Veganism: Why and Why Not

As humans, we have adapted to an omnivorous diet; however, many people are pushing for an exclusively vegetarian lifestyle. Before we move any further, let's define a few things.

Vegetarian n. a person who abstains from animal food, esp. that from slaughtered animals, though often not eggs and dairy products.

Vegan n. a person who does not eat or use animal products.

Source: Oxford American Dictionary and Thesaurus, ISBN 0-19-516834-8

I, in no way, have any opposition to the vegetarian and vegan lifestyles; rather my focus is directed at the motives behind said lifestyles. In the following essay I'll give a list of some of the common arguments I've heard for vegetarianism and veganism, and then provide my seal of approval or rejection in regards to merit.

1) Animal Rights
Some people, when asked why they chose to be vegetarians, will give the animal rights argument. They'll argue that they don't want to be responsible for the deaths of animals, that they feel it's comparable to eating another human, or something in the same vein. I find this one to be the most lacking in reason. First of all, how is eating an animal comparable to eating another human? We're human, they're other animals. Let me put it to you this way; do you think lions make a comparison to themselves and other animals? Even if you do have access to an array of alternatives to meat, you need to consider that some people don't. What about people who live in environments that don't support that many plants, and who can't leave because of isolation or lack of technology? As humans, we should have a bias towards our own survival; and if we need to eat other animals to survive, so be it.

Second of all, this responsibility for the deaths of animals guilt-trip. Every animal has to kill something else to eat! What the Hell do you think that grass the cow is eating is made of, polyester? Grass is just as alive as a cow, just like a cow is as alive as a human. You're just drawing a line in the sand at this point, because you either have to kill or dismember plants to eat them. What about carrots? We have to rip this entire plant out of the ground just so we can eat the root, What a waste!

On another note, what about other forms of life? Every time you brush your teeth, wash your hands or shower you're killing millions of bacteria. Yeah, you're commiting genocide every time you manage your personal Hygiene. Heil Cleanliness! How about the ecosystem that had to be leveled so you could have a roof over your head? Every time you get an ant invasion or spiders making cobwebs in the corners, they're not the pests and invaders, you are! So as far as I'm concerned, unless you're living in a synthetic tent, letting yourself rot away from the inside and out, you should just shut your yap about this animal rights garbage!

In short: Rejected!

2) Health Benefits
This group takes up the reasoning that it's healthier for you to eat vegetarian foods. Needless to say, meat is high in fat, and cholesterol for that matter. Not much to say here really, it's a case by case basis when it comes to health. If you want to eat a low-meat or non-meat diet on the off-chance it'll increase your life expectancy, go for it.

In short: It's got Merit.

3) Environmental Benefits
Animal farming and meat processing is one of the leading causes (if not the leading cause) of pollution. First of all, you've got deforestation to clear space for the farms, so that's less trees to filter carbon dioxide into clean oxygen. Trucks used for the transportation of the meat from the farm to the processing location, and finally we've got the cooking process. Other contributors have been left out, but I think we get the gimmick. In contrast, plants are the ones responsible for filtering the air we breathe, so by increasing the demand for a vegan diet we'd be planting more, thus increasing the air-filters/food sources. Also, since many plants can be eaten raw, the necessity for cooking would be reduced.

In short: Approved.

4) Stability of food supply
Finally we've got food supply. Grain consumption ranking from highest to lowest percentages are as follows:
Humans (48%)
Livestock (36%)
Biofuels (12%)
Other (5%)

Soy bean consumption from highest to lowest percentage is:
Livestock (74%)
Humans, Biofuels, Other (26%)

The source that provided the numbers for this segment reports the number of people on the planet with hunger problems was around 862,000,000 people as of 2008, and that we could feed 2,000,000,000 people with the grain we presently use to feed our livestock. On top of that, the average cow has to grase through 10 pounds of soy beans to produce 1 pound of meat. Why bother? Isn't it a much more obvious solution to use the food for ourselves? I haven't even begun to mention the water crisis plaguing our planet due to livestock breeding.

1,200 gallons of water go into the production of one serving of beef
330 gallons of water per serving of chicken
98 gallons of water for an entire vegan meal (Consisting of tofu, rice and vegetables)

Source: Go Veg, Be Green

To me, it's a no-brainer which is the best argument for veganism.

In Short: Approved!

So to wrap this up, if you vegetarians and vegans want to pitch your dietary choices to the public, you should be taking the argument in a human interest direction, not an animal rights direction. 3 out of 4 are good numbers, and I know I've left some of the possible arguments out, but a vegan future is looking pretty reasonable so far. Just think about what I told you, vegetarians and vegans, and you might even have me on the band wagon before too long. I'm not exactly the biggest fan of tofu, but I'd gladly drop my omnivorous lifestyle if I knew in my heart that people were ready and willing to surrender there dietary lifestyles for the benefit of all mankind.

This is SpAzmodan, saying "Open your mind before you open your mouth.