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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to suggest that you aren't really an animal lover if you're not a vegan

552 replies

KylieKoKo · 20/10/2019 21:14

I'm a meateater but I was chatting to a vegan friend of mine about this and I think she has a point. It makes no sense to call yourself an animal lover if you pay others to kill animals or take their milk and eggs when its perfectly possible to live without them. I couldn't help but agree with her, and, as a non-vegan, had to conceed that I don't really love animals. In fact, I'm putting the fact that they taste nice above their lives and well-being on a daily basis.

I thought it would be interesting to see if anyone on here had an argument against this.

OP posts:
FizzyIce · 20/10/2019 21:15

Yawn ...

M0nkeybutler · 20/10/2019 21:15

Sits back with tea and biscuits....

HeadLikeAFuckinOrange · 20/10/2019 21:16

I love animals, and I also love eating them. We have evolved to do exactly this. YABU

Andromeida59 · 20/10/2019 21:17

I've been battling this contradiction for a while but I do agree. I'm now vegetarian and am working my way to being vegan. I'm hoping to rescue some battery chickens so will only use eggs from them (if they produce eggs).

bohemia14 · 20/10/2019 21:17

Yes, YABU.

Windydaysuponus · 20/10/2019 21:18

I know I can't save the world but I feel my contribution eases my guilt.
I only eat free range chicken and get my eggs from a friend. Eat no other meat.
Try and use soya milk when possible.
I never preach to anyone.
We all have to live with ourselves only.
Not answerable to others.

raffle · 20/10/2019 21:18

I love my animals, I would never eat them. I don’t love nameless unknown (to me) animals, so I eat them.

I’m an animal lover and a meat eater.

DonnaDarko · 20/10/2019 21:18

I love animals enough to eat them

aliensprig · 20/10/2019 21:18

Absolutely. This was the argument that turned me vegan, and my parents vegetarian. It's hard to say you love animals while you're devouring them!

People usually say "oh but we have a dog and he's like family to us so we must love animals". So... you love dogs then. That's it 🤷‍♀️

gamerchick · 20/10/2019 21:18

I don't believe that's what happened OP. But nice try though Grin

I don't give a toss if a vegan doesn't believe I'm an animal lover or not.

PrincessHoneysuckle · 20/10/2019 21:18

Yabu 🍿

C0untDucku1a · 20/10/2019 21:19

Youre right of course?’c but people dont like having it pointed out so you'll get a lot of sarcasm, deflection and whataboutary on this thread.

ChocAuVin · 20/10/2019 21:19

I’m presuming the OP is human. If so, YABU.

picklemepopcorn · 20/10/2019 21:19

I think there is a place in ecological thinking for carefully reared meat. It helps a balanced ecology to mixed farm.

As an animal lover I struggle with eating meat, and am reducing our intake.

TeenPlusTwenties · 20/10/2019 21:20

Twaddle.

Humans were 'designed' to eat meat. Yes you can manage without it, but it's not that straightforward.
If you are Christian you could take the whole 'up Peter kill and eat' as official sanction to eat meat.
You can want high welfare standards and be an animal lover (e.g. give them the best life, give them a quick death, don't waste their products).
You can also have different views on 'wildlife' and animals being farmed.

Oopsinamechangedagain2020 · 20/10/2019 21:20

I love animals, I own cats and I'm vegetarian. But my cats eat meat. If I didn't have cats maybe there would be less meat being eaten?? Maybe I don't love animals?? So confused.

TrainspottingWelsh · 20/10/2019 21:22

Clearly your vegan friend knows very little about commercial vegan food production. Funnily enough it isn't like the good life but on a bigger scale.

Snoopdogsbitch · 20/10/2019 21:22

Oh shut up. We all do what we want/ can and do NOT need to answer to anyone.

Grasspigeons · 20/10/2019 21:26

I dont think of myself as an animal lover. I like some animals, particularly my chickens. They dont seem very interested in their eggs. I cant ask them but they just leave them where they lay them and dont look back.

Original poster
KylieKoKo · 20/10/2019 21:27

@gamerchick it did but feel free to disbelieve me.

I've never really thought of myself as an animal lover so it didn't touch as nerve with me as it might with some.

Its quite telling that no counterarguements have been posted.

OP posts:
BillywilliamV · 20/10/2019 21:27

Who cares what you think?

EmmiJay · 20/10/2019 21:28

If you saw/tasted how I cook my meats nobody would argue that I don't love animals Grin

Helmlover1 · 20/10/2019 21:28

I kind of agree with your friend, and I say that as a meat eater. Coincidentally, I’ve just been reading through the vegan topics on this site and someone posted that following a raw vegan diet led to an extremely low intake of b12 which was also leading onto brain shrinkage, so she had to seriously re-evaluate her food choices. I’ve read other accounts like this where the lack of b12 from vegan diets can lead to blindness and anaemia. Reading things like that scares me a lot. So although I would like to become vegetarian (and eventually vegan), I have serious health concerns regarding this. Can anyone reassure me?

Vix20678 · 20/10/2019 21:29

YANBU

BrightYellowDaffodil · 20/10/2019 21:30

I would absolutely class myself as an “animal lover” in the context of this conversation but I also don’t think it’s wrong to kill and eat those animals. I have eaten meat from animals I knew well and helped raise.

As long as they live good, high welfare standard lives and have a humane, compassionate death then I have no issue. Of course, some would say that it’s wrong to kill animals at all but that’s not a view I share as long as they don’t suffer.