Is eating meat a form of racism?

Question

People who are racist believe one race is superior to another. If a person eats meat, they believe they are superior to animals, therefore they are racist. Has anyone else made this connection?

ellen d, whether you like it or not, animals are sentient beings who have a right to live just like you do. We need to love animals and stop eating them.

I am saying the act of eating meat is racist. How can you expect to show love to someone when you don't even love animals.

I have been totally misunderstood on this question. I am just wondering if people noticed a connection, that is all. We need to see these things through truth goggles.

Answer 1

A race and a species are two differing forms,,,,a race is a sub catagory of a species usually attributed to humans,,,,eating meat is not being racist,,,,,

Answer 2

While animals are sentient beings, they are not another race of humans. The definition of the word racism does not in any way apply, since racism is discrimination based on race, not on species.

I do believe that most humans consider themselves superior to animals, and meat eaters definitely do. Some may claim they love animals and keep pets to whom they are attached, but they make a choice every day that their taste buds are more important than the life of a cow. You could certainly call it "elitist," but it's clearly not racist.

Answer 3

I rarely ever respond to theVegetarian/Vegan questions like this. So, here goes.

I don't think that people who eat meat are racists against animals. The previous post that stated that animals are in species classes and not racial classes is correct. While, yes, most people will say that they are a superiour life form to animals, we will all agree that we are not racist towards animals.

As a former vegitarian - I understand and appreciate the situation, but I often wonder why vegitarians/vegas will protect all animals, even those that are carnivors and prey on other animals. That is the connection that I don't understand. Why protect an animal that will ultimately eat you or another animal.

I think it is up to the normal heirarchy of life and the food chain. Every animal, including humans, has a preditor. Your question is written in a way that ultimately says you are racist against all animals who eat other animals, or animals that only eat insects are also racists. Also, as a vegitarian, are you not condidering that mushrooms are a decomposer which also eats plants, animals and humans, make us all canibals in the end?

The normal balance of the food chain is simple - sun to plants to animals that eat only plants to animals that eat only other animals - then animals and people who eat both animals and plants to fungi and decomposers who eat us all turning us back into nutrients that support green plant life.

Therefore, humans are not racist against animals because we are not in the same species. Racism occures with superiorism against the same class of species, not comparisons against other classes.

Answer 4

No I have never made that connection. To be honest I do not think this is a valid point. animals eat other animals. we are animals so what is wrong with us eating animals.

your whole point seems to me is that you seem to think it is ok for other animals to eat animals because it is part of nature but it is not ok us to eat animals because we know that it causes them pain.
This implys that you think we are superior to other animals by virtue of the fact that we can relate to the feelings of other animals while other carnivorous animal cannot.

you are the racist.

Answer 5

Only if you are a cannibal.

BTW- your ethos is based upon the modern would which destroyed the habitat of the world of the animals you "care about." If we lived in a naturalistic way, we would respect the animals that provide us with life.... Not factory farm them for wool, factory farm for some other fabric destroying their habitat, or destroying their habitat searching for oil to make our synthetic fabrics (like you would want, u heartless person).

-Issues are a little more complex then just not eating meat, eh?

Answer 6

You realize most of the regulars in here think you've got to be a very dedicated troll, right? Because the other option is to think someone like you could actually be on our side, and that thought makes our brains bleed out our ears, and makes pandas sad. Please don't make the pandas sad, Ashley... step away from the computer.

Edit: Actually, yes, people have thought of this before, and came up with the word "speciesism" to describe this. Saying racism when you mean speciesism is pretty damn offensive.

Answer 7

i think that would be animalist and actually a more accurate definition of racism is to dislike people of another race where the ONLY reason for that dislike is that they are of that different race. So you can be racist in regard to one race but not necessarily all.

Answer 8

That is the most stupid argument posted yet. Animals are not classed by race, duh.

Hi Ashley, I refer to your post you left on the question 'who hates Ashley' These are your words:
' I just ask that you we try to love one another and focus on the big picture. We need to be united, not divided.'

You don't even know me, so how can you make a snap judgment saying I hate animals? I hate animals, so that is why I have a dog and two cats, and the dog was a rescue dog, I belong to the World Wildlife Federation, and donate to the RSPCA every month. Yeah, that's me the animal hater. Ashley, I wish you good luck in life, because you need it. The only way to be united as you say, is to understand we have to live in harmony, and that means to see both sides of the argument, which you seem incapable of doing.

Not possible to love someone who is calling me a racist for eating meat

Answer 9

Hm..some of your post are really silly but I like this one. Maybe it seems like an extreme analogy to some but I think civil rights activist can be considered very similar to animal rights activist. I think the proper term though is "speceism" (sp) since it's a species feeling they're more supperior to another and can treat them however they want. I mean think about it, people once treated blacks horrible and saw them as vermin. Animals are just like that. They're just shipped around as if they were meaningless things people can abuse and do whatever they want with.

It really kind of saddens me that people value lives of other living beings less than others. It can't be because of intelligence because their are mentally handicap people who aren't as smart as some pigs in those slaughter houses. Everyone wants to live and not suffer. It's sad that some people can't see that and choose not only to ignore it, but contribute to it.

Answer 10

They are not the same species as us and have a lower mental capacity, and so are not deserving of the same respect. Irrespective of whether you're a vegetarian or not.