I’m guessing this is why you won’t “just stop” eating meat
Most of the times I find myself in an argument with a meat-eater, it’s not really one conversation between two people. It’s more like two parallel conversations in that one will never cross or even touch upon the other. I think the reason for that is most of the meat-eaters I know ironically care more about food than I do.
Yes, I’m angry about animal cruelty, but if I found out a food item I liked was causing harm in some way, I’d just stop eating it. Meanwhile, some of the meat-eaters I know keep telling me they just wish they could go vegetarian (not even shooting for all-out vegan), but they just can’t.
On top of that, I see food, in the end, as a neutral part of my life. Sometimes people ask me if what I eat even gets me full, and I’m baffled. Who eats to get full? I’ll admit that I sometimes eat more than necessary, but I thought we all normally ate when we were hungry and stopped when we were satisfied. I mean, it’s food. You put it in your mouth, chew it, swallow it, and you’re fine for another 2-3 hours. There’s no step in that process in which an animal is required to die.
So, the conversations being parallel would make sense. We are on different planes of thought. (Two sentences, two geometry terms!) Most of the meat-eaters I know are pissed off that vegans like me don’t respect their choice to eat meat, and vegans like me are pissed off that some meat-eaters are indignant over something as simple as food. Interesting.
♥9 February 14, 2010