Illustration by Megan Eloise/The Gazelle
Peace Plate
If you eat meat or other animal products — why? I am not asking the question rhetorically or snidely. I genuinely want to know — have you ever ...
Mar 8, 2014
If you eat meat or other animal products — why? I am not asking the question rhetorically or snidely. I genuinely want to know — have you ever seriously considered this habit?
Most of us grow up eating meat and dairy and do not question the choice. Most of us also agree that cruelty to animals is immoral: If we could prevent the abuse of, say, a dog through starvation, mutilation or slaughter, we would choose to protect the animal from that situation. For instance, when the world found out about the inhumane slaughter of dolphins in the coastal town of Taiji, Japan in 2010, NGOs, reporters, Twitter users and politicians united in their protests against the city’s cruel practices. Recently, the documentary “Blackfish” exposed the maddening conditions in which Tilikum, an orca, lives at SeaWorld. The footage caused performers to cancel their shows at SeaWorld and inspired tens of thousands of signatures on petitions calling groups like Southwest Airlines and Toys "R" Us to stop collaborating with SeaWorld.
These demonstrations of compassion and empathy comprise some of the best parts of our humanity. Generally speaking, we do not want other human beings to suffer, and we certainly do not want to cause that suffering. Our compassion should not end with human beings: We need to include in our circles of compassion the hundreds of billions of animals that we slaughter each year.
Regardless of our opinions on whether animals have souls or how we interpret an animal’s intelligence, animals undoubtedly have the capacity to feel pain. We should not denigrate animals because they are the others of which we take advantage. Dominant groups have always used statements such as “they are just —,” “they don’t feel —,” “they are less than —” to justify their oppression or abuse of a minority group.
Animals that are raised for human consumption, entertainment or experimentation suffer. Animals on today’s factory farms are subject to tiny cages, genetically modified and sickly bodies, mutilations, artificial insemination and slaughter without stunning. Factory-farmed animals account for 99 percent of all meat raised and slaughtered in the United States and about half of the world’s meat consumption, though the latter figure is rising. Additionally, employees at factory farms are subject to some of the most dangerous and least pleasant working conditions and lowest wages in the United States.
Finding and identifying meat that comes from animals treated in a humane way is difficult, and that idea is itself controversial because animals raised for food can experience different qualities of life but are all murdered. Pledging to eat only humane animal products requires a reduction in day-to-day consumption to almost nothing.
Some people criticize vegans for focusing efforts on animal welfare when so many humans suffer in the world, but going vegan does not prevent anyone from pursuing their dreams of other peace initiatives. We can eat oatmeal and veggie burgers all day and still tackle humanitarian causes full-time. Aside from popping a B-12 supplement — which the FDA recommends for everyone over the age of 50, regardless of an omnivorous or vegan diet — eating vegan does not take more time than eating other well-planned meals throughout the day.
Other reactions to the topic of veganism include mouth-watering mumbles of, “But bacon…” or “I would die without cheese!” The hard-to-face question is: Why do individuals think that their short-term aesthetic satisfaction trumps the rights of a living being? Our responses tend to focus on how our lives would change instead of how the animals’ lives would improve.
We know that animals suffer, in life and death, to get to our plates — more than we suffer when we choose pasta instead of shawarma. Let’s align our lifestyles with our beliefs and take violence off the menu.
How? I do not think that we need to ditch our favorite foods overnight. Labels like vegetarian and vegan used in opposition to omnivore create a dichotomous view of the world. Instead, we do not need to choose between eating meat at every meal or none at all. Ask yourself if you can afford to give up some animal products while occasionally enjoying other favorites in an effort to reduce the overall suffering in the world.
For the past five years, I have led a healthy, joyful life without eating animals or their products. Veganism actually makes me happier: Each meal, I am at peace with my plate, and I am more in touch with my compassion for all beings — including humans.
If we can live this well without causing harm, why don’t we do it?
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