To ask if you had to kill the animal yourself, would you still eat meat?

[WhatDoYouThink2017]

To ask if you had to kill the animal yourself, would you still eat meat?

It seems that a lot of people say no, but that does confuse me, as if less people ate meat, there would be a less of a demand.

This isn’t me saying eating meat is wrong btw, I absolutely believe there is a food chain, but the food chain is slightly unfair. Animals are bred and kept in awful conditions for their meat, etc. which is where I believe it’s unfair. Other people seem to agree.

So, if you could humanely keep your own animals and kill them, would you? Or would you go without meat?

If it became law that any food I ate had to be raised/grown by me then I'd probably end up on a meat exclusive diet if I'm honest. I'm nearly thirty and haven't ever managed to keep a plant alive long term, let alone have one fruit or flower. I've killed many cacti. Give me a baby animal though and it lives to a ripe old age. I'd be able to kill an animal if I knew I could give it a good life and a humane death. I also think that creating such a law would do wonders for animal welfare and food waste, however problematic it'd be to implement.

No I couldn't, no chance. Only in a zombie apocalpyse type situation where I'd be doing it a favour anyway! I know it's hypocritical. I want my meat neatly packaged and un-animal-like.

I can and do.

No.

But I think thats utterly normal. Most people in the world eat animal and most people wouldn't kill an animal. I don't get the wide eyed amazement about how if you wouldn't stab a cow to death you're a hypocrite. Unskilled people can't and shouldn't kill animals

Yes

I would go without but then I am not a big meat eater. My SIL says she would happily kill her own meat and I believe she would too. She’s a big meat eater and likes picking meat in butchers shops whereas I hate buying meat even in a supermarket. She’s a big foodie type I would rather much raw veg and salad (and chocolate)
My grandad was a butcher so no idea why I’m so squeamish.

But I agree maybe we should all take on the responsibility? But then do we have time and space to rear animals ourselves and slaughter ourself? That’s why farmers and butchers do that job is it not ?
We all need to know where meat comes from and I agree all animals bred for meat, dairy, eggs etc should be treated well until death. I like seeing happy muddy pigs out in the fields near me.
Happy to go veggi rather than start doing it myself but no desire to destroy the farming industry or take away the job of the butcher.
Also I bet if I was starving I would soon kill a chicken!
We need to push for good treatment of animals rather than everyone going veggie.

Yes.

I might be less picky about which bits I eat though.

I'm the other way around, I am vegetarian, but wouldn't have a problem killing something humanely. I am not very sentimental.

That should probably have more context. I don't think it's wrong to eat animals. We are omnivores. I do think that almost all aspects of modern intensive farming are cruel, wasteful, and environmentally damaging which is one of several reasons I don't eat meat. But I have no issue with folk responsibly rearing and humanely killing animals for meat and would not have a problem (in terms of feeling squeamish or upset) with killing them myself, if I had the skills.

Yep. Meat is delicious.

These is no moral superiority it doing it yourself though.

The moral superiority comes with knowing it is done as quickly and humanely as possible, which I do not believe is at all the case with most commercially-farmed meat.

"So, if you could humanely keep your own animals and kill them, would you?"

Yes, I wouldn't have a problem with that. But am going increasingly vegetarian as I get older as I do not believe current population levels can be combined with either humane meat eating or environmentally sustainable meat eating on the levels we are currently consuming. Meat as a bit of a rarity, or no meat at all, will have to be where we're heading. No problem with that either.

But no problem with killing per se, as long as the rearing is done humanely. I used to fish for our family table and lots of people I knew hunted: it's just a normal way of life where I come from.

yes, I would work out methods to do it as quickly & easily as possible for both of us.

My mother used to cut heads of chickens (axe?) so had a few stories about that (flapping around headless).

I was with a farmer once when the broke a turkey neck & commenced plucking immediately. It felt unkind, but she was sure the animal was quite dead instantly.

The hard part is the butchery. I'm squeamish & that would put me off certain animals. I might limit myself to only killing larger fish & poultry, not sure I could handle a rat-squirrel-mammal (DS once prepared wood pigeon & squirrel carcasses as part of Scouts -- the resulting kebabs were good but DS said most the kids found it a gross task).

I'd probably be a lot more hopeless at growing my own wheat or bananas. All that pesticide spray & input?

Birds yes, possibly even goats/sheep.
Cows or pigs? No theyre too big I'd find it difficult to kill I think.

When I was at school (many many years ago) we had to kill, gut, pluck and cook pheasants as part of our 'home economics' class. I could do that ok. Fish would be fine too but I don't like fish anyway so maybe that makes it easier.

I remember one of the lads trying to kill a turkey but not very successfully (lots of noise and feathers) one of the staff had to step in and kill it for him. I couldn't do a turkey because of that.

This question is a logical fallacy. I couldn't be a counsellor or a surgeon because it's just not in my nature - but I wouldn't forgo counselling or surgery because I couldn't do it.

Yes.
No problem.

It's not a fallacy. vlad didn't choose not to be a counsellor because he morally disagreed with it. If confronted with an actual animal you find it morally repugnant to kill it then I do question whether you should happily outsource what you find morally repugnant and tuck into your steak. I wouldn't kill a person and I wouldn't pay someone to kill a person, they are both just as bad. Plenty of people however don't think this way with regard to killing animals, because it is convenient.

He / she whatever , sorry I defaulted to he after typing vlad.

That isn't what a logical fallacy is.

when we are asked "could you kill an animal" the reaction expected of us is one of squeamishness, not of moral repugnance

they are not the same thing

moral repugnance is thinking "this is wrong", squeamishness is "doing/seeing this makes me feel queasy"

not the same thing at all

what the OP expects us to do is to experience some kind of gliding between the squeamishness that is common in a society where most of us live far from food production and moral repugnance

I really struggle with killing slugs, for some reason, so I get dd to do it

if that was a moral repugnance I would have to give up eating vegetables and fruit

but as I know it is simply squeamishness I am happy to slip dd a pound per dozen to get the job done because otherwise we wouldn't have veggies to eat

No. I couldn’t grow and mill wheat to make flour either though, doesn’t mean I’m going to give up bread.

I've killed many cacti.
Join the plant killers club. I thought I was the only one capable of killing desert plants!

OP you’re right. I’ve recently given up bacon after watching videos on how they’re stunned and lifted on giant hooks whilst still alive.

I’m sure when we were hunters and gatherers it was different but today’s methods of mass slaughter are awful.

No. It’s one of the reasons why I’m vegan.

This question is a logical fallacy. I couldn't be a counsellor or a surgeon because it's just not in my nature - but I wouldn't forgo counselling or surgery because I couldn't do it.

Not really when it’s more to do with morality rather than personal skills.

Otherwise it’s a bit like a man who uses prostitutes not wanting his daughter / wife to be one.

I think the idea of a humane death for a healthy animal is a misnomer. When people say ‘humane’ death, all that can logically mean is a quick death. Killing by it’s nature is not humane.

Just like humans, animals instinctively value their lives and will fight to live if they know they are under threat, always.
If someone came to drive you to a slaughterhouse I don’t think you’d find any modicum of comfort in the fact that you’d lived a full and happy life up to that point.

Death for an animal that is not sick or suffering can never be humane, it can only be quick.