Animal / Dinner
Carving up ethics / chewing on hypocrisy
There is no ethical justification for someone like me—with the economic and time advantages I enjoy—to eat meat. But I do it anyway, lured by how damn delicious it is, and how meat makes it far easier for me to cook up tasty meals.
Since I live in a rural community, I can assuage my guilt by buying, or trading for, meat from producers who provide their livestock with, as we say, "A good life and one bad day." But the truth is, I am a prize hypocrite. If I had to slaughter an animal myself, I would become an instant vegetarian.
As for veganism, I suffer no crisis of conscience or squeamishness when buying eggs and cheese from neighbors who rely on animals they raise compassionately, who steward the land responsibly, and who provide fair and safe labor conditions to their workers.
And circling back to my hypocrisy, I do occasionally enjoy a good Chinese meal out, pepperoni on my pizza … and, sigh, bacon.
Just can’t, I realize I should give up meat. But I’d miss it even more if I gave it up. Agree w/ya.
You are so right. Shame on us. When people lived as hunter/gatherers their lives depended on finding and killing their own food. Humans did not have all the power on their side. Now we have choices. , We can look away from what it means to eat meat cause we don't do the killing. We can care about how animals we eat are treated or decide to live a healthy life as a vegetarian . I am another lazy consumer not making what I believe is the best choice .