According to dictionary.com, a vegetarian is a person who does not eat or does not believe in eating meat, fish, or fowl; a vegan is a vegetarian who omits all animal products from the diet.
Found in Jeremy Rifkin's editorial, "A Change of Heart about Animals," his belief is that there are few differences between animals and humans. He appeals to our emotions with the use of pathos by letting our empathy get the best of us. We feel sorry for the pigs that become easily depressed. We are excited over the fact that animals--Koko the gorilla--have the ability to communicate through sign language, something that the humans have mastered long before. What grabbed my attention from these articles were not the articles themselves, but the letters to the editor in response. Lois Frazier took a bombastic approach by stating that we should do more than ban animal experimentation; we should ban fur and leather clothing and commit to a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.
This isn't to say that I am making a mockery out of Frazier and praising the way we treat animals. It is a fact: meat has been a part of our diet for generations, and we shouldn't have to change this type of lifestyle in order to meet the needs of animal-lovers everywhere. I've had my fair share of exposure to documentaries that show how animals are treated at the slaughterhouse, and let me tell you, it's not that pretty. It's a dirty thing to know that chemicals are injected into these animals in order to keep up the consumption rate. Pens filled with chickens could overflow to the point that they'll be walking around in their own waste, but this isn't to say that I will change my lifestyle because I don't like what happens behind the scenes. Meat tastes good; meat provides you with proteins; meat is good for you. But I remain empathetic and believe that certain guidelines and regulations should be kept to a safer and cleaner way to go about mass production.
I have been attempting for what seems like forever on how to exactly word how I feel about this topic, and you literally took the thoughts from my brain and put them onto paper. Thank you Keaulani. As you can tell I totally agree with you on this. I know how terrible it is for the animals and people use pathos to make us feel like crappy human beings who have no heart. When in reality it has been going on for centuries and we do have a heart. But we also have a need for protein and everything else that comes along with meat. Also they eat meat to survive so why aren't we trying to make the animals feel guilty for eating other animals? Because we can't. Because it is their nature, same as it is our nature.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you! Meat is an amazing thing and in no way will I ever want to be a vegetarian for a long period of time. I really liked how you included the fact about mass production and how shady the system can be.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you, and I also noticed that he used pathos and guilt us into feeling bad for the animals. Which we should, to a certain extent. They should be treated with respect, but changing our diet is not part of it.
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