"The [human] species will never learn to co-exist if given total freedom."

[Diana]

Okay, I have spent the last couple of days... looking at some awful things online. I might not be held responsible for my actions if I witness in person what I have seen in some of these videos...

Now I need to restore my peace again, but I just thought I'd let you know, Diana, that I'm pretty much over eating meat for now. I simply cannot be accessory to that, which is what I am if I buy meat.

   

I also feel like mentioning that the approach taken by some vegans and vegetarians in the meat thread, made me shake my head in disbelief. No meat eating friend of mine is "conscienceless" or polarising negatively, I know this because I know them, and it was implied in that thread. It reminded me of the pharisees in the bible... making people feel bad about themselves can never yield any positive results. I can also see that the thread was a strong catalyst for many involved, and I learned much :-)

I think you have to really look at the context. The minority here, who were advocating for the animals, may have said things which sparked your disbelief, but the whole thread must be looked at to have a perspective. And you must be willing to give the vegetarian viewpoint an unbiased look. We were talking about things in general, not pointing fingers. Though understand, there is no way of talking about the plight of meat animals without meat-eaters thinking you are pointing fingers even though you are trying to talk generally.

And if you were to read those threads with an unbiased point of view, I think you might recognize that the vegetarians were attacked mercilessly at times (though many of the more offensive posts were deleted). Or pushed and prodded with unethical posts showing stuffed pigs, or steaming meat. It's not unusual. I have been vegetarian since '93, and I couldn't count the times people have joked "I had baby seal for lunch" thinking it's funny. I don't really care what people say, but it does get old and it's so unnecessary.

I hesitate to tell anyone I'm vegan, because the judgments that immediately arise are extreme. Even members here have accused vegans (in general) of being "extremists and zealots." It's simply not true. It's a biased judgment. All Muslims aren't extremists for example. And how many extremists eat meat? So it is a very skewed perspective.

The vegan perspective must be looked at with compassion (and it is absolutely based on compassion). I can see how unaware people will look at the (sensationalized) news and think that the (hypothetical) vegans/animal activists who broke into a testing lab to illegally film the animals were extremists, vigilantes, etc., when the truth was, one of the "activists" got a job there to do just that, and they came in at night after the other employees had gone home. This isn't really hypothetical because I saw a show on the public station of just this. The two who went to the lab at night, and filmed—among other horrors—a rabbit trying to walk on the floor but could only crawl and writhe in a spastic way, full of some chemical being tested, were both crying witnessing all the suffering. They did this so people would see what really happens to these poor animals in hopes of spreading awareness. If people know about the horrors, perhaps they will then make choices about what to buy that don't support torture and killing. Just as you have done.