to think sharing explicit anti-meat eating photos on Facebook is completely abhorrent and unnecessary? [Title edited by MNHQ]

[WiiUnfit]

I'm sat here eating a naice ham sandwich, scrolling through & minding my own business when WHAM, a picture of a sleeping puppy being carved like a joint of meat on my newsfeed. Poster is an old school friend and a (recent) vegetarian.

I mean seriously, I don't share photos of great big juicy steaks to promote my status as a meat-eater?

I have been vegetarian for over 25 years. I don't like the thought of eating flesh. I do cook it for friends and family.

I have never once told a meat eater that they shouldn't eat meat. If I had a pound for every meat eater that told me I should eat meat I would be very rich.

I don't want to eat meat, I choose not to eat meat, I am happy with what I eat. I just wish others would leave me alone and not tell me I should eat what they are eating and that I am missing out.

The only person I called child like was moonmin.
In what way is it child like of me to say that?

Wait you were calling me childlike?

At what point did I say I wanted to eat more meat because of vegan activists?? I said when they get offensive and insulting I think "Why should I?", I don't decide to eat a mixed grill because of it though!!

Bloody hell

Thinking 'why should I?' Means you think it's for them and it's not!
I've never met a vegan or vegetarian who is aggressive about it. I know many and read and watched a lot on it. Most are passionate, earnest and informed.

You accused me of saying I'd eat more meat just because of vegan activists.

Don't try and backtrack now.

I've met several vegetarians who are aggressive about it, and I've encountered several on forums. They come out with gems like calling meat eaters murderers and child like.

Not a great advert for the cause, eh?

All carnivorous animals kill for food. We don't call owls murderers because they kill shrews and mice.

The only difference between a human eating venison and a tiger eating a deer is that the tiger doesn't agonise over whether it's ethical.

I eat meat. I eat cows that have lived happy lives being very well looked after on a friend's farm which are then shot once in the head (while they are nose down in a trough so not expecting it and not frightened in any way). I'd be quite happy to do the shooting bit too, but I don't have a homekill license.

I don't see a problem in raising animals for meat provided you treat them well. My children have always known where their food comes from. Our diet is predominantly lean meat and leafy green veg based, nobody has shown me any reason to change this or cut down.

I have shared a few pictures like this on fb and two friends have gone veggie saying my posts made them think. There will always be knuckle dragging meat eaters who stamp their feet like children when the revolting cruelty of their diet is pointed out. Fortunately they are increasingly a dying breed and as veganism is on the rise more people are opening their minds, educating themselves and changing to a kinder, healthier way of eating. Op yabu, and I'm glad the picture gave you pause while consuming your disgusting corpse sandwich.

Mmmm, corpse sandwich.
I'll have brown sauce on mine.

If it's not wrong to show meat eaters these photos, is it wrong for pro-lifers to show pictures of aborted fetuses to women considering a termination?

I wonder how many vegans own carnivorous pets?

Is a pet cat a murderer if it's not a good mouser and its owner procures its food?

I speak as a long time vegetarian who wants to be fully vegan but finds it hard...
How I saw it when I was younger, was if a superior alien species came to earth and with its superior intelligence decided to farm our species because it could , eat us, take our babies and milk, how I would feel. It would be horrific :(
All animals essentially want the same as us. To live happy lives, raise young, hang out with friends. We as humans can choose to live our life with empathy and kindness for other animals understanding this, or not.

I wasn't backtracking..
You made a contrary comment which I said was child like. Could have done that on any discussion really.
Describing killing as murder isn't aggressive.
If you think any discussion on this aggression then you are misunderstanding.

I sometimes wonder if we would treat animals the way we do if they could talk. It is always easier to exploit those that have no voice. I think slaughterhouses should be made of glass, so that everyone who eats meat could see what is taking place in their name.

That times change. We look back on the times when slavery was legal, when racial segregation was acceptable, when women did not have the vote - and we are appalled.

No we are not. If we were we would be campaigning for those things in countries where it still exists. Dubai is popular as a tourist destination but take a look at what colour the tourists are and the colour of the maid cleaning their hotel room and you will see segregation. If you look at the building sights you will see slavery.

Saudi Arabia will allow women to vote this year, but only in local elections.It still will not allow women to leave their own home unaccompanied.

its what's really childish is your unwillingness to understand that most meat eaters havent killed the animal themselves, therefore by definition are not murderers, so to shriek that they are is inaccurate at best.

Do you want other people to reduce/cut out their meat intake, or do you just enjoy feeling morally higher than others and want to feel like they're beneath you?

Your attitude suggests the latter.

corpse sandwich

cannot please go back a read what fightorflight has posted.
She is someone that I (a happy meat eater with no wish to change) would listen to. I could quite happily sit and chat with her about the issue because she is reasonable and educated. I would happily discuss reducing my meat intake with her, because she is not a ranting, raving loony.
You can show me all the pictures and videos you want. I've watched most of the propaganda on the Peta website. I still eat meat.
Ranting and name calling will not "educate" people.

babyhammock Sun 01-Feb-15 07:22:50
I speak as a long time vegetarian who wants to be fully vegan but finds it hard...

Why do you find it hard? I did it overnight so why can't you?

What's hard about not putting eggs or dairy in your mouth?

Why are you buying into an industry that grinds up chicks alive and kills calves when they are a few days old YOU BLOODY MURDERER!!!!!!

Same goes for any other vegetarian on this thread, you're not only MURDERERS you are HYPOCRITES!!!! Only vegans have the right to the moral high ground.

There, how did that make you feel? Do you like me for pointing that out or has it got your back up and made you defensive? What I said is true - there are more deaths in the egg and dairy industries than in the meat industry. Many more pointless deaths as at least those raised for food are eaten not thrown into a macerator or turned into cheap pet food at a couple of days old.

We can all 'speak up' for the animals but the way we do it and how that influences people is the important thing.

For the record, I don't look down on vegetarians because they are "only halfway there". I think anything that helps to reduce the number of animal deaths is a step forward, and that includes meat reducing.

Not every meat eater is going to go vegetarian just as not every vegetarian is going to go vegan. I have personally found that gentle encouragement works better than a slap in the face.

Moomin totally agree

Two questions which are not intended to get the loonies ranting in force again, but:

For all those veggies and vegans, if a cow died of natural causes, what would you think of eating that? I imagine you're so conditioned now against eating it you wouldn't even consider it but would that ease some of the ethics issue?

Do any of you have pets and if so, what do they eat? In particular, dogs and cats?

fight

I have been told those things many times, have been yelled at and embarrassed during dinner, school BBQs

Quite often by comparative strangers, certainly not by people I consider close friends. One memorable time when I was 9 by my childminders husband

The only thing that all those people had in common was that they were meat eaters

I understand your argument and like many other meat avoiders I have never criticised meat eaters for what they eat, in fact many of my acquaintances don't know I don't eat meat

I don't care what anyone eats and I certainly wouldn't get all "militant" about it by posting pictures or anything like that

Oh and completely agree with fight re meat reducing

Right, sorry

Also agree with fight re people doing what they feel they can

Flight I completely agree with you and I do feel a hypocrite and not defensive :(
I find it hard because I ate cheese and butter and milk chocolate for a long time before I had any idea about how cruel dairy farming actually is.. So I'm kind of conditioned to not think about it, but mainly because I also have little kid who is vegetarian but also likes pizza etc...
But I do know its wrong and so I'm gradually cutting all if it out... He no longer has milk in his porridge, I will get all our cheese from Ahimsa etc..

What do people think to removing much of the choice when it comes to eating meat?
If we tightened up the rules considerably when it comes to the keeping and slaughtering of livestock,meat consumption would reduce whjch would have an beneficial ethical and environmental impact.
I personally think there are many die hards out there that no amount of advertising camlaigns,or puppies on plates,would affect,ahd unless choices are removed thin gs won't change significantly enough.

Rufus I wasn't personally calling vegetarians murderers just saying that it's hypocritical to call meat eaters murderers whilst eating a cheese sandwich.

We do need activists to keep the profile of the meat-free movement high. I've been on protests, marches etc. and done my bit/continue to do my bit on that score. I'm a member of the Hunt Sabs Association and have helped to sab the recent badger cull.

I also influence those around me with reasoned debate, information, tasty vegan food and by being a physically healthy example of a plant-based diet.

One woman at work now follows a mainly plant-based diet (occasional cheese and eggs) because of how I look. It appealed to her vanity and she has lost weight and maintained that weight loss. No amount of slaughterhouse videos would have changed her diet - seeing me nice and slim with glowing skin did the trick.

Other friends have reduced their meat intake and cut out dairy (they saw that my eczema cleared up) but none of that was because I showed them gory pictures and videos. There is more than one way to skin a veggieburger.

I have actually been astounded at the amount of intelligent people who genuinely think that cows are natural milk producing machines with no human intervention in the process. They think that cows have to be milked every day of their lives. I explain it by comparing to a breastfeeding woman, i.e. after the baby is weaned the milk dries up. Women do not have to spend the rest of their lives hooked up to a milking machine so that their tits don't explode! Women who are not pregnant do not produce milk every day any more than cows will.