Do vegetarians/vegans think it's ok for animals to eat meat?!
Answers: ..... Why do they have such a problem with meat eaters? Humans are supposed to eat meat as part of a healthy diet, just like any other omnivore.
Christy,
I have a degree in archaeology/anthropology, and can say with some certainty that we *did* evolve to eat animal protein, alongside vegetation. Furthermore, we would never have become so intelligent without it.
Please wait until you've finished school before you question the erudition of others.
Muppet.
EDIT: let me help the lunatic fringe out with the time-line here:
1) ancestral species were small, stupid, and largely herbivorous/frugivorous
2) successive generations became smarter; as the brain is BY FAR the most expensive organ in terms of energy, this was only provided for by the calorie hit of animal protein. The increased smarts increased our ability to cook (mimicking the first stage of digestion, thus reducing our need for similarly-expensive gut tissue), and hunt (addendum; contrary to recieved wisdom, 'endurance hunting' was very popular, and involved simply running things down over distance - a task for which we are remarkably well-adapted).
3) With our increased smarts, we were (sometime later) able to farm sufficient vegetation to do away with meat - *if we so choose* - and in the process, become unbearably smug and annoying. We would never have got to this point without meat, as there would never have been sufficient natural resources to foster the development of our brains.
I would also like to point out that chimps, our closest living relatives, take great delight in chasing down and eating small monkeys.
live and let live i say- i dont eat much meat at all because i just dont like it-but im sorry i do grin when i hear a vegetarian going on about how bad it is we kill animals.......... whilst wearing the latest leather rockports or other designer shoe
Most I know feed their pets on a vegan/vegetarian diet (although have to turn a blind eye if the cat comes home with a mouse).
Christy .. If we're so veggy prone , cough , why do we have such a small appendix ??
I'm a vegetarian and I have no problem with other people or animals eating meat.
We all have our own views.
If others want to eat meat, then they can.
I just don't like to.
I'm a vegetarian, and I honestly don't give a toss if you have a burger or not. I don't want to eat meat because of my own belief system, everyone else can go do their own thing.
Of course it's OK for an animal to eat meat. That's nature. As a human I have the choice and am able to survive without it. Mr. Tiger really needs to chow down on other critters to live.
Its not a moral issue.... its a health issue
Christy, Of course we aren't made or evolved to have high speed and sharp claws...instead we have a brain, and can use the brain (along with thumbs) to create tools that allow us to kill the gazelle with even greater efficacy of the lion. The human has evolved to eat meat, it's shown by the teeth, if man were meant to eat nothing but vegetables, we would have nothing but molars, and 4 stomachs like a cow.
I have no problem with meat eaters-I just choose not to be one. Animals have little choice in what they can eat-they have to go with what they can catch, kill, and consume. Humans DO have a choice. If we were meant to eat animals, we would possess the necessary skills to hunt, catch and kill them without the use of tools. We only have two little incisor teeth, and the rest are flat-like other vegetarian creatures. We are more equiped for gathering fruits and veggies, using our imposable thumbs. I disagree that humans are supposed to eat meat. We can get all of the nutrients we need from a plant based diet. Again, if we were MEANT to eat it, we would be properly equiped to do it naturally, like animals do. The truth is, humans cannot digest meat without cooking it first. I have yet to see a wolf roasting a weenie over a bed of hot coals. All fruits and veggies can be consumed raw-in fact, that best for the human digestion. If we were meant to eat meat, we would have a mouth full of sharp teeth, and would have the speed and kill to hunt down our prey.
No but they know no different, humans do. I'm not a vegetarian but dislike people who slate them. So what, does it make people proud that animals are killed to get their meat? I actually don't like the thought at all so am thinking of turning veggie. My nan's 97 and she's been a vegetarian all her life and has outlived the rest of the family. Live and let live and stop slagging people off, it's boring.
Of course its ok for animals to eat meat.
Humans don't eat naturally so its pretty lame to try and make that arguement.
You don't see foxes building large industrial sized barns to rear chickens in cages, do you ?
Thats the difference.
It doesn't matter whether we are designed to eat meat, we are able to make a decision based on thought, not just instinct.
I CHOOSE to believe its not right for mankind to abuse his postiion of power and rear animals on a commercial scale that has no regard for animal life. I will not be part of that
You CHOOSE its OK, good for you.
But please, don't pretend we are "supposed" to eat meat as if you have no say in the matter. You have a choice, you've made yours. You choose to support the meat industry and all its issues, don't pretend is no choice or we are like "any other omnivores".
i don't think they rly care that much because they know that they shouldn't make the animals eat vegetarian food if they don't want to - this is just a guess
I AM A VEGITARIAN BUT COULD NOT CARE LESS IF ANYONE ELSE EATS MEAT I JUST THINK ITS DISCUSTING THE WAY THE ANIMALS ARE TREATED AND KILLED AFTER ALL THEY HAVE FEELINGS TOO, ALSO EVERY OTHER WEEK SOME ANIMAL HAS SOME ILLNESS THAT COULD CAUSE HUMENS TO SUFFER. BIRD FLU , MAD COWS, TOO MUCH BACON CAUSING CANCER THEY SAY IT JUST GOES ON AND ON, BUT THATS YOUR CHOICE . ENJOY YOUR MEAT AND STOP MOANING ABOUT US VEGITARIANS WE ARE HAPPY.
We don't have a problem with other animals eating meat. After all, some animals (e.g. cats, alligators, etc.) are natural carnivores. Not only that, but humans are supposedly more intellectually advanced than other animals and usually have a choice about where their food comes from, whereas animals usually don't have such a choice. Generally speaking, humans are able to choose to pursue a lifestyle and diet that is good for the planet and for all lifeforms.
no, you have no proof that we are supposed to eat meat. get educated instead of believing whatever drivel they forcefeed you throughout your life. tigers for example are supposed to eat meat and we're ok with that because that's natural. but do you think it's natural to have our meat killed in a slaughterhouse and cooked before having to put spices and everything on it to make it edible?
Uh, no. If you study comparative anatomy, you understand that out bodies are like that of herbivores. Besides that, I DON'T have a problem with other people eating meat, that's their funeral. It only contributes far more to global warming than cars and if it comes from factory farms it is a cruel way to treat innocent animals. Animals instinctively know what they are supposed to eat. They hunt their food. Their prey lives its life with self-determination, the way animals have a right to live. That's the food chain. We, on the other hand, raise animals for food, thereby destroying the environment and our own health in the process. I suggest you do more research and you'll find that meat is not part of a healthy diet for humans, or for our planet.
To answer your main question: yes!
I don't mind other animals hunting each other. They do it by using their own anatomy, they catch animals who are out in the wild, and they eat them naturally because they were built to digest raw meat. Animals who hunt only take as much as they need to survive.
On to your sub-questions.
"why do they have such a problem with meat eaters?"
That's a generalization. You may have encountered vegetarians who had a problem with meat-eaters, but I don't think most people are that way.
I will point out to you that there's nothing natural about the way meat is produced in the mainstream factory farming industry. http://www.themeatrix1.com/
"humans are supposed to eat meat...."
Humans can eat meat, but we're not designed to eat it in such massive quantities as people often do today. What matters most is that we get enough nutrients, and we can get them from a wide variety of sources, so considering all the facts I don't have time or room to mention here, there's not a good reason to eat meat if the other food sources are an overall better choice.
Watch The Meatrix, the cute film sourced below. It's a spoof off of The Matrix. It's animated, so it won't disgust you, and it's educational to highlight what is unnatural about modern meat industries so you might better understand why some vegetarians have an overt problem with meat eaters.
Most don't have a problem with meat eaters in general. This is an assumption that you made.
Vegetarians are statistically healthier than meat eaters and less likely to get a number of ailments, if your concern is health. Meat being healthy is another assumption you made.
If you stop making assumptions you might just make a few friends and live longer.
Most animals who kill for food couldn’t survive if they didn’t. We can take care of ourselves without killing animals. Many other animals are vegetarians, including some of our closest primate relatives. Why don’t we look to them as our example instead of to carnivores?
ignorant people these days..
I am pretty sure, If the animal is not forced to eating meat and the meat was not produced and manufactured unnaturally like it is for human consumption.
I suspect because same reason certain people have a problem with rapist and murders. It involves unnecessary hate and cruelty. Not all *have a problem* but if they did that would be it as well as their ignorance.
First of all we do not need to eat animals for survival, most people eat it for pleasure only. Humans cannot process meat and dairy well, that is why humans get sick, die, diseases and other health problem from consuming it. Also, since humans produce and manufacture animals, it is destroying our environment and causes world hunger. If you ever go to a slaughterhouse, and etc, you would see the unnaturalness and cruelty that goes on there. And humans can't eat the animal natural, with just are hands and teeth because we weren't designed that way. If somehow we manage we won't be able to digest the meat. Then I also highly doubt we would go in nature rape a female cow then suck her milk out of her, again animal milk isn't made for humans so therefore problems array. Animals have families, people fail to realize this
Certain animals eating others= natural, necessity for survival, easy to process.
Humans eating others= unnatural, unnescary for survival, not easy to process, damaging to their bodies, and the environment.
they allways have to come up with well its OK as that is their nature to eat other animals and it is not in the nature of a human to eat meat as we are originally all vegetarians.
what piffle stuff and none sense mankind have been consuming the flesh of other animals for thousands of years .
it has even been proved that eating animal protean helped to develop the brain to what we have now .
so mankind are omnivorous that means we eat meat as well as vegtable matter.
and as for someone saying that you should read up on this subject ?? well would that be selective reading or would that mean that you read as much as you can on the subject even if it is distaste full and not what you had hoped to read.
i have been quoted by vegetarian Friends to look at other primates and they do not eat meat oh an i suppose our nearest living distant relative the chimpanzee wont feast on other animals ?? coz yes they do so now i would suggest to any one to tell you to do some reading on this subject to do so themselves thank you
Of course it's OK for animals who were designed that way by Nature to eat meat. Animals have the primary goal of preserving their own lives and the lives of their offfspring. They should eat whatever is available to them.
Humans, on the other hand, have the capability of moral reasoning and with that comes the responsibility to weigh the impact of their decisions. We can absolutely thrive without exploiting, harming or killing animals and because of that, it becomes morally repugnant when we choose to do so anyway just to satisfy our tastebuds. I recognize your *right* to eat meat, but don't agree with your *choice* to do it.
Who told you that we have a problem with meat-eaters?
Are you generalizing? How noble of you to stereotype an entire group of millions of people.
If you think that people need meat to be healthy, you're wrong.
Animals don't have a choice, people do.
Living in caves and dying of old age at 30 is natural. Murder, rape, and random violence are very natural behavior, not just to humans, but to most animals. Just because humans have often killed animals for meat in the past is no justification for continuing the barbaric practice.
Yes, humans have canine teeth which are good for rending flesh, and there is also evidence that our intestines are well-adapted to processing meat. But, look at a gorilla picture sometime: they have huge canine teeth and do not eat any animals except some bugs. Additionally, as noted above, a vegetarian diet is generally acknowledged to be as healthy or more healthy than a meat-based diet.
Historically, the majority of human cultures developed diets of mostly plant materials, with meat as a nutritional supplement (not as the main part of most every meal). In modern cultures that have healthy trade with other regions, humans have access to a vast variety of plant foods and do not require meat for good nutrition.
It is just as natural for humans to not eat meat. Our closest cousins, chimpanzees, hunt and eat animals, but only as a tiny minority of their mostly herbivorous diet. Since they do not have grocery stores, they may not be able to get complete nutrition from the plants in their area. Also, they may like the taste of flesh. But then again, they also may not be considering the moral consequences of their actions. The real question here is, do you have higher morals than a chimp?
There is little difference between this opinion and the idea that it is justifiable to kill, hurt, or otherwise violate any person you want as long as you can get away with it.
The "life's not fair" argument is the logic of such wonderful people as Fascists, military dictators, murderers, rapists, school-yard bullies, and self-centered people in general. If the philosophy of vegetarianism goes against the philosophy of this sort of people, then that is just another tremendous benefit of vegetarianism.
Indeed, it is reasonable to assume that people who are willing to consider the moral consequences of killing animals are more likely to restrain from violence against other human beings if at all possible. Vegetarianism inherently encourages peaceful thought and thus peaceful action. Conversely, it is not unreasonable to assume that thoughtlessly killing creatures by the thousands for nothing more than pleasure and convenience might lend to generally more violent thoughts and behaviors.
I would agree that all ethical statements have some arbitrary component, but that does not mean we should abandon all ethics. The key is to be as reasonable as possible. The most ethical behavior probably would be to eat absolutely nothing so as to cause no impact on your environment. This is clearly impractical. The least ethical behavior would be to kill and eat anything you want, including humans. Almost all people would consider this wrong.
Wow! What's with all the animosity? Jeez!
I have absolutely no issue with anyone that chooses to eat meat. It's their life, their decision. I respect that. Just as other people should respect my decision not to.
It's OK for anyone, human or animal to eat meat. It has nothing to do with me.
Besides the fact you are a moron for posting this?
Well first no, it isn't a part of a healthy diet. Protein is a part of a healthy diet which, if you watch the news, you would know many people consume too much of. Protein can be found in a variety of things such as tofu, soy, nuts, legumes.
To answer your first question, I am a vegetarian and see no harm in my dogs eat dog food, though if there was vegetarian dog food I'd definatley give it to my dogs.
i have probably repeated another answer but: i think its fine for animals to eat others. this is what keeps most ecosystems ticking along. plus, as a vegetarian i have no problem with meat eaters, it is personal choice. i personally can't think of many more gross things than putting dead animal in my mouth and swallowing. however, if all meat was free range i would understand it a lot more. how animals are killed is still pretty barbaric, and the living conditions disgusting. most people wouldn't keep there dog in a tiny cage with 20 others...so why a pig whose natural intelligence is about the same as a dogs? i'm all for animal rights, and choice.
to 'medium dave' - you're damn right! but why stop evolving now? we don't need meat to survive anymore, we are clever enough to source new protein etc, maybe its time for a new way of thinking!
good question
have a star
heh good one i said to a vegeterian eat some beef or ill go out and kill a cow and it shut him up and now i will say that question to him aswell
i think its called ignorance, yeah thats what its called
First of all, humans are not supposed to eat meat. It has been proven in medical studies that the human body was designed to be on a vegan diet.
Secondly, just because the lion kills a gazelle does not mean you should. The lion was designed for speed with huge claws and teeth. We on the other hand are not meant to chase down wild animals bare handed. Please do some reading and try to educate yourself a little bit.