Sarah, The Ex-Vegetarian
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Dear ex-vegetarian Sarah,
You were an omnivore, then an ex-omni, and now an omni again. But you call yourself an “recovering vegetarian” as if your eating habits are more about rejecting vegetarianism than about falling back into old, bad habits. If a recovering alcoholic or addict falls off the wagon and starts using again, should we accept their decision simply because they crave the substance? Would their rationale that they “like it” be a good justification?
You’re a failed vegetarian whose eating habits indicate no moral compass at all. Your story praising the taste of tortured pig is at best bizarre and at worst disgusting and cruel. Your ethics – when it comes to animals – are essentially ‘might makes right.’ Your decision to eat pigs is mean and wrong.
You wrote:
“I will keep my subscription to Vegetarian Times. I may still opt for vegetarian options at restaurants. But to keep following a system of beliefs that denies something as awesome as pulled pork? I can’t abide by that anymore. It just ain’t right.” (link)
Sarah, I’d like to introduce you to other people who similarly mistake wrong for right. Meet Anthony Boudain and Richard de Costa:
Anthony Boudain: When Jonathan Safran Foer called meat-eating unconscionable for health reasons, environmental reasons, and animal welfare reasons, Bourdain didn’t argue the ethics. He simply said, “it tastes good,” as if that jutsifies anything at all.
Richard de Costa: After witnessing pig farming and slaughtering first-hand, de Costa stopped eating pigs for two months. He had been convinced it was cruel and bad for the environment. But then he wrote “I finally cracked and hypocrisy played its role as I was lured back [...]. And by what? Spare ribs. Chorizo. Plain old bacon.”
Sarah, I will keep my faith in nonvegans’ abilities to change. I will be friends with nonvegans and I will still dine quietly with them. But to condone a system of beliefs that justifies torture? I can’t abide by that. It just ain’t right.
Recipe for pulled pork:
Not to mention that there is a really good vegan bbq by Lightlife, if it’s really about the taste…http://www.lightlife.com/product_detail.jsp?p=smartbbq
“Every murder is terrible. But most terrible is the murder in which you want to eat the creature you have killed, when you kill for the satisfaction of your stomach.” – Mikhail Goldstein
“The logical arguments against meat eating are not strong enough. Logic is good, but in some cases it falls short. But know this: the more compassion a person shows other living creatures, the kinder and better he is. To kill animals, whether for sport or for fuel, is very cruel.” – Leo Tolstoy
.-= Daniel´s last blog ..Being vegan is more than just a personal choice =-.
A Holiday Thought…
Aren’t humans amazing Animals? They kill wildlife – birds, deer, all kinds of cats, coyotes, beavers, groundhogs, mice and foxes by the million in order to protect their domestic animals and their feed.
Then they kill domestic animals by the billion and eat them. This in turn kills people by the million, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative – and fatal – - health conditions like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and cancer.
So then humans spend billions of dollars torturing and killing millions of more animals to look for cures for these diseases.
Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals.
Meanwhile, few people recognize the absurdity of humans, who kill so easily and violently, and once a year send out cards praying for “Peace on Earth.”
~Revised Preface to Old MacDonald’s Factory Farm by C. David Coates~
In this instance I wouldn’t even validate her claim that she “was” vegetarian, for choosing that wonderful way of life requires a true shift of consciousness, Sarah was merely on a meatless diet for a while.
Sarah’s behavior could be compared to a serial killer who stops killing for a while but then starts up again because she likes the thrill.
Sarah should just stamp “Cruel, ignorant and proud OF it” on her forehead.