What is this PETA business?

[Brianna]

I don't know much about PETA, but I agree with their stance on vegetarianism.
People should be vegetarian because:
1. Farming most animals is very detrimental to the environment.
2. Commercial farming often (virtually always) promotes cruel practices in order to maximise revenue.
3. Various studies have demonstrated significant health benefits arising from a good vegetarian diet, including, among many other things, lower rates of cancer and less heart disease.

As a consequentialist, I consider that because it is healthier for us not to eat meat, it is wrong to endorse the significant cruelty and environmental damage that occurs when people do eat meat just because they like the taste.

I think that people fail to consider these reasons as it is such a traditional practice to eat meat. Slavery, racism and sexism used to be as culturally endorsed as eating animals. I hope that in the future, eating animals will eventually be seen to be as outdated as those behaviours.

It is sad that organisations such as PETA end up turning people away from this cause.

 

[Andrais]

3. Various studies have demonstrated significant health benefits arising from a good vegetarian diet, including, among many other things, lower rates of cancer and less heart disease.

As a consequentialist, I consider that because it is healthier for us not to eat meat, it is wrong to endorse the significant cruelty and environmental damage that occurs when people do eat meat just because they like the taste.



QUOTE]

Going vego isn't actually healthy, neither is going carno. We all need a balanced diet in order to live healthy happy lives, we were natrually born omnivores, and i think thats what best ot stay. If you don't eat vege's u miss out on vitamins such as vitamin A,B,D and if you don't eat meat you miss out of Iron, protein and omega 3 fats. For all those VEGANS out their, im sorry but cutting out ya dairy ain't going to make you live long

 

[ivonavich]

I love meat....
Beef Carpaccio is the **** as is fresh tuna sashimi but I really do enjoy cured meats like Pancetta, Jamon, Kangaroo Proscuitto and Gravalax...
It is incredibly unnatural for humans to live on a vegetarian diet - our bodies have evolved for us to be omnivorous....

 

[Andrais]

BTW: what about the poor vege's these PETA people eat? they don't get a say do they? and there living too, next PETA's probally going to be going on a campain telling people vege's have rights too then hopefully they all completely stop eating casue they think that eating is a crime againset nature and die

 

[Andrais]

Anybody ever had camal pie best thing ever! just for all those carno's like me out there...

 

[Troy K.]

PETA can be very dangerous, not only are they nut cases but they are well funded nut cases. It is only a matter of time before PETA turn their attention to us reptile keepers and start trying to take away all the rights that we've worked so hard for to own reptiles. If it was up to them none of us would be allowed to keep any sort of reptile as a pet.

A few of us in the reptile community have just started to re-boot the National Reptile Keepers Association (NRKA) which will be an Australian wide reptile group that all can join and will always be there to fight for your rights as a reptile keeper against such mobs like PETA.


A bit about the NRKA.
Jamie Stuart starts to talk about the NRKA in the last issue (6th issue) of S&T Aust. and will be following that up more in the next issue.

For those of you that are coming along to our b/day bash for the mag. and want to know more about the NRKA Jamie Stuart along with John Weigel will be there to talk about this new and exciting Australian wide group and to answer any questions.

 

[-Peter]

PETA only kills animals to stop them from suffering, im not sure what we will do if they ever obtain a member with an IQ that allows them to figure out that animals suffer in nature.

Nature is inhumane. It should be eradicated.

 

[Ozzie Python]

bloody PETA, my wife watched some show last year produced by PETA that showed people skinning animals alive and plenty of other inhumane acts, worst thing that ever happened. As the chef of the house now i have to cater for a vegetarian, pain in the rear. luckily i have converted her into a PETA hater now, but she still won't eat meat.

On one of the websites the state police made their files public, they basically kill anything they get their hands on and adopt next to nothing out to good homes. With the money they have backing them there is no need to be putting down animals in the numbers they do.

Troy, the NRKA sounds interesting, i'm sure in the future our hobby will be up against many organisations that don't like us keeping reptiles, or any animals for that matter.

 

[Snake_Whisperer]

 

[notechistiger]

Aussiebluetongue, I think you'll find that you can get anything you can get from meat from vegetables. I absolutely agree with Brianna. Have a look at factory farming- that's where most of your meat comes from. Having said that, all my meat is bought from the butcher, who sources his produce from local small business farmers (most of the factory farmed meat is bought by supermarkets).

As has been said, PETA has their heart in the right place (which is, on the bottom line, to eradicate suffering to animals), but their organisational side of it lacking (or indeed, goes overboard ).

 

[swaddo]

PETA are fanatical zealots. The give responsible environmentally conscious folks a bad name.

Also, targeting kids like they do is pathetic. Stuff like this tripe ...


IMHO they should be added to the list of banned terrorist organisations

 

[cris]

I don't know much about PETA, but I agree with their stance on vegetarianism.
People should be vegetarian because:
1. Farming most animals is very detrimental to the environment.
2. Commercial farming often (virtually always) promotes cruel practices in order to maximise revenue.
3. Various studies have demonstrated significant health benefits arising from a good vegetarian diet, including, among many other things, lower rates of cancer and less heart disease.

Farming virtually anything can be harmful to the environment, farming plants requires millions of animals to die and also obviously direct habitat destruction, water usage, poisoning etc. Many plants are also fertilised with animal products.

It is possible to have a good vegetarian diet, but its much less practical and tasty than just having a good normal human diet. When a good diet is compared with bad diets obviously a good diet will look good, too much meat can cause problems such as higher rates of some cancers, but if you have a good diet that isnt an issue. There are also heaps studies that show benifits of eating various animal products. There would be lots of ppl who eat to much meat, but there are also lots of vegetarians and vegans with poor diets.

 

[Brianna]

No, that is wrong. Perhaps you misread my first post. I will spell it out for you more clearly so that you don't miss the message this time around:

EATING A WELL-PLANNED VEGETARIAN DIET IS MORE HEALTHY THAN EATING A DIET THAT INCLUDES MEAT.

I never said anything about eating JUST meat.

Yes, as a species we evolved as omnivores, but we did not eat anywhere near the amount of meat we eat today. That does not mean that it is healthy or ethically defensible to eat meat now that we have easy access to other sources of the beneficial proteins, minerals and vitamins found in meat.

I would love to see the scientific study that shows that "going vego isn't actually healthy" as all the studies into this area that I have read about have shown that removing meat from the diet will make you more healthy. I provided the examples of lower rates of cancer and heart disease. There are many more, including a longer lifespan in general.

I realise that you are young but your statement that "going vego isn't actually healthy" is a load of crap; completely factually incorrect.

I have done a lot of reading in this area as I am vegetarian and play sport at an elite level so I wanted to make sure that my body gets everything it needs. It is not just my personal opinion that it is healthier not to eat meat, that is the general scientific consensus.

 

[JasonL]

I don't care what is healthy or not, I like to eat meat, and plenty of it. If I die at 50, so be it.

 

[aliveandkicking]

I love animals, and I whisper that to them softly just as I'm squeezing the trigger and sending a 139 grain soft point projectile at roughly 3000 fps into their heads. Animals love me too.

 

[Brianna]

I agree with some of what you are saying Cris.

Farming plants does create environmental damage.

But farming animals creates more environmental damage. For example grain is grown that is fed to cattle. This actually reduces the total amount of food available. That is to say we could feed more people with the grain that we can with the cows who we feed the grain to. With the issue of world hunger and a rising population this is an important consideration. The practice that creates the least environmental damage should be adopted.

And of course there are vegetarians with bad diets just as there are meat eaters with bad diets. But overall, vegetarians are healthier and live longer than those who eat meat as part of their diet.

I find the vegetarian food I eat very tasty, but even if I didn't, I would still consider that the rights of countless animals not to live in cruel conditions outweighs my right to eat something that tastes good.

The things that they do to animals farmed for meat are really horrific, but sadly most people don't bother to educate themselves about what goes on.

As for practicality, I personally don't find it any less practical to eat vegetarian than it is to include meat in my diet.

 

[JasonL]

Quote;
I find the vegetarian food I eat very tasty, but even if I didn't, I would still consider that the rights of countless animals not to live in cruel conditions outweighs my right to eat something that tastes good.

Cruel conditions? well OK, somethings like chooks don't exactly live in great conditions, but on the most part, cattle and sheep do fine, alot better than a snake in a 4 foot enclosure for sure.... Everything has a right to eat what it wants, if it can. If I go swimming at the beach and a shark wants to eat me, and it can get me, I don't have a problem with it, though I'll try my hardest for this not to happen, it certainly could. At the end of the day the biggest problem is over population, you would do more good protesting about that than not eating meat.

 

[mysnakesau]

If we were meant to be herbivores God would not have made us omnivores. We eat meat because that's what we were born to do, just like any other animal killing another animal for food. But us being more intelligient than other animals have built equipment to allow us to treat animals respectfully so that we don't have to be cruel about it.

 

[aliveandkicking]

I find the vegetarian food I eat very tasty, but even if I didn't, I would still consider that the rights of countless animals not to live in cruel conditions outweighs my right to eat something that tastes good.

The things that they do to animals farmed for meat are really horrific, but sadly most people don't bother to educate themselves about what goes on.

.

When was the last time you were out on a working property??

I have close to 50,000 acres that I shoot on spread over 3 properties that run cattle and sheep. The conditions certainly aren't cruel there. Then the animals are slaughtered at the meatworks it is done quicky and humainly.

 

[smeejason]

if our ancestors did not start eating meat you would still be living in trees and spending all day finding enough food to survive and not have had the brain power or energy levels to move from trees to where we are now.
i bet if we went back to hunting and gathering the vegetarians would be meat eaters in a flash if they realised the amount of effort and energy it would take them to survive.
each to their own but i am yet to meet a vego that does not try and cram their reason for not eating meat as cruel down your throat. be a vego all you like but don't try and tell the rest of us we are cruel for eating meat. lead by example and when you out live us all then you can have your laugh but watch out for semi trailors and bus's and drunk drivers when you are driving you carbon emitting car to the fruit shop to get dinner because they don't care if you vegan vego or a meat eater .......