I don't get vegetarianism

you cant claim to love animals and then eat them. full stop

"I would come back to meat eating, and I would do it because of my love for animals."

Sorry... What?!!

"Every meal you eat that supports a sustainable farm changes the agricultural world. I cannot possibly stress this enough. Your fork is your ballot, and when you vote to eat a steak or leg of lamb purchased from a small farmer you are showing the industrial system you are actively opting out. You are showing them you are willing to sacrifice more of your paycheck to dine with dignity. As people are made more aware of this beautiful option, farmers are coming out in droves to meet the demand. Farmers markets have been on a rapid rise in the US thanks to consumer demand for cleaner meat, up 16% in the last year alone.

It's a hard reality for a vegetarian to swallow, but my veggie burgers did not rattle the industry cages at all. I was simply avoiding the battlefield, stepping aside as a pacifist. There is nobility in the vegetarian choice, but it isn't changing the system fast enough."

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I agree with her on ONE point, and that is that meat eaters who support smaller, sustainable farms might contribute to positive changes within the industry. It probably raises the demand for more 'ethically' treated meat, and lowers demand for factory farmed meat. However, two points:

1) How many meat eaters actually care THAT much about where their meat comes from? Sure, they can buy more 'ethical' meat to eat at home, but what about when they're eating out? They're not going to ask every restaurant where their animals come from, how they were treated, etc, and they're probably going to still eat at takeaway places which have been known to have factory farmed produce on hand. No one who eats meat can truly care to that extent. In this instance, you can never truly have your cake and eat it too.

2) She then she goes onto say that vegos don't make a change at all. Huh!?! Of course they do! She can't say that meat eaters are the ones making the ONLY change. That's ridiculous. People who do not eat meat do lower demand, and the more people out there who abstain from meat, the less meat eventually produced, and the more the farmers realise that there's a shift away from factory farmed produce.

Ugh.

As you said, I think most vegetarians are unaware of the cruelty behind dairy and eggs. Those industries are just as bad, if not worse, than the meat industry.
I'm sure some vegetarians know it, but believe it's too difficult to make that extra step.
For some vegetarians, it's a lack of nutrition knowledge. I had a conversation once with a lady that was an ex-pescetarian. She truly believed animal products are needed for proper nutrition.


EDIT: As for that article... it hurt my brain.  
That woman is ridiculous. Does she eat humans for her "love" of them as well?

I have just gone vegetarian which has been a huge step and I don't think I will go vegan any time soon. It is not that I don't want to. I just want to ease myself into it. I think eating a few vegan meals a week is a good start ^^

We don't want animals to die. Vegetarians stop eating meat for this reason. We think every animal should have the chance to live.

Cows and chickens who are producing milk and eggs get to live, yes, but they are experiencing a slow and painful death over their years of life. I don't think this is right, full stop. I think some vegetarians educate themselves to the point of stopping death at the meat production side and stop there.

Life should be a constant learning experience. I am a vegetarian who wants to keep learning and reading. I want to be the best I can be, for the animals. I think vegetarianism is a sliding scale of knowledge.

You have those "vegetarians" who eat fish. With more understanding, they will be vegetarians who eat milk and eggs. Then there is me, who is closer to the vegan side, but not quite there.

However, vegans should not criticise vegetarians. They are doing a lot more than meat eaters are. We are in the same boat. We need to support each other, continue to learn and pass our knowledge on.

I agree. Wasn't trying to sound nasty in my post (sorry if I did).
Vegetarian or vegan, we're all fighting for the rights of animals.

i have to admitt, after reading that artical and hearing about the lift on the live export ban, really boiled my blood.

Yeah, I know. I wasn't talking about you or anyone in particular. Just some vegans do this. I'm just generalising

No hard feelings


Yes. Lifting the Live Export Ban made me so angry. All they care about is money money money!

I agree and I hope you don't think I was criticizing veges, I am simply saying I don't understand it.

If people are choosing vegetarianism as a way to progressing to veganism in the near future, then awesome! If they are simply content with the former, however, and know the realities then I don't understand their stance at all.

Also, congrats on going veg

Personally, I'm a vegan who thinks animals should not be used or controlled for the sake of any human want, so 'ethical' meat is repulsive to me. What's ethical about it? (That isn't directed at you, it's just a general question from which I never receive an answer)

I think it's a slippery slope advocating 'ethical' meat to people as they are just given an excuse to be selfish and so they eat guilt-free: 'Hey, eating this slaughtered cow is perfectly fine because it was treated better than the other billions of slaughtered cows'. IMO, 'ethical' meat is a huge cop out as an animal is still getting slaughtered against its will for the sake of persons appetite.