when vegetarians eat chicken?

[AMAZINWOMAN]

I know so many people that say they are vegetarians but eat chicken on a regular basis! They can't be true vegetarians then if they eat it!

One friend ate chicken in a restaurant-but had vegeterian gravy!

Whilst I have the utmost respect for people who live by their convictions, particularly vegans, those who get on their moral high horse about others personal choices really, really piss me off.

Could not agree more Carmenere. Each to his own and all that

But who speaks for the voiceless?

Probably the same fairies that speak for the gazelles that get ripped to shreds by lions and tigers in the wild or the little sparrow or mouse that has its head ripped off by the domestic cat.

Freckle said "Well, one reason to aspire to be a vegetarian is that, if there weren't so many cows, global warming would not be such a threat. Methane from cow farts is, apparently, one of the major causes of global warming. If we all became veggies, there'd be very few cows and consequently fewer farts."

Paddy fields produce as much anthropogenic methane as cow's emissions so on that basis, we should reduce our consumption of rice too.

Actually there was a really interesting article in the Observer at the weekend which included an interview with an Amazonian man. He says that if you eat meat, you are responsible for the destruction of the rainforest.

I dunno about the methane argument but raising cattle is a very inefficient and environmentally damaging thing to do.

there was one of those "this is what I eat" columns in trashy mag i was reading - melinda "i'm a veggie" messenger - ooh then she goes on to mention that she actually eats

Spokette, carnivorous animals don't have a choice, humans do. Plus they go hunt them down, not keep them 6 to a cage etc etc (don't need to go into detail about inhumane conditions factory farmed aniamls are kept in. Its not like anyone doesn't know)
Most people don't think where their food comes from. Its in little plastic packages from the supermarket. Easy to ignore the suffering then just cos it tastes nice.

Perhaps I am being speciesist, needmorecoffee, though I don't think it's a valid concept but the fact is that, to me and to enough of the population to satisfy the dictionary compilers, the word "murder" with all its inflammatory connotations can only be applied to the deliberate killing of another human being.

I am prepared to respect your choices as a vegetarian to avoid meat and, if you are a vegan, to avoid all animal products. If you are a veggie coming to dinner at my house I will accommodate your requirements (though I will be relieved not to have to do it too often). I accept that you find the killing of animals for food abhorrent even though I don't.

I object to "fundamentalists" trying to make me feel guilty about a practice that is legal and is acceptable to the majority of the population by the misuse of a word used to refer to a very serious crime.

When the animals that we raise for food can speak the language along with us, I will then be prepared for the word to be redefined but not until.

On the original point, I can respect someone who genuinely chooses to be vegetarian but I am dubious about the motivation of anyone to claims the title (and any kudos that might be going) without living the principle in full.

quote:When the animals that we raise for food can speak the language along with us, I will then be prepared for the word to be redefined but not until

Is it language thats important then? Ability to communicate? Just wondering.

But cows eat grass so its just vegetarians eating vegetarians.....is that ok.

(sorry could not resist)

So when a lion hunts and kills a gazelle for food, is that murder?

Oh sorry I forgot, they can't help it.

Silly me to think that humans should be able to exercise their right, as they have done for thousands of years, to eat meat without be subjected to perjoratives that liken them to murderers.

I personally blame the thougtless, murdering early Hominid species that lived 2.5 millions years ago in Ethiopia and are thought to be first human species to eat meat. Incorporating meat into their diet was a key step toward nourishing the hominid brain that was still small and led to the next major revolution in human evolution because it allowed the hominid brain to evolve into a much larger organ that we, Homo Sapiens, now enjoy.

Why oh why, did they do it?

Regardless of whether they call themselves vegetarian or not (can't say I've ever come across someone who called themselves veggie and said they ate chicken - can only assume you'd have to be really stupid to do that), I regard anyone who eats factory-farmed chicken/turkey as deeply immoral.

I don't have a problem with the eating of meat in principle but if you are going to eat it I think you have a moral obligation to know how the animal suffered to produce it. It is not right to hide behind the supermarket packaging and pretend you don't know how they treat these animals.

My fil drives me up the wall - he gets upset when the sparrow-hawk in our garden kills a pigeon but he eats factory-farmed chicken and eggs.

Yeah, and we have a moral obligation to know if child slaves were involved in making our clothes
how little the poor farmers are paid in developing countries so that smug,simpering sentamentalist who like to liberally throw around phrases like eating this and that is immoral can indulge in their daily caffein fix
how much non-degradeable plastic is used to package industrial, synthetic bilge like quorn and so forth....

Anybody would think that only those who care about animals had any morals or that eating meat as well as caring about the welfare of animals were mutually exclusive.

Actually maybe we do have a moral obligation to know those things Spokette. Why is that an issue?
Not sure what your point is though