Vegetarianism

Abstain from eating meat and/or veggies?

If by solved you mean dead.

Actually, i meant sex. I know it came out of nowhere, but i was thinking about middle school and that's what this one psycho lady kept saying to us.

one time i was at a music festival. i bought an over priced hamburger because meat is delicious. then i saw a vegan stand and stood in front of it eating my hamburger. some chick from the stand comes out and hands me a pamphlet and says you should read this. i go o! thanks. and wiped the ketchup off my face with it

Hahaha that's awesome.

Ok...... So since meat production is far less efficient than other  options it would necessitate agriculture on an even larger scale which would be even more detrimental to the environment.

Also, the displacing huge tracts of wild land for grain production is very very different than slash and burn in the rainforest. While it is unfortunate, it is necessary for our survival, but when managed properly a piece of typical american farmland can be farmed if not infinitely, for many many years, as opposed to burning down new rain forest every couple seasons.

Your point about coffee and banannas is valid, except no where did I say that I think we should replace meat with those or even be consuming them period. For the record, soy and rice are really rough on the environment as well. I strongly believe that Hemp is one of our best hopes for the future as far as an extremely sustainable and low impact food source, but unfortunately current legislation is curtailing any growth in that field.

You are completely right about water useage being a huge issue. Our aquifers are not infinite and the river systems are already completely overtaxed. Again, less meat production would help to moderate this. Feed grain for livestock requires as much water as grain for humans. Also, free range cattle are the major cause of soil/bank erosion in many areas which causes shallower, more clogged rivers, hence even more irrigation/water rights issues.

I think your attitude on this issue is pretty shortsighted and reeks of self-denial. Be man enough to admit the negative aspects of your life, regardless of whether you feel that you should or shouldn't change them.

As I've said before, I am in no way perfect, and am more than willing to admit to the error of my ways.  All I'm asking for is the same honesty in others.

you are my hero!!!

Better agricultural management is one thing, and we seem to agree on that. But what I am contesting is the notion that a choice of diet constitutes as more ethical behavior (or thats its even and ethical matter at all) over an alternative diet choice...that is silly.

i once went for about 8 months without eating meat. i subsisted mostly on dairy and grains, not that many veggies, so i called myself a breadatarian.

Vegetarianism? Why?

That is my question to all you vegans. Why??? Why reject eating meat when your body needs it? In my mind, there is no reason to reject meat. It contains essential nutrients, protiens and amino acids that your body needs, especially in muscle tissue.

Are you worried about animal cruelty? Do you feel bad about eating an animal that was quickly and painlessly put to death so you can eat it? This is one of the most outrageous things I can think of. Lets take a more primative look at this. In Africa, how do cheetahs feed? They chase down a gazelle, rip it apart and eat it alive. What do you think is more cruel: Eating an animal that had a quick, painless death, or eating the animal alive? If your so against animal cruelty, go change the ecosystem or something. Thats just as bizarre as refusing to eat meat.

You'd be surprised, the effect of not eating meat in the US has a miniscule, practically null impact on slash and burn for pasture/grassland in the rain forest. Why? Because Brazil barely exports any meat to the US, or north america for that reason. The vast amount of meat that we get in imported from Europe, AUS/NZ, or grown in the US. Aftosa, which is more commonly known as foot and mouth disease is endemic to the Amazon, so because of this we barely import any brazilian beef. As a matter of fact, less than 5% of US beef imports are from latin america. I'm an environmental studies major and just happen to be reading about this exact issue right now. This info is from a 1993 issue of BioScience which is a peer reviewed source

Believe me, I see the error in my ways. I'm also very for one small rock can start an avalanche methodology, but I'm also a realist. The effect of me never eating meat again will effectively accomplish zilch. My recycling has an effect though, because everyone else is at least aware of it, and a large percentage of people are conscientious in that respect (whether or not its due to government or environmentalist groups, meh). In order to get real change happening, you'd have to convert a large percentage of the people over to vegetarianism, and in many third world countries, thats just not an option. And for many first world, its not one many would like to do.

Point is, humans dont change until we get slapped in the face pretty hard. And that may be at a point thats too late, and I may seem defeatist in saying so, but we really dont change unless we have to. Even if you find the taste of bacon absolutely delicious, there are still steps you can take to try to lessen your impact on the earth and still enjoy the flavors you love - example, buying local produce and meat. Steering clear of the big manufacturers and producers, like Oscar Meyer and such, helps too. Go to your local farmers market on a Saturday - lots of good food, fresh flowers, and (at least over here) some hot chicks perusing the vendors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-CC8c_eX8s

Good information. I knew that burger king had been accused of sourcing their beef primarily from slash and burn in the past, so either that has changed or I was informed erroneously in the first place.

I guess that boils down to my basic belief that the impact we have/attempt to have on the word defines our ethicality. I know we've argued over word choice before, but the only point I'm really trying to make is that the less negative impact our lifestyle choices have the better, and diet is an important part of that.

Also, thank you for bringing up the coffee and banannas, I really hadn't given their source much consideration in the past, so I'll definitely do some research into my future purchases.

woah! this was good for about a post and a half, then it became a total shit show
i cant read any more of it, its terrible!

i think that people being vegitariand are weird.