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Do you have questions about being vegan? Send them
to Jo using this easy form.
She would be happy to address your individual concerns
as well as general inquiries about vegan ethics, philosophy,
practical applications, and living compassionately.
Jo cannot respond to questions about nutrition or
answer questions that have already been addressed in
the Archives
Jo will make every attempt to answer each question
personally, however, due to her schedule, this may not
be possible. If a reply is forthcoming, it could take
up to a few weeks, so please be patient. It is also
possible that your question will be answered directly
in the "Ask Jo!" column rather than an individual
response.
If you'd like to view previous questions Jo has
answered, visit the Ask Jo! Archives.
Pro-Meat
Arguments?
I have seen many of the reasons for
being a vegetarian. However, I am trying to research
both positions, and I cannot find anything that promotes
reasons not to be a vegetarian -- such as health, relationships
between animals and humans, or any thoughts on why we
should eat meat. I cannot decide what to do without
seeing the other side of the coin. People who eat meat
don't research it. So, if you have any information about
arguments against vegetarianism, I would be very grateful.
There are no moral, ethical, philosophical,
or biological reasons for humans to eat other animals.
Therefore, justifying meat consumption is akin to defending
murder. Certainly there are murderers who might try
to rationalize their actions, but no explanation could
exonerate such unconscionable behavior.
There can be no reasonable argument
in favor of eating meat because meat is unnecessary
for human survival and causes widespread suffering and
needless death (of both animals and humans). Furthermore,
there are innumerable health-supporting, cost-efficient,
environmentally-sound alternatives readily available.
For most nonvegetarians, the excuse
for eating meat is that they like the taste. In the
United States, a pervasive cultural assumption is that
adults should not sacrifice pleasure or sublimate any
desire as long as what they want to do is legal. Yet
there are many behaviors that might be enjoyable and
are not illegal that most of us do not engage in because
they go against our individual moral code. It does not
follow that simply because an activity is legal it is
right.
People who promote meat consumption
have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
They either want to maintain their current dietary habits
or they profit from the production and sale of animal
flesh. Vegetarians, on the other hand, do not benefit
personally or financially by encouraging others to adopt
a meat-free lifestyle. They have no self-serving agenda
to champion or lucrative product to peddle. When pursuing
truth, it is wise to be skeptical of research conducted
by or for the very group that stands to gain the most
from a particular outcome.
Vegetarians are proponents of life --
not just their own life but the lives of others. From
a vegetarian standpoint, there is no logical reasoning
that could defend the senseless continuation of unwarranted
suffering and death.
Copyright © 1998-2013 by Jo Stepaniak
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