There was a discussion on the counter a while ago, and a lot of people concluded that they didn't think it necessarily means they've saved x amount of animals. I tend to agree with this in the short term. In many instances, me being vegan has meant more meat has gone to waste (e.g. being accidentally served a meat dish at a restaurant when I asked for a veg one, taking one bite and realising and them throwing it out). The amount of meat being thrown out at Woolworths and Coles doesn't appear to be slowing down either unfortunately. But nothing would ever change if we didn't think we could make a difference, so I agree that collectively, in the long-term, a huge increase in the amount of vegetarians will slow demand. I believe that even meat eaters can make a difference by reducing the amount of meat they eat, and by having meat free days, which many meat eaters are doing nowadays.
I just don't think allowing one person to die will make a huge difference to this demand at all, and I think it's completely unfair to not give them the opportunity at life (to which they could actually be an amazing person and a vegan anyway, or become one) on the account that they may eat meat.
"I think its just normal to not eat meat, like its normal to not murder humans."
Actually, evolution will say that eating meat IS normal. That of course doesn't mean it's right these days, but the normality of it is the reason why many people find it hard to turn vegetarian.
I refute the idea completely that evolution says anything of the sort. we have been farming and eating animals for far less time than we have been evolving. evolution happens over a scale of hundreds of thousands to millions of years. that is not how long humans have been eating meat. all of the physiology of your body has been designed (by evolution) to eat plant based material. starting at our plant grinding teeth, non-fanged teeth, the fruit digesting enzymes in our saliva, the increased lenght of our digestive tract to break down plant cell walls, our soft supply unclawed hands for manipulating fruits and seeds, not tearing flesh from bones, the list goes on and on.
Humans have been eating meat since we moved away from the tropical fruity zones in the time frame of tens of thousands of years, moving to colder climates we were forced to find other sources of calories, so we ate (against our bodies design) animals. to deal with the flesh we have to salt, spice and cook the natural tastes out of it because the idea of eating a dead bloodied stomach or bowel sickens us. It is not natural or part of evolution at all.
and the reason it is difficult to go vegan is not one of genetics it is a learned behavious, we are forced meat as infants, our supermarkets up until recently have had few if any vegan options. the meat, dairy and pharmacuetical companies are the biggest companies on this planet it is in their interest to make you feel like it is normal and natural but it is far from the truth
