Is this being Hypocritical?

Question

so I'm completely against animal cruelty, animal testing and hunting, but i eat meat and find nothing wrong with it. i believe that human bodies aren't meant to not eat meat, but thats just me. i don't eat meat of wild animals (except fish, but i am Japanese so it is kinda part of my heritage), i only eat meat of domesticated animals (like cow, not cats or dogs). so is this hypocritical, or is it normal? PLEASE no Jackass answers. Thanks!!

Answer 1

yes mildly hypocritical though very common belief. you have the luxory of feeling this way because we no longer live in a society that requires you to either hunt for or "harvest " domestic animals yourself. we just go to the store and there it is.

Answer 2

A lot of people feel the same way. You're saying that you eat the meat of farm-raised animals that are grown for the purpose of slaughter. These are not domesticated animals.

The only problem with your statement is that many farm-raised animals are raised in what most of us would believe to be unacceptable living conditions. So in that sense, you may be hypocritical because you state that you're against cruelty to animals. On the other hand, if you purchase your meat from sources that provide meats obtained from farms where living conditions are more humane, than you're not being hypocritical. You could include meats obtained through hunting if you consider that the method of killing may be less cruel than the slaughter houses.

Answer 3

There's nothing natural about factory farmed animals which is where most meat comes from. It is the epitomy of animal cruelty. Here's a short video which may make you see differently:

http://www.viva.org.uk/video/nimn.html

I actually think it would be more humane if you went out and hunted animals yourself... at least then they'd have a happy life before you eat them.

When it comes to what's healthy your 'beliefs' are irrelevant. It's a fact that vegetarian diets are healthier than meat eating ones... vegetarians get discounts on health and life insurance for precisely this reason. If you want to eat meat because you like it then just say so, don't try and fool yourself by saying your body 'needs' it... does your body really need colon cancer and heart disease?

I'm half Japanese and used to go to Japan every year... I enjoyed eating sushi and yaki niku and tonkatsu were my favourite. I don't feel I'm betraying my heritage by giving these things up. In fact I feel closer to it for having more in common with buddhist monks who are also vegetarian. There are great Japanese vegetarian dishes... just check out shojin ryori. I have Japanese veggie food at least 2/3 times a week and love it!

Answer 4

You are wondering if you are hypocritical because you are against animal cruelty, and hunting, but think there is nothing wrong with eating meat. The Native Americans are against the type of killing done in factories, but are obviously okay with hunting, and "respecting" the animals they hunt and eat. It seems maybe you share a similar view. But I would be assuming you mean you are against hunting for sport. Vegans do not want to hurt or kill any living creature for any reason, and that is a very personal choice. You can find Vegans who will admit they used to eat meat and still find it tempting to eat a steak or burger sometimes, but when they actually think of doing it, they remember the very personal, deep reasons they decided to no longer eat animals or contribute to the cruel treatment of factory farm animals, and they continue to make the daily decision to change their prior ways of looking at meat. If you think of raising a cow and taking care of it every day, and realizing that it recognizes you and comes to you and it has a personality, you have two things to consider: Could you kill it and eat it?, and could you have someone else kill it for you to eat? Regardless of the method of killing, there is no way I could do either of those things today, but until I became vegan, I had people in factories killing animals for me every day, and I never thought about it. I never had any contact with chickens, pigs, and cows, and after moving to a more rural area, I had the opportunity to meet people who invited me to their homes - and they had chickens and pigs and cows, etc. I observed these animals and realized they are very much like my pets at home. They are smarter than I ever knew. They can be affectionate, they learn, and they certainly are capable of being afraid and in pain. I cannot eat any animals now. There is also a video called Meet Your Meat, and you can easily google it. It shows the way the animals are treated and killed, and even shows chickens that are only used for eggs being treated horribly. Dairy cows are bred to have a calf (which is taken away immediately to be killed for veal in a few days) and the mother cow and baby cow cry for each other. Dairy cows live miserable lives until they can barely stand up, then they actually slaughter the sick, old, dying cows for people to eat their meat. Not very appetizing. I think you should not worry about being a hypocrite, but it sounds like you may need more information about how your meat is ending up on your plate if you really do care about animals. Good luck.

Answer 5

I don't think it is but then I am an omnivore. If anything, maybe, look at how you purchase your meat. I have sone that since I started coming on here. I like to buy meat from a local farmer, that way I know the cow didn't go through the slaughter factory. Plus the meat is much better tasting.

I agree with you about abusing animals, but I do supoort hunting to thin populations where they get so large they become a detriment to people and themselves (ie:deer). Plus, I wish people would also consume what they hunt and not just look for a trophy.

I also think that some animal testing for medicine is anecessary evil. However, I am against wearing fur of any kind. I find that practice, and any poaching to be completely unncessary.

Answer 6

It is a normal step on the path to becoming a vegetarian. The more aware you become of the "you" in animal life forms, the less you want to misuse them.

You could try moving to non-red meat sources of animal protein; take only fish and poultry (and dairy and eggs, if you aren't allergic). At the same time, learn to add vegetarian sources of protein to your diet. You will be surprised to discover that the time-tested protein mix of grains and beans/legumes is an even higher quality protein than meat.

Read up on how to combine grains, seeds, and beans/legumes to get complete protein. It is quite a common knowledge now since the book "Recipes for a Small Planet" came out 30 years ago.

Answer 7

Yeah, it's hypocritical, but you're certainly not alone. I used to be against hunting, against animal testing, against fur (but not leather) and still eat meat. Weird, huh? And I didn't even consider the horrors of circuses, rodeos, and zoos.

The vast majority of animal exploitation and cruelty comes from the animals who are eaten--the cows, the pigs, the sheep, the chickens, the ducks, the geese, etc. And even if the animal is "humanely" raised, he is still killed in the end in the same slaughterhouses as conventionally raised animals.

And our bodies can do just fine without meat.

Answer 8

Human bodies are meant to be able to not eat meat. They are also meant to be able to eat meat, that does not mean that you have to. If you want to think about what our bodies are designed for, vegetarianism is much closer than eating meat twice a day every day like so many people do. And we certainly arent meant to eat and drink dairy, and you probably do that. And controlled seasonal hunting can be a valid and necessisary way to control the population of animals for which we are the primary predator, like deer.

Answer 9

It's irrational and hypocritical. Animals in factory farms are treated horrifically, so I really don't understand why you would continue to eat meat if you object to animal suffering.

I've been vegan since I was conceived, so it's news to me that "human bodies aren't meant to not eat meat". The two oldest living people right now are vegetarians.

Answer 10

It is both normal and hypocritical. Being against animal cruelty except when it's for your culinary benefit is by its simple definition hypocritical.
However, most people are the same as you.
If the supermarket meat section was full of live animals and you had to kill it to be able to purchase it as meat, there would be queues in the tofu section.

Answer 11

I guess I'd have to say a little bit. Eating meat is normal. The huge majority of the world has been doing it for as long as we've walked the Earth.

But, being completely against the other things is contrary.

While I wouldn't hunt personally (I would hunt with a camera), I think it's fine to hunt if you use the meat. I believe animal testing is necessary to develop medicines and cures but should be replaced in the testing of products. Animal cruelty is not my bag either. It's too bad food animals are treated the way they are but, in the end, it won't dissuade me from eating meat.