Getting the message out

[Brett]

I feel the subject of preventing animal cruelty imedes the Vegetarian/Vegan message rather than helps it. I'd like to see the promotion of Vegetarinism/Veganism take an approach that more people can relate to. While handing flyers, holding up signs, and posting pictures of the atrocities that happen to animals as a part of the food chain is shocking and important for everyone to know about, I feel there is a backlash effect that pushes people further away from Vegetarianism/Veganism instead of bringing them closer to it. While nobody can feel good about seeing a calf tied down in a crate, or a dumpster full of baby chicks, nobody wants to feel like their being forced or guilted into giving up meat, leather, or dairy. All it does is make Vegetarians and Vegans look like panty-waste hippies. And really, who takes a panty waste hippy seriously?

My point is that there are other issues just as large as the prevention of animal cruelty that deserve just as much attention, and if we ever hope to make our message more relevant, we need to bring the issues of other things like the link between the meat and dairy industries with environmental pollution, economic decline, and cancer.

Am I alone on this? I'm not saying stop promoting animal liberation, but cut back to make room to show other dangers of how the meat and dairy industries affect ourselves, our economy, our environment and our earth's animals.

[oudy]

i do not blieve u r alone, n fact, the bible supports u 100%. but do not get me ncorrect, i am not religious, however i am quite preceptive 2 the will and law that governs all life. those we call animals, have as much right 2 the constitution of god as we do. as 4 tying things 2gether, when r we ever not n the same world, what affects 1 affects all. though we no it not. if u really look closely 2 the 1 we r taught is named jesus, he not only stood n propria persona, but, he detested the the sacrificing of the animals at the temple. both the building of stone and of the flesh which, of course was constructed by the very hands of god. also keep n mind that the 3 witnesses that god said r 4 his covenant, r the breath, the water,and the blood. now, tell me which of those if any r not apart of those we r taught 2 eat as food? imagine the effect it would have on the barons that make their livelyhood from the slavery and murder of r fellow men, i.e. the animals. if that would not b heaven right here on earth. live by the flesh die by the flesh. that is what it says. do not drink the blood. so they argue that they strain the blood out of the meat. ok lets c, if dna has some minuscule, blood n it, would it stand 2 reason u cannot seperate the meat from the blood???? chew on that 1 they can. hwo much blood do u have 2 drink 2 b cursed, o i dont no, as a man think n his heart so is he. well, that is wgere i am camped at,, ur servant,,,chow,,,oudy

[Jenn]

I sorta know about the doom of a meat-based diet to our environment, but our health as well? i know they lack like fat and other stuff [i have no idea]. but really? eh that sounds bad bad bad.

[pradtf]

it is exactly as you say, jenn:
bad bad bad

bad for Health, bad for Environment, bad for Ethics - and HEE is no laughing matter.

here's a quick summary with some really good links too:
http://towardsfreedom.com/veggiechess/goVeg.html

in friendship,
prad

[Alice]

I usually put the point in to people who say 'well there only animals, thats what their here for', that after the drugs that are pumped into them to make them grow quicker and to prevent disease, that when they are eating that animal they aren't just getting a burger or whatever, they're getting all that other stuff that goes with it. That way, even if they are selfish gits they sometimes start to worry about themselves just a little bit more.
Then again every day I walk down my high street there is always people queueing for kfc out the door, and people buying cheap cuts of meat out of butchers. Butchers always smell like death to me! How can anyone even walk past them, let alone buy out of them?

[Ari Moore]

Personally, I find the argument of compassion to be the most effective, in my own vegan outreach. I have trouble remembering statistics and I'm not a scientist, so using environmental pollution, economics, and health have never been very good strategies for me.

But I can really work from a position of compassion. I don't like showing people gross pictures or protesting - I prefer to create positive alternatives and then show people how awesome they are. "Look at this delicious cruelty-free food! Check out these cute vegan shoes, which were made without hurting anyone at all! Come live in my vegan ecovillage, so we can share resources and reduce our impact on the environment, while abstaining from oppression and exploitation." (Seriously, this is a project I'm working on.) And so on. It's very hard to argue with the idea that one should support equality and justice, and show compassion to those who are weaker than we are and who need our protection and love rather than exploitation.

But I dunno, maybe that just makes me a panty-waste hippie? :) I'm not sure what one is - I'm a hippie, but my panties are definitely not being wasted. :)

[pradtf]

ya i don't know what a panty-waste hippie is either, but if they do what you are doing (specifically the ahimsa ecovillage), there should be more of them!

in friendship,
prad