Meat eaters should have to kill for their food.

[instantbenz]

TL;DR: An animal was killed for you to have that sandwich, learn what it means to kill an animal.

Done. And I appreciate it ... sadly not everyone does all of the time. However if truly deep appreciation would be issued by everything that someone else does for us that we just purchase because we need it, nothing would get done.

Wake up and appreciate that you're breathing cooled air as someone made air conditioning and that someone made a clock that made a sound at a time that you set. Decide you have to poo and appreciate that your bowels work. Walk to the toilet and appreciate that someone invented plumbing and o-rings to prevent shit from leaking on your floor. Poo and appreciate that some asshole decided to skimp on pressed fiber with which to wipe poo.

or

Get up and take a shit.

I choose not wasting my precious brain power on 'whatever'. That doesn't mean people don't appreciate things ever.

 

[Neverhoodian]

My mother has a friend who used to live on a farm. One day she was invited over to select one of the chickens to take home to eat. In true old-school farm fashion, my mom selected the bird she wanted, carried it over to the chopping block, took a sharpened cleaver and lopped its head off in one swing.

According to her, the body flopped around for a few seconds, and there wasn't as much blood as she was expecting (I was at school when this happened, so I have to take her word on it). She said it wasn't that hard to do really, since the chickens were rather stupid. She said she would do it again if given another opportunity (by the way, the bird was delicious).

As for me, as a kid my family would go on camping trips during the summer. Occasionally we would go fishing. Not only did I catch a few, but I also helped my parents clean and gut them for dinner. I'd say that counts.

I don't have a problem with killing animals for food. Many scientists believe it was animal protein that helped make us become the sophisticated species we are today by accelerating brain growth. Besides, many vegetarians will happily chew on plants like carrots that had to be uprooted and killed for human consumption.

 

[VladG]

I know a lot of (usually female) people who say they'd never kill a chicken or a cow, yet they eat meat regularly.

Oh and while I'm at it, I'd just like to point out the blatant sexism in your post. My grandmother who grew up on a farm had culled plenty of livestock for food, from what I've heard from my parents.

That argument isn't sexist. It would have been if he'd said only female, but statistically he is correct. Women are much more likely to be squeamish about this kind of stuff than men. Go complain about science being sexist.

 

[LokiArchetype]

Creating and maintaining farmland clearly has no environmental consequence on animal life and neither do giant combines and threshers rolling through a field, right?

Maybe the truck bringing the produce to the grocery store hit a squirrel or a neighborhood cat.

Just because you don't eat meat doesn't mean that animals weren't harmed in the process of creating what you eat.

If you didn't grow all your produce yourself, how would you know for sure?


And is killing plants that much more innocent? Plants make their own energy, they were minding their own business.

At least when eating meat you know you're eating something that has, itself, eaten other things, it's like stealing from thieves.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

As someone who occasionally fishes for recreation (and likes to eat his catch every now and then) I've killed plenty of fish before, including chopping up live bait fish for chum. Does that count? What about buying Fryer Quarters of chicken, which are a leg and a thigh that need additional cleaning before they're ready to be cooked? It's a nasty, bloody job, but the meat is cheaper, which makes it worth it. I'm quite comfortable dealing with the unpleasant aspects of eating meat. I just can't understand vegetarians; the diet is unnatural, they're almost always unhealthily skinny, and they get so self righteous about the fact that they leave a major food group out of their diet.

 

[tlgAlaska]

I prefer being hypocritical over going out in the woods and kill even more animals. Think about it, every time someone hunts and kills an animal for food, it dies in vain because he could as well have bought meat of an already butchered animal. Maybe the hunter unterstands the implications of his meal, maybe not... but that won't help little Bambi!!

 

[Bags159]

So this is how you get a badge for lots of responses...

And I'm going to echo everyone who has said if you don't grow your own food then you too are a hypocrite, using your logic.

 

[Shockolate]

I can honestly say that if I actually had to kill for my meat, I'd probably be a vegetarian.

 

[Broderick]

I understand what your trying to say, but really people shouldnt have to do that. Some people just like meat, as omnivours we kinda should. Personally, I love animals, and I would never want to kill one unless I have to. While im sure it would get the point across, some people just wouldnt be able to do it, like myself(unless I REALLY NEED to), besides, it would be a waste of animal, and if a system like you said was implimented(legaly) there would be quite a few more animal deaths than nesissary to get your point across.

Also there was a thread just like this not too long ago about a "meat eaters license", I would link it, but the guy was suspended for creating it, not exactly sure if I should based on that. If you really want your voice to be heard, perhaps you should join an animal activists group or mail a letter. Good luck with your endevour, but im not sure if its the best solution.

 

[Dan Kaloczy]

No meat industry = Lots of Australians jobless and much of Australias revenue gone down in shit.

Once again, Vegetarians fail

 

[ServebotFrank]

You know if you vegetarians love animals so much then why are you eating their food?

 

[Kroxile]

I hit a deer once and took it home for food. So... I guess I win OP's thread?

Also, I smell a troll thread.

 

[Bits Of Lint]

That sounds really inconvenient. There aren't really too many cows and chickens wandering the city streets where I live... so I'm going to have to pass.

What about the inverse of this? My cat brings dead things to the doorstep all the time without eating them. Doesn't that kind of even things out for me? I do have to dispose of them.

 

[The Human Torch]

WARNING: This is pretty much gonna be one of those self righteous, one sided, poorly written rants that have been done before, so feel free to ignore this and move on.

Let me start by saying that I was raised a vegetarian and have been a vegan for a few years, but what confuses a lot of people is that I'm not really anti-hunting. In fact, I respect those who hunt and kill animals for food far more than the average McDonald's customer. The reason for this is because the hunter at least understands the implications of his meal.

Many pro-meat advocates say that humans are omnivores and eating animals is part of the "circle of life", and I agree with this to an extent. The problem with this is that in the industrial age, we don't raise or prey on animals as much as we manufacture them. I know a lot of (usually female) people who say they'd never kill a chicken or a cow, yet they eat meat regularly. This is because they don't think of their burgers or chicken sandwiches as animals that were killed; instead, they think of them as delicious, cheap food that might have involved an animal at some point, "but it's already dead, so it's best not to think about it."

While it's not practical in modern times to slaughter your evening meal every day, everyone who eats meat should kill for their food at least once. If you can bring yourself to kill for food, then you have a stronger will than I do, and I have (almost) no problem with you eating meat. If you refuse to kill a cow, but demand 1$ Jr. Double Cheeseburgers, you're a hypocrite in denial, and I have no respect for you.

TL;DR: An animal was killed for you to have that sandwich, learn what it means to kill an animal.

So, you have your own farm for vegetables and soya, I assume. You probably also grow your own nuts, as you are a vegan. What's that? You can't grow nuts and you have to buy them in the store?
Welcome to the world of meat-eating.
Hypocrite vegan is hypocrite.

 

[Avistew]

I think it would be good for non-vegetarian to visit a slaughterhouse and kill an animal themselves once. I think it's good to learn and know about stuff you benefit from, and it would probably be very good for people to be aware of these things. But I don't think they should kill any animal they eat any more than I should grow all the lentils I eat. But doing some gardening, yes, that's good. It helps me know what went into my food, plus it's useful skills in case I ever need them.

On the other hand, I do like the idea of people hunting for food better, just like you do. What I mean is I think an animal who is hunted for and eaten has had a good, natural life until the being hunted of course, while an animal raised only to be killed, well, I think it's much worse ethically, not to mention pollution-wise, etc. So while I don't hunt myself, I find it less objectionable than slaughterhouses.

In my opinion, ideally, meat would come from smaller places such as farms, with people who actually know each one of their animals and try to give them a good life, etc. The problem of course is that it requires a smaller scale, which reduces the amount of meat available in the end, which means people would have to eat much less meat. Like maybe once a week or something.
Nowadays I don't really see it happening, but I certainly encourage people to get their meat from local producers rather than big companies if they can afford it (it's also more expensive of course).
I guess a world in which any meat eaten would have been hunted would probably be fine by me too, but that would probably reduce meat consumption even more and I don't think many people would be fine with that.

And yeah, look into how the meat reaches your plate. You know, out of intellectual curiosity at least. If you happen to find it horrifying, it would make sense to change your habits so as not to condone it (by looking at another source, reducing your consumption, etc). If you don't have a problem with it, then there is no contradiction. But ignorance annoys me.

Anyway, bottom line is, I understand your point to some extent, but it's excessive. We live in a society where people buy things from other people and don't do everything on their own. There would be no time for people to obtain their own food, no matter what that food is, because they have their own jobs and personal life already.

 

[VladG]

It's worth noting that slaughtering an animal and hurting an animal are far from the same thing. Slaughtering is done as fast and as painlessly as possible, otherwise the meat gets tainted by fear and stress chemicals (adrenaline and such) and that gives it a foul taste. At that point the animal is dead and gone. Either religious or rational, both share the view that animals have no "soul", there is no "afterlife" for them to acknowledge their deaths in. It's over for them before it starts, and as such the animal doesn't really feel pain, distress, etc. That being said, a hunter won't instantly kill his prey. More likely he's going to mortally would it, the animal is going to run away, struggle for a while until the hunter finds it and ends it. Considerably crueller.
Again, if you'd made an argument about the foul treatment of animals that are meant for the slaughter, I'd be with you, but try to change that, not my dietary choice.

 

[jackpackage200]

Hey I love animals...they taste Fantastic!