Save a plant... Eat a cow...

You cannot possibly imagine how many times a thread of this sort has been created in this forum. Take this stupidity elsewhere. Your argument is idiotic as it is.

 

IJ, you make me giggle. Thanks for the laughs

I've gotta go slaughter a banana.
love,
mom

 

Plants are not sentient. They are not capable of feeling. When you kill an animal, you (a) cause it pain and suffering, (b) cause it fear, (c) cause its thought processes to stop, (d) cause it to be unable to percieve the world.

A plant cannot feel pain, suffering, fear, happiness, or anything of the sort.

How do we know? Go back to high school biology class for a second -- plants do not have a central nervous system or any similar construct. They do not have a brain, they do not have nerves, they do not have muscles or anything else. It is impossible for them to feel. They are merely the fundamental life processes of growth, reproduction, and decay -- nothing more. These three things are the only things all plants do, and the only purpose that they have.

Remember, the goal of the vegetarian/vegan lifestyle is based on ending cruelty and suffering -- there is no cruelty or suffering when eating plants.

Nah, that'd give us a reason to eat animals too.

There are trillions of sentient organisms on the planet. Not only would it be ridiculous for a veg*an to try to control all of their behaviours, but it would be outright wrong -- all animals have a right to a choice, and some of those sentient beings truly are carnivores which cannot survive by eating plant material alone. Fortunately, humans are not -- they are opportunivores, our bodies are designed to eat fruits, nuts, and vegetables (like other primates), and we began eating meat because it gave us a more reliable food source during the harsh primitive Winters (which is why you see less and less meat consumption close to the equator, and more and more closer to the poles).

 

"Plants are not sentient. They are not capable of feeling. When you kill an animal, you (a) cause it pain and suffering, (b) cause it fear, (c) cause its thought processes to stop, (d) cause it to be unable to percieve the world.

A plant cannot feel pain, suffering, fear, happiness, or anything of the sort."

Actually they have done experiments (I have heard of these nontheless but do not have any real figures to throw on the board) where a human comes into a room of plants hooked up to little electrodes and kills one and walks out. When that same human comes back into the room they react but when another human comes into the room they do not. If this were to be true it would be direct proof of plants having feelings

Excuse me if this is poppy shit, but I remember hearing or maybe read about it a few years ago.

Many people believe plants have spirits and pocess energy fields around them similar to our own. I have seen aura's on people but with my own lack or practice or because they lack them I have not seen them on plants. Poopycock or for real I don't know, but it always bothers me when vegetarians use this argument to be veggie, it feels disrespectful to the plant kingdom for one and may not be entirely accurate.

There are many reasons to be veggie... entertain the meateaters with some new ideas. Unfortunately everyone always uses this argument to justify the fight.

 

Thread number 6,596,127 from a meateater in a vegetarian forum.

these arguments sure are tired!

 

'meateater'?

Just when I think I've been called everything
there is to be called, then...

 

My husband says that I didn't become a vegetarian because I love animals. It's because I hate plants.

At true. But he thinks it's funny.

Kathi

 

We don't know that's how we are naturally programmed. Just as many people have stated before humans are opputunivores. And because we have the knowledge and capability of finding and creating foods to better suit ALL diets, to say that all humans should strictly live off of a omnivore diet is just as silly as you may think we are.

Not to mention, sure bears might have the natural instinct to say, kill fish for food, however, they kill and eat their own prey... Humans factory farm, inject hormones into animals, and mass produce meat.

I am not entirely opposed to those who solely hunt their own food. I am opposed to farming, and mass production of meat. I am opposed to the waste of those animals that were killed for food and didn't get eaten.

Another reason that such a "silly fad" has erupted is BECAUSE of the destruction to our animal products... Many people now are much better off NOT eating meat that was injected with hormones and all sorts of crap. Health reasons play a huge role in it.

I for one, DISAGREE that an omnivore diet is natural for humans, considering I am lactose intolerant, and have NEVER properly been able to digest meat. Far back before I ever experimented with a veggie lifestyle I was constantly going to the doctor for stomach and digestion issues, because my body could not properly digest animal products. Especially dairy. If this is the natural way for humans then why are there so many humans just like me that have the same problem? I know many people that are lactose intolerant, or get sick off meat, etc.

I know many children who don't care for meat because it's too difficult for them to chew; I and my brother were both like that when we were little. We didn't like to eat meat, because we couldn't chew it well. If it's natural, why didn't we have the capability to eat meat from the time we were young?

Just as much as I believe in evolution, I believe in personal evolution. Your body will adapt to whatever you put in it, your body will adapt to a number of environmental changes and the like, and it is not wrong to do it one way or another.

People who did NOT have an issue with animal products before, who become veggie, adapt to the veg lifestyle so much that if they eat animal products later, they may become sick from it.

Nothing is wrong with this.

And as for plastic, I like the way you mention that, because I do what I can to stay away from plastics and papers that trees were cut down from. I try to bring my own bag to the grocery store when I go, and I reuse cloth feminine products and a silicone cup for my periods... I use a handkerchief...and any plastic or paper that I do use, I make sure it gets its FULL life out of it. If I buy a bottle of water, I keep refilling it. If I run to the store before I go home, and get a paper bag, I reuse that paper bag when I go to the store again, or for other things.

Also, for your argument, there is a lifestyle that avoids the killing of plants AND animals, called fruitarianism. They eat the fruit off plants, without harming the actual plant.

I don't live by this, but when it comes down to it, if I'm given the choice to choose between a living, breathing animal that has feelings, and a plant, I choose to eat the plant, and spare the animal pain.

 

If you say that suffering and pleasure are natural and okay then is it okay to torture? an animal or a person, lets say for life? and why if you say just the person why it is alright to torture the animal. (ps this is not about hunting either. how many people actually hunt their food these days anyways)

Do you enjoy knowing of the countless chemicals and growth hormones that go into your meat? is it okay that girls as young as 8 are starting to develop way before their time with out the mental maturity to deal with it due to growth hormones found in such products. Is it okay that in your meat grinders they process feces and rat remains? Is that natural? Why do you think it is vegans and vegetarians on average live up to 10 years longer than their omni cousins.

I could probably go on and on but i'm only on half a cup of coffee so far this morning (or afternoon to some of you )

 

Seriously, why do other people care what others eat? Do we go in other forums and shove it in people's faces that we're vegetarian? No. So how about you leave us alone...what we eat has no effect on anyone else.

 

You don't understand how hunting for food and factoring farming are different? the first is natural and the animal has a natural life beforehand, allowing it to do what it is they do, and then taken out of nature just like they may at any time by any predator.

Factory farming they have been abused from birth, not lived any natural life for them, had any freedoms or nothing. Not to mention the hormones and drugs they're pumped with to make them unnaturally large (often so much they cannot walk) are believe it or not is UNNATURAL.

So while it may be natural for us to eat meat (tho that does not make it healthiest! ... no way in hell) what has happen in our modern day society is far from natural.

 

i think humans have evolved enough to be able to decide for themselves what is right. when we are able to look past our desires for junk food as kids, we start eating healthier... when we're able to look past ourselves at the environment around us we want to stop polluting and creating waste and destroying it. other animals eat and reproduce until their food source isn't enough and the population goes down... humans have brains to realize we can change our ways to make the world a better place...hopefully this is coming out comprehensibly.... when you talk about evolution i want to point out the "evolution" of thought... obviously most humans have reached the point where they have access to lots of varieties of food and have the choice to eat or not eat them, and all the information to make smart decisions. we "evolved" so far to be able to produce processed junk food..... but that didn't turn out to be a good thing did it?

and not all vegetarians don't eat meat because of animal cruelty issues, some disagree with mass production of animals which produces excess waste. if you've ever worked in food service you know how much food gets thrown out. and if you've ever lived near a cow farm or meatpacking plant you know how many fumes are let out. methane is not good for the air, and shit and piss are not good for water supplies. if all meat farmers were like Albert Straus (i just read a little article in an old national geographic) then maybe more veggies would open to the idea of meat eating (at least those doing it for environmental reasons)

 

If you actually believe what you just said, lord help us. Ever had a pet? Ever had a houseplant? Which do you think is more likely to feel pain? Which would you rather kill and eat?

 

Go ahead then, eat meat...and leave us non-meateaters alone.

How about that? We aren't preaching to you to become vegetarian, are we? At least not until YOU became holier than thou...big surprise

 

Do you realize how many people come in here and say the same stuff? It gets old and a lot of us are sick of having to refute the same arguments over and over. I think you just like to stir shit up...because if you really cared about finding the answers to the questions that you proposed, you could just look through the trillion posts meateaters come in here and create threads saying we're "hypocrites and holier than thou". It's annoying.

 

Because I guess you have to let people know that "HEY! It's my choice what I put in my body and it doesn't affect anyone but me, so mind your business."

Because, really...do you care what people eat? If you do...I'm extremely worried about you.