Since today is international “Hug a Vegetarian Day,” I thought it a good time to discuss what it means to be an ethical vegetarian. I realize most people are “set” in their ways and often too closed minded to think otherwise, but hear me out before you decide to toss this paper in the recycle bin.
People who argue that the purpose of animals is for our consumption may have been onto something. Historically as hunters and gatherers, meat was a part of our diet because of our nomadic way of life. When we began to cultivate the land and become more self-sufficient, we also learned how to domesticate animals to help tend the land and provide food and clothing. Meat was particularly necessary in areas with dry climates that don’t have vegetation.
Wake up folks, we’re no longer nomads!
In today’s society, meat is no longer a necessity, and a healthy, balanced diet can easily exclude meat. The single reason we continue to eat like barbarians is because of our gluttonous appetites and social conformity.
The methods used in breeding, containing and killing animals is torturous and so heinous that most people turn their heads when watching such footage, yet continue to devour their Big Macs. That five-year-old boy doesn’t know those delicious little brown nuggets are in fact remnants of a young mutilated chicken whose short life was spent crammed in a cage with several other miserable chickens who have had their beaks seared off to avoid pecking at each other and who have been pumped with so many hormones that his little body’s immune system will be lowered, leaving him more susceptible to illness. But darn if they don’t taste good!
It is inherently wrong to create life for the sole purpose of destroying it. My beef is primarily with factory farming and how it’s managed to make food production so efficient that it leaves society with a moral deficiency. Animals are not disposable inanimate objects; they feel pain and bleed much like we do. Even so, we have chosen convenience and cost-effective practices in exchange for a loss of personal integrity and respect for living, breathing, feeling creatures. Most people’s uneasiness at the sight of blood or the idea of killing a living creature should at least be a clue at the unnaturalness of destroying life for a whimsical desire such as food. That “tender” (beaten while still alive to soften the meat) pork chop is not worth it.
The bottom line is that respectable human beings should not purposely engage in an activity that furthers the suffering of sentient creatures. For those of you who argue that it’s already dead and you didn’t do it, by choosing to actively reinforce negative behaviors you are not being an agent of change. We should intuitively wonder about the moral implications of having someone else perform an act for us that we could not do ourselves and then question the psychological state of mind of someone willing to rip off the heads of (sometimes still conscious) chickens for a living.
Let’s compromise!
Go ahead and try vegetarianism for as long as you can and I’m sure you’ll find it considerably easier than you first imagine. If you find your willpower stagger just Google Goldfinger’s “Free Me” video and watch it until it’s burned into your long-term memory.
For those of you who find the vegetarian lifestyle just too difficult there are other options. For starters, make Whole Foods your new best friend because “organic” labels ensure a stricter set of guidelines than “natural.” Try buying only eggs from free-range vegetarian fed hens, free-range meat, organic dairy products and any other array of delicious foods that don’t come from ill-treated animals. Often, purchases also help local and small farmers stay in business and continue a more ethically conscious trend.
Do your research and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Chipotle is one of my favorite restaurants to go to (though they are now owned by McDonalds) because they have what they term “food with integrity.” Next time you venture out to buy some more shampoo look for products that don’t test on animals, such as Burt’s Bees (caringconsumer.com). Ask restaurants what they use to deep-fry their foods in, because you will be surprised to find out it’s not always vegetable oil.
The point is that regardless of whether you chose to commit yourself to ethical vegetarianism, there are a number of everyday choices you can make that collectively will make a difference, for you personally and for the sanctity of life. You’re not choosing to change the world; you’re choosing to live in such a way that encourages morality one Veggie Delight sandwich at a time!
About the writer:
Betina Matoni is a senior at SMU. She can be reached at [email protected].
