Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not get the point of vegetarianism

94 replies

Dancergirl · 29/01/2011 23:20

I understand people who think it's cruel to kill and eat animals but how is their non-eating of meat going to stop that?

If the animal has already been killed and the meat is there anyway, why not eat it?

OP posts:
musicposy · 29/01/2011 23:23

But if nobody ate meat, stuff wouldn't be killed to be eaten in the first place because there'd be no market for it.

Your argument is very defeatist - like saying no one can ever make a difference to anything. Consumers are very powerful if there are enough of them.

ladysybil · 29/01/2011 23:23

because by eating it, they are perpetuating a demand for dead animals.

why do we find it so repulsive when we hear about survivors eating dead human flesh to stay alive? it makes sense, but it goes against our beliefs. Same with people who make a principled stand as vegetarians.
personally, i eat meat and fish and chicken and everything else

BuzzLightBeer · 29/01/2011 23:23

because by eating it you are feeding into the demand for more?

sharbie · 29/01/2011 23:23

for me the whole point is not wanting to eat it myself

FunnysInTheGarden · 29/01/2011 23:24

are vegetarian threads the new black or what?

FunnysInTheGarden · 29/01/2011 23:25

If there were no meat eaters, there would be no lovely cows and sheep in the fields and what a shame that would be.

putthekettleon · 29/01/2011 23:25

well it's about supply and demand isn't it - if less people buy and eat meat, then it stands to reason that less meat will be produced.

For me it's about not wanting to contribute to the meat industry which is mostly pretty cruel and unethical.

However I do let my kids eat free range meat, and don't ban them from eating sausage rolls etc at parties, so I am a bit of a hypocrite really.

magicmummy1 · 29/01/2011 23:26

why do you care? Confused

chickinlickin · 29/01/2011 23:27

Not unreasonable, just a bit stupid.

Not eating the meat isn't stopping the slaughtering of animals, but it does mean less have to be killed.

If everybody in the world ate meat, imagine how many more animals would be slaughtered than are now. Its a supply and demand thing.

Oh, and its also the inhumane (often intensive) rearing of animals that veggies object to.

ZuzuandZara · 29/01/2011 23:27

So, you understand that people 'think it's cruel to kill and eat animals' but they should just go ahead and eat them anyway because it won't make a difference Hmm

MadameDefarge · 29/01/2011 23:27

The whole point of vegetarianism is to provide a "controversial" topic for trolls without imagination.

Original poster
Dancergirl · 29/01/2011 23:29

But, what percentage of people are veggie? I'm guessing around 20%? Has that changed at all over the years? I just can't see a point where there will be so many veggies that meat production will go down.

Does anyone know if vegetarianism has had any effect on meat production over the years?

OP posts:
Vallhala · 29/01/2011 23:29

Whether it stops it or not... and I agree with those who have explained about perpetuating the demand for meat... why the hell would I want to eat a dead animal? I don't like the sight of blood and I'm sure as fuck not going to eat or drink some other creature's!

Besides that, whether it saves life or not it demonstrates my disgust for the cruelty and barbarism of meat-eating.

threefeethighandrising · 29/01/2011 23:29

You're not particularly bright are you? Hmm

Original poster
Dancergirl · 29/01/2011 23:31

'You're not particularly bright are you?'

Maybe not, but is that all you've got to say on the matter?

OP posts:
chickinlickin · 29/01/2011 23:31

Well obviously 20% (if your guess is correct which I doubt it is) less animals have been reared to be killed and eaten than otherwise would have been?!!

mutznutz · 29/01/2011 23:32

I don't get the point if they're veggies purely due to animal cruelty...it should be vegan or nothing if someone feels that strongly imo.

Goblinchild · 29/01/2011 23:32

I'm vegetarian, but I was also part of the push for ethical farming, free range food and CIWF.
A lot of us were and are.
Things have changed a lot since I made my choice in 1976.

Original poster
Dancergirl · 29/01/2011 23:32

'Consumers are very powerful if there are enough of them'

Enough of them - exactly my point. There aren't enough of them to make a difference, are there?

OP posts:
Vallhala · 29/01/2011 23:33

Can't access any figures offhand but yes, the number of vegetarians has risen quite a bit over the years. My 2 kids have been all their lives - they're now teenagers. Children being raised like this is more common too, as are those of us who have gone from many years a vegetarian to vegan.

There is less red meat consumption for sure although part of that is of course education about the ills of it, BSE scares and so on.

chickinlickin · 29/01/2011 23:34

Please try to engage your brain Dancergirl?

Vallhala · 29/01/2011 23:35

Children being raised like this IS more common? Blush

What kind of English is that?!

Original poster
Dancergirl · 29/01/2011 23:35

'Besides that, whether it saves life or not it demonstrates my disgust for the cruelty and barbarism of meat-eating'

Demonstrates it to who? Is your aim to try and change things? How do you do that?

OP posts:
LadyPumpington · 29/01/2011 23:36

I don't get the point of vegetarianism either but look at it positively the more vegetarians there are the more meat left over for us meat eaters

ZuzuandZara · 29/01/2011 23:37

mutznutz, I'm veggie, and to me it's about doing my bit. I would like to be vegan, but I don't have the will power Blush Maybe one day.
You may donate a bit of money to charity, you don't donate all your spare cash to charity, you may do some voluntary work, not every spare hour is donated to voluntary work.
We all do what we can/want.

Swipe left for the next trending thread