Why are a lot of meat-eaters always on the defensive? I am never nasty to genuine askers on here.?

Question

Please see my question in general food . See how many people spat venom at me!! I was only wondering if they saw the slaughter house conditions and the killing process if they would still eat meat.

Thank you to the enlightened grown ups for your mature answers. I respect your views. My husband eats meat (rarely and by choice) and so does my child but they like a lot of vegetarian foods.

I agree Most were not attacks but see the answer from Dave's Gran and that ilk!!!

I use the original source, Barry M and bodyshop cosmetics personally. (All Vegetarian)

P I Gray do you realise you would be licking brains,blood and faeces off the slaghter house floor. Tuck in if you still want to!!

Answer 1

Hi Andie, hope you are well.

I do think its because they don't want to question what they do so its better to deflect the discussion onto crticising others.

A bit like the "attack is the best form of defence" strategy.

There are very few meat-eaters who actually want to take the time to think about what they eat, hows its reared and processed. Its questioning thier morals and they fear ahving to make a life-changing choice.

I've, just today, had a bizarre dialog with someone caliming to be a physicist and have a degree from MIT...such strange emails denoucing vegetarians as being "silly" and "not the sharpest knifes in the box" and being "deficient in essential this and that for life".

Apaprently, he says I must have "studied nutritian" because I'm surviving quite well on a veggie diet - quite bizarre and narrow minded.

Answer 2

I think a lot of people have a hard time separating a general question about a practice of theirs from a personal attack on themselves. Your question may have come across to some people as an implication that they are not intelligent enough to choose their own food. Clearly, this could be bothersome. The truth is, an overwhelming majority of meat-eaters know how terrible the slaughter houses are, but they have accepted it as a necessary evil and would subsequently like to be left to eat in peace.

Answer 3

I guess it's a cultural thing; meat eaters are defending their "way of life."

Back in the 70s, "women's libbers" were called "bra-burning dykes with mustaches." I think it's similar to the stereotypes about vegetarians current on YA.

I wouldn't have put the slaughterhouse question in the general food category, though. The majority of questions in the other food sections are no deeper than "where can I buy this", "how do you cook this" kind of questions. They aren't expecting anything provocative.

I find it kind of funny when meat eaters come to the V V section and seem to take everything as a personal attack. I don't go the sports section and complain about the jocks that made fun of me back in Junior High.

Answer 4

I love to eat meat. But I can't eat anything that still has it's face, or skin. Some fish. In my house we would go hunting, and what we killed we cleaned and ate. The rule was if mom wouldn't cook it we couldn't kill it. One of those animals was rabbits.

There are some meats that I have a had time eating. That's beef. I still remember when I was 9, we had a cow oddly my mom named her budget. I went to summer camp, well when came back we where sitting at the dinner table, and I said to my parents " After dinner I want to go see the cow." My dad started laugh and said " Your looking at her" I never really got over it. I gave up eating meat for a little while, but I ended up sick.

I think that if the tables where turned they would be as sympathetic to us as we currently are to them.

If we were not intended to eat meat we wouldn't.
But I respect other people for what the believe, I just ask for the same.

Answer 5

You get a star because I've seen (and don't appreciate) what you're talking about! It's not just on Yahoo Answers... people in general seem to be personally offended and angry with me because I choose not to eat meat. I have a couple of friends who ask me every time I see them when I'm going to "get out of this phase" and eat some meat. I've also had people tell me that "God says we HAVE to eat meat" which is also bogus... and an attempted guilt trip.

I've never once told ANYONE I know that they had to or should become a vegetarian, unless they asked me about it. I never go up to people and say, "You shouldn't eat that!" So what gives them the right to tell me I should eat something I don't want to eat? Ahh... just joining your frustration. :) Hehehe...

Answer 6

I see no reason to be nasty. But I think we have to keep in mind that the issue of vegetarian vs. meat eater has been a long time sensitive issue. I don't think either side should be critical of the other in any way. But I also think posing the type of question you did, might bring that out in people... on either side. It's just the type of question that is bound to bring out strong feelings, and is, in a way, a type of criticism of those of us who eat meat. It bothered me to see it, but I chose to just not answer.

(In response to someone else's critical comments... I am a meat eater, and am not ashamed of what I feel are high moral values. Please don't criticize me or anyone else in regard to their moral values when you don't know them. Whether we CHOOSE to eat meat, or to not eat meat, is only a very, very small part of who we are and certainly shouldn't be the barometer by which we measure ANYONE's moral values, and worth as a human being. I respect your choice to not eat meat for WHATEVER reason. I deserve that same respect. Also, I am thankful that I HAVE a choice.)

Answer 7

I was an animal science major and yes I have seen the slaughter houses here in the US and in Central America. I have switched my major to animal nutrition to get the chemicals out of pet foods and I am concedering becoming a vegegatian. There are a few things that are holding me up and one of them is the attitude of meat eaters. My brother is a hunter and I am slightly afraid to tell him. He would never let me be if I did. I already am very selective about what I eat (no meat with bones in it and all organic) and he likes to take a big greasy rib and rub it in my face. Yuck!

Answer 8

I don't think they were attacks. I just see a lot of people saying 'yes, I've seen it'. I've been to many. I don't like seeing animals die (it's all in the eyelashes!) but on the other hand I do enjoy a steak. I'd certainly struggle on a farm but I think you'd get used to it. Don't take it personally.

edit: Lol! Dave's Gran has issues! If you look through his/her other answers you'll see they take nothing seriously. Again, don't take it personally. I repect what you choose to do with your life as I hope you would repect mine even though we may disagree =)

Answer 9

I got my boyfriend to watch 'meet your meat.' He was pretty stunned and sad, almost in tears. He considered being veggie for all of 5 minutes before deciding to blot it all out. He admitted that he never imagined it could really be so awful. In a way I'm happier he's seen it and knows the truth, he's not one of the folk under the illusion that the animals they eat were frolicking happily in a field before slaughter. funnily enough, he eats a lot less meat now...

Answer 10

The answer to your original question is Yes.. I dont care as long as the meat tastes good :)

The vegans are making fuzz about nothing. If you dont like it dont eat it.

Would you still eat vegetables if you had known all the side effects of chemicals that are being used as fertilizers and the way the vegetable are being preserved??

Would you still use cosmetic if you had known all the animals that are being slaughtered for creating those??