in laboratories, still cling to vague belief that conditions cannot be too bad, or else the government or the animal welfare societies would of done something about it. But it is not the inability to find out what is going on as much as a desire not to know about facts that may lie heavily on ones concience that is responsible for this lack of awareness - after all the victims of whatever it is that goes on in these awful places are not members of ones own group.


that quote from earthlings pretty answers your whole opinion.

it is humans complete disrespect for animals that is pathetic
its not telling you to stop eating meat
or not to use animal products.
its up to yourself
and yes you have your opinion
but you need to understand that they are on this earth also
and are aware of it.

and that we should not taek advantage of them
just because we dominate the earth.

And how far should we take it? Hey, let's not fight viruses because they are just innocent little beings trying to get along in this big scary world.

Well, about the concentration camp and racism thing, animals don't suffer any less than humans when slaughtered, and speciesism is no better than racism; it still involves thinking that certain beings not part of a given group are not deserving of life and liberty.

There is no proof that viruses are sentient, but we do know that animals are sentient.

And haven't you ever heard the saying that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"?

The more people I meet, the more I get why Jane Goodall spends all of her time with chimps.....

There are lots of important issues to consider in the world. Becoming vegetarian is simply one of the easiest differences a person can make to one of those issues simply by eating foods other than meat. It's really, really easy compared to tackling issues like child abuse and nuclear weapons. It's not like we all have a handful of money and we're trying to figure out which cause to give it to.

People get so frustrated about animal suffering because so many of us contribute to it and encourage it with our behaviours, daily, so it should be easier for people to make a difference, yet so many people refuse to acknowledge that it's a problem. We're not as directly responsible for other big issues on an individual basis, so it's harder to make those changes. Being vegetarian or vegan does not inhibit anyone's ability to care or contribute to other solutions.

Good post... And if you wanna find an honest politician, who is in fact vegan... Try this investigating one.. Dennis Kucinich..

http://youtu.be/cwUtxj6jID4