[Sydney Morning Herald - opinion]
The question of why I am a vegetarian turns me into a bore, makes me
earnest and dull. Who cares? I'm a wimpy, four-eyed, latte-sipping,
save-the-whales-and-forests kind of guy.
Let's turn the tables. I'm going to ask you why you eat meat (anything
that has a brain).
"Because everyone else does." Spoken like a true sheep. Your mother
fed you meat, you ate it at school and it can't be wrong. Would you
eat whale? Dog? Dolphin? You wouldn't? What's the difference between a
dog's pain and a lamb's?
"But domesticated animals are bred for food."
If we bred dogs for food, would that be OK? Why eat pigs then? Once
upon a time, when white men owned slaves, anyone who said it was wrong
- think wimpy, four-eyed, latte-sipping, save-the-whales-and-forests
kind of guy - would be mocked. Laughed out of the pub. "Everyone knows
slavery is natural, it's the way things are," they'd shout at him.
...
"They kill them painlessly." Been to an abattoir? Would you prefer
instant, painless death to getting on with life, finding food, having
children? You don't choose death? What would animals choose?
"I tried vegetarianism. I felt weak. I was miserable." Pregnant or
nursing mothers should consult their doctors (which they're probably
doing anyway). For the rest of us, anyone who thinks about their diet
and makes sure they eat a variety of proteins (grains, pulses, beans,
nuts, dairy) and fresh fruit and veggies will be perfectly healthy.
They'll save money, eat less saturated fat, more fibre, more greens
and feel more positive.
It's good to make a difference, however small, in a world where we
feel so powerless.
--
full story:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/heckler/the-carrotandstick-guide-to-going-without-meat/2007/01/09/1168104981406.html
