To think you can be an animal lover and eat meat?

[MyOtherUsernameisaPun]

I know I'm going to be flamed, have donned protective gear...

But I think that it's hypocritical to eat meat and claim to be an animal lover. That isn't to say meat eaters don't deeply love their pets - I fully accept that they do! But I think that in those cases they only love certain animals, not animals generally.

We know that pigs are far more intelligent than dogs. We know that cows form close social bonds with specific individuals within the herd. We know enough to confidently state that there is no reason to separate pets from any other species except that we are conventionally accustomed to doing so.

I think everyone is free to make their own choices and whether or not I approve of them is totally irrelevant. But I don't think there is any logical grounds for a meat eater to claim that they are an animal lover when they're happy for some kinds of animals to suffer and be killed.

If you say it enough times it might just come true.
If you say that enough times you may just convince yourself and brush aside any guilt you feel. Whatever helps you sleep, even in the face of evidence.

You tell me, since yourself and others are trying to minimise plant pain just because they can't move around.

You're the one who told me that the possibility of plants feeling pain was inconvenient to me so I'll let you explain that one.

If you say that enough times you may just convince yourself and brush aside any guilt you feel.

Guilt about what?

I am not the one claiming animals are superior to plants and minimising plant pain just because plants have the misfortune of being rooted to one spot and animals can move about and make noises.

Nobody seriously thinks that surely?

I reckon that you’re just having a laugh here.

Animals have brains, they feel fear, pigs scream and screech in fear as they’re being herded along while they’re watching the pigs ahead of them get slaughtered. They try and run away but get cattle prodded. They are sentient and intelligent.

Plants don’t have brains.

Plants don’t have brains.

And apparently neither does Mint.

On a more serious note, I'm actually beginning to get a little concerned about Mint.

I wonder if she's feeling a bit feverish? Perhaps she should have a lie down.

Peter Dinklage talking about meat

Not the same as digging up a potato. Nope.

@MargoLovebutter
But we do understand animals emotions! How are theirs any different to ours? They cry when their young are taken away form them and they yelp when they're in pain.

You clearly did not respect the animals on your farm because you killed them, imagine if a mother said "I have the upmost respect for my daughter but I still abuse her".... the hypocrisy is mad.

Killing animals for food is not "just the way it has to be sometimes", it's unnecessary and wrong, there are so so many plant based alternatives to eating animals that don't contain cholesterol and carcinogens.

@TwitterQueen1

How's it offensive when the treatment they are receiving is the same?
Just because they're a different species does not mean they don't deserve to live a full and happy life free from pain, torture and murder.

@Queenoftheblitz
He's "glowing" because he is an obligate carnivore-you are not.
You also do not have carnivorous teeth.

My horses have never had their babies torn from them, have never been pumped full of chemicals and hormones, arent overfed by force, aren't dragged to the slaughterhouse within a couple of years of birth. They live free in a field, in a herd.

It's great that you're keeping your horses in a field rather than stabling them - I hate horses kept in individual stables - most are so small that a horse can only shuffle around - they have no space to move around like farm animals have - I can never understand why horse owners find this acceptable. I guess by allowing them their freedom and never stabling, that's why you don't have rats and mice?

They do need worming treatments though, and if you ever take them out anywhere, they need to have their flu jab. Tetanus is also a good idea, I don't know why you would choose to not give your horses those 'chemicals' to keep them healthy.

I am an animal lover, and eat meat. I am happy to accept that is somewhat hypocritical. I think it is very difficult for anyone not to be a hypocrite if they care about the environment at all.

OP you seem to be very concerned about the environment. I take it you don't use plastic, electricity, drive a car, or any of the other things humans do that impact negatively on it negatively? You also mention that culling some animals is OK, if it is needed. If humans disappeared from the planet tomorrow, I am sure nature would sort itself out pretty damn quickly. We are all hypocrites to one degree or another.

We all draw the line in different places. Vegans and some vegetarians are the only ones who seem to judge others when their lines are drawn differently .

why is it some vegans/vegetarians feel the need to attack or question people that eat meat? Does it make you feel superior? Questioning how/why we call ourselves animal lovers while eating meat? I think your being goady. And judgemental. I have dogs. I eat meat. My dogs eat meat.

I’ll be confusing for you. I like animals, I love my two cats and I love a dog. But, I think they are all game to be eaten. I wouldn’t judge someone in Asia eating dog for example and I don’t expect to be judged for eating a cow by someone from India (?) depending on where you were raised different animals will bethiught of differently. Whilst I couldn’t and wouldn’t eat my two cats, I wouldn’t look down on someone who would. As long as the animal has a good life before hand, I have no issues with it being killed for meat. I may struggle to do it myself if I had to but I’m not squeamish with touching raw meat and don’t mind seeing meat hanging in a butchers. In fact, my daughter is used to the butchers that from the age of two she would look at the meat through the glass like a kid would in a sweet shop lol she likes picking her favourites. I don’t eat meat for every meal though and can go without but I enjoy it and like the taste and texture. All animals are game for eating in my opinion, as long as they aren’t tortured to death and are raised well.

We all draw the line in different places. Vegans and some vegetarians are the only ones who seem to judge others when their lines are drawn differently 

Not sure why that gets a raised eyebrow response. If someone genuinely views meat eating as cold blooded murder, and absolutely wrong, of course they're going to openly judge you

I used to eat meat OP, but the more I thought about the fact that if my dogs had been born in another country they could be killed for their meat, the less I found myself wanting to eat it. I can’t understand how people get soppy over animal videos, then tuck into a lump of flesh... but this wasn’t always the case.

If I'm not an animal lover am I fine to eat meat without judgement?

imagine if a mother said "I have the upmost respect for my daughter but I still abuse her".... the hypocrisy is mad.

I'd probably judge her less if she said 'utmost'...

I guess that you're right to some extent- meat eaters do not love the animals that they eat. Therefore they/we do not love all animals.

I was a vegetarian from the age of 12 for 13 years after having an upsetting dream about eating my pets and I definitely find pictures of Korean dogs in cages that are about to be cooked very upsetting but do not feel so intensely about pigs. This is despite the fact that dogs and pigs have similar intelligence levels. I guess that could be because wolves have been companion animals for humans for such a long time and we have even designed breeds that are very connected to their humans and show emotional contagion/empathy etc.

One somewhat valid reason for eating meat is that if people did not eat meat farmers would not keep sheep, cows and pigs so there would only be a few rare breed farms in the UK.

I do not agree with eating young animals (e.g. lamb) before they have had a chance to live and I think that the welfare of farm animals should be improved massively in the UK and elsewhere. I do not really understand farmers that say that they love their cows/sheep but then are willing to send them off to slaughter though. I agree that everyone reducing their intake of meat to maybe once a week or a month would be good.

I am currently considering returning to vegetarianism because I never feel completely easy/ok about eating meat!

@multivac Autocorrect, Thanks :)

"the human demand for grain would be significantly less if no one ate meat"

Really now. What exactly would provide billions of people with the missing calories in their diet, if not bread, pasta, rice, etc? Salad and blueberries?

No.

FYI I don't love all animals and don't you claim to love rats and jellyfish, at the very least. I don't even love all people.

What I think on this subject is that I'll eat meat until the day I die, with much gusto, and no half-baked heartstring-tugging veggie propaganda is going to change that.

I also think that you need a hobby or a real problem if what strangers eat bother you so.

YABU.

multivac