What is your reason for being vegetarian/vegan? Do you look down on meat-eaters?

Question

I always hear that people are vegans or vegetarians because they love animals. But that's all they do- they don't eat meat. Ok, scratch that, a lot of them also critisize us meat eaters.
However, I eat meat and I do tons of animal rescue work. Does that still mean I'm a bad person ??

Answer 1

I don't think you could truly love animals if you eat them. Sure, there are folks who claim to love animals but that usually means dogs or cats. They fail to realize that what they eat come from inhumane situations and are blind to that fact. You'd be surprised how many meat eaters who give it up if they saw the conditions or had to kill for themselves. It's easy when your meal is all wrapped up in nice plastic at the supermarket isn't it?

Answer 2

I became vegetarian, not because I think it's wrong to eat meat, but because I don't agree with intensive farming (cages, hormones, etc). It's also cheaper (I was a poor student), has health benefits (although there are disadvantages too) and there are environmental factors as well (eg transport of animals). Now I don't eat meat because I don't like it!

I'm not a preachy vegetarian though, I don't think that's helpful. I can't criticise a meat-eater when I wear leather shoes, or drink milk (dairy products support the beef industry but no way could I give up cheese!). Everyone has their own place where they draw the line, and should be left to enjoy their dinner in peace.

Answer 3

I think diet is a personal choice and shouldn't really be judged by anyone else. I have never preached the gospel of vegetarianism to anyone and I have no converts in 20 years. I chose it for a lot of reasons, but what it comes down to is that I don't think the best way of sustaining life is by consuming death. Animal rights do factor into it and I would applaud anyone who gives of themselves to help animals even if they choose to eat meat. Just as I have drawn the line this side of leather (because I accept that I cannot singlehandedly bring the beef industry and thus its byproducts to a halt,) other people have made the choices that suit them best.

Answer 4

Personally, I avoid meat and other animal products because of a)health reasons b)environmental reasons and c)food capacity reasons. The animal rights people are free to their opinions but I find they are kind of annoying.

Vegetarians can often get preachy about their diets- about how they're dedicated enough and so on but meat eaters also like to show off their decisions. If you tell an omni casually they you don't eat meat, often you'll get a response like "Oh I love eating cow, nice and bloody" when really I don't give a damn.

Answer 5

I am a vegetarian because I think eating meat is gross. I find it physically repulsive to think about putting dead animal parts into my own body. Killing animals doesn't bother me, but eating them does. It's totally my personal choice and I don't care what other people do. I think it's amazingly hypocritical when (ethically-motivated) vegetarians wear leather goods!

I just finished reading a book called The Omnivore's Dilemma (by Michael Pollan) which briefly touched on vegetarianism. More importantly, it gave me a lot of insight into the ways that meat products are produced, and the lies that form the groundwork of most "organic" and "free range" meat products. Some chickens that are labelled "free range" don't get let out of their tiny cages until two weeks before their date of slaughter, and that is still categorized as "free range". I think a lot of consumers are deluding themselves, and I definitely believes that humans are far too separated from the food they eat. I would like to see every omnivore go into the forest, hunt for a deer, skin and gut the deer, cook the meat, and eat it themselves.

Answer 6

I became a vegetarian when I was seven, and now I'm 33. Not eating meat has just become my habit, and if a steak were sitting right in front of me and I were hungry, it wouldn't even register as food to me. It would just be there - like a rock, offering no temptation whatsoever. However, I do not like preachy, judgmental people and I would never judge another's diet. People who criticize you for your eating habits can stick it up their behinds! Its your own personal business and YOUR choice! How annoying! People just LOVE to put down others for whatever differences they might have, thus making themselves feel "more worthy". A perfect example of this is "Crow". Tell her to shut her imperfect butt up. This has nothing to do with her.

Answer 7

I´m vegetarian because I don´t really like the taste of meat.
However, If I have to eat meat (for whatever reason, let´s say I´m invited to a friend´s house and all they have is meat) I don´t make such a big deal about it.
I´m not against ethical reasons, but if you think about it, veggetables grown , reproduce and die, just as animnals and ourselfs, so in that case we couldn´t be eating soy sprouts or whatever, either.

Answer 8

I have done animal recue and anti duck shooting work myself and I eat meat. I really like eating peking duck too. I would never kill an animal unless it endangered my life or I wanted to eat it. We are on the top of the food chain.

It's ok to eat cows and chickens becuase they are stupid.

If we freed them they would all get eaten by dingos, wolves, coyotes or get hit by trucks.
Chickens are so stupid they forget you're chasing them after 4 seconds and start picking at the ground for worms. The only creatures on this earth more stupid than chickens are vegans.

Answer 9

I became a vegetarian after learning the cruel practices that took place to get my meat to the table. Also because its helps the environment. I don't think badly about people who eat meat, its a choice. That said, I think if you truly love all animals, then you shouldn't contribute to a system that tortures them.

Answer 10

I was vegetarian for YEARS and quite frankly it was just because I don't care for meat. Unfortunately I had to change my diet when I became diabetic. I still don't care for meat, but I don't look down on anyone else for eating OR liking it.

Answer 11

I became a vegetarian because of ethical reasons. After learning about the horrors of factory farming-- I stopped eating animals.