Debunking Vegetarians

[UnTrickaBLe]

There seems to be a lot of "new age" nonsense related to the Vegetarian movement. Are there any good articles holding them accountable for some of their more outlandish ideas?

 

[Zep]

An outline of the "outlandish ideas" might be helpful...

 

[shemp]

Maybe he's referring to the quaint notion that a diet of vegetables and grains is healthier than a diet of good old fat-laden, artery-busting, heart-crushing RED MEAT!

HAH! I grilled some beautiful pork hcops tonight that had been marinated in Jamaican jerk rub. They were dripping with fat, and exquisitely delicious! I ate three of them! This idea that meat can clog your arteries is just so stup... uhhh... aargrrrhhhhh!!!! HELP!! AAGGRRHHHHGGGHHH!!! *clunk*

 

[An Infinite Ocean]

I'm a vegetarian - try me

 

[Irish Murdoch]

There seems to be a lot of "new age" nonsense related to the Vegetarian movement. Are there any good articles holding them accountable for some of their more outlandish ideas?

Ermmm ... Well, I've been a vegetarian for nearly twenty years. I'm a sceptic and have no time for any new age bunk at all. Why should the choice not to eat meat or fish and a willingness to believe complete nonsense go hand in hand? Your post puzzles me.

 

[thaiboxerken]

Why should the choice not to eat meat or fish and a willingness to believe complete nonsense go hand in hand?

Because vegetarians are weird.

 

[voidx]

I think most people don't clearly distinguish between vegetarians and vegans. Most vegetarians I know do supplement some meat in their diet, almost exclusively fish. I think there might be more misconceptions of the benefit of meatless diets as is advocated by vegans, rather than your run of the mill vegetarian. I don't have a problem with vegetarians so long as they advocate their diet simply because they feel it is a healthy alternative to eating meats. If they get into the whole animal treatment, animal rights issue, then I'm more bothered by it.

 

[Clancie]

Personally, I think there's more need to debunk myths about vegetarianism--foremost among them that you can't get all the protein you need from plant/dairy sources.

You can.

(I'm speaking as someone who looks at the issue as a spectrum of choices, rather than a strict "either/or". I try to go as far to the vegetarian side as possible, whenever possible, but allowing for limitations of extreme laziness that sometimes interferes with that, imo, highly desirable goal!)

 

[Tricky]

I think most people don't clearly distinguish between vegetarians and vegans. Most vegetarians I know do supplement some meat in their diet, almost exclusively fish. I think there might be more misconceptions of the benefit of meatless diets as is advocated by vegans, rather than your run of the mill vegetarian. I don't have a problem with vegetarians so long as they advocate their diet simply because they feel it is a healthy alternative to eating meats. If they get into the whole animal treatment, animal rights issue, then I'm more bothered by it.

Vegetarians don't eat fish either, although many people who call themselves vegetarians do. Vegetarian will eat cheese, eggs and other animal products though. Vegans, by contrast eat no animal products, or at least they try not to. I had one friend who freaked out when she heard that Jello was made from cows.

 

[Beleth]

Vegetarians don't eat fish either, although many people who call themselves vegetarians do.

I used to work with a guy who called himself a vegetarian because the only kind of meat he would eat was beef.

I think the fish-eating vegetarians have bought into the Catholic fish-doesn't-count-as-meat-on-Fridays-in-Lent reasoning.

I try to eat as little meat as possible. If it's used as a seasoning, like in some Chinese dishes, it's best. And my doctor prescribed eating salmon, so I do that too. But if there's a choice between eating something primarily meat and something primarily not meat, I usually go for the not-meat option.

 

[voidx]

Vegetarians don't eat fish either, although many people who call themselves vegetarians do.

True. Heh however as I said, almost all the "vegetarians" I know do eat fish. Although technically yes vegetarians don't.

Vegetarian will eat cheese, eggs and other animal products though. Vegans, by contrast eat no animal products, or at least they try not to. I had one friend who freaked out when she heard that Jello was made from cows.

Moving to no animal products period is something I find extreme. In most cases it has to do with a social or personal commentary on the concept of eating animals, livestock blah blah blah, rather than seriously being concerned with diet.

 

[An Infinite Ocean]

If they get into the whole animal treatment, animal rights issue, then I'm more bothered by it.

Yeah. It's disgusting that some people have compassion for animals. The idiots.

 

[An Infinite Ocean]

Personally, I think there's more need to debunk myths about vegetarianism--foremost among them that you can't get all the protein you need from plant/dairy sources.

I was irked by Penn & Teller insisting that vegetarians were all thin and weedy. I'm actually a little overweight

 

[voidx]

Yeah. It's disgusting that some people have compassion for animals. The idiots.

Being as that is not at all what I said I'll only comment that many people get too emotional, and have trouble staying objective over the whole animal rights issue.

I as a person that eats meat can have no compassion for animals?

 

[An Infinite Ocean]

I as a person that eats meat can have no compassion for animals?

You can do. It just strikes me as odd that someone would be 'bothered' that some people don't eat animals because they believe it is unnecessarily cruel.

 

[TLN]

You can do. It just strikes me as odd that someone would be 'bothered' that some people don't eat animals because they believe it is unnecessarily cruel.

What do you mean by "unnecessarily cruel"?

 

[An Infinite Ocean]

What do you mean by "unnecessarily cruel"?

Most people don't actually need to eat meat. Their bodies will cope perfectly well without it.

Therefore, I think that it's a bit much to raise animals in (often, but not exclusively) atrocious conditions, and then run them through a production line where they have their throats cut, just so that people can eat their flesh and internal organs. I don't really see how the pleasure of eating meat justifies the suffering that it creates.

The only arguments seems to be 'well, they're not human'. But I don't know why we should only acknowledge human suffering and ignore the suffering of animals - which, I can only assume, is sometimes very similar to the suffering that a human would experience in similar situations.

This is why I believe that killing animals for food is usually 'unnecessarily cruel'.

 

[voidx]

You can do. It just strikes me as odd that someone would be 'bothered' that some people don't eat animals because they believe it is unnecessarily cruel.

Let me put it this way. I've just found in my experience that many people aren't very well informed about their belief in that unnecessary cruelty(how widespread is outright cruelty, what are the average conditions on a factory farm, how much stress are the animals actually under, that sort of thing). To my mind, if that is an issue then people should be lobbying for more improved standards as it applies to factory farming. Not eating the meat, unless someone can show otherwise, doesn't seem to be putting much of a dent in the output and food production from factory farms. Now yes I realize not eating meat is your own personal way of distancing yourself from that and that's all fine and good. It is however probably having a very neglible effect on reducing any apparent cruelty to the animals in question.

 

[TLN]

Most people don't actually need to eat meat. Their bodies will cope perfectly well without it.

Therefore, I think that it's a bit much to raise animals in (often, but not exclusively) atrocious conditions, and then run them through a production line where they have their throats cut, just so that people can eat their flesh and internal organs. I don't really see how the pleasure of eating meat justifies the suffering that it creates.

The only arguments seems to be 'well, they're not human'. But I don't know why we should only acknowledge human suffering and ignore the suffering of animals - which, I can only assume, is sometimes very similar to the suffering that a human would experience in similar situations.

This is why I believe that killing animals for food is usually 'unnecessarily cruel'.

Well, what if the animals were killed in as humane a way as possible?

 

[carrot]

It is however probably having a very neglible effect on reducing any apparent cruelty to the animals in question.

You are missing the point. You have heard of a boycott, right? That is the aim here--to develop a base of support strong enough to effect changes in policy. The way to do this in the modern world is to apply economic pressure, which starts with not buying products from companies you wish to apply pressure to.