Should you feel guilty for eating meat?

[Macgyvercas]

Why should I feel bad about eating meat? It's fucking delicious, and we are top of the food chain, after all.

 

[Living_Brain]

Plants are also alive. Don't feel guilty. You are meant to eat animals.

I've got to ask, by whom do you think he's meant to?

Just the way the world is. Humans have the intellect to be the superior species, and therefore at the top of the food chain. Below us are animals. Animals give nutrition. We eat animals.

Just noticed the post above me. And it's true!

 

[Living_Brain]

Protein shakes taste like shit, and I needs me protein.

[Edit: Though I disagree with Halal (only way to get any kind of chicken is this city). Killing animals for food is one thing, torture in the mane of your imaginary friend is crossing a line.]

Halal? Like where animals' throats are slit so that they feel minimal pain and all the blood drains from the body leaving none of the waste behind, making it healthier for humans? That Halal? Cuz then I'd have to disagree.

 

[BathorysGraveland]

Well, sometimes. I think to myself that it isn't essential for another living being to die for my food since we are no longer in a fight-for-survival/kill-or be-killed situation and it seems that they die just to appease our taste buds, which is pretty brutal. But then I see that if I don't eat it, it will end up going to waste, which is worse since the being died to serve absolutely no purpose. So I guess in the end, no I don't.

 

[God'sFist]

anybody here love fried chicken? tastes so good, it tastes so good that I just loos myself in the flavor. Just thinking about has me drooling. here is an awesome recipe

 

[Zhukov]

Enjoy your steak.

I will, thanks. My family is farmer stock, and my dad killed hogs and cows and chickens when he was a kid, without a second thought. The boys went and shot game or slaughtered an animal when the family wanted meat. Didn't care at all. They hand-raised animals just to kill them. I've shot and butchered a squirrel. I didn't care. I ate it that night. It died quickly and cleanly, one shot to the heart, dropped straight out of the tree onto the ground. That's the circle of life.

Agriculture, in its basic form, is what humans have been doing for *thousands of years.* Nothing wrong with it. I don't know why people seem to think humans are so horrible just because we were smart enough to not give animals a fair fight.

We are apex predators. It's no different than other animals. Wolves got by on pack behavior. Tigers have huge size and strength. Most predators have big teeth and claws. Well, we have packs, but our claws and teeth are spears and bows, or more modernly, bullets. Just because we were smart enough to realize that if you put a big blockade around an animal, it can't escape, so you can eat it when you like, we're evil? Or just because we realized that hurling a piece of lead through something's head will kill it, rather than risking our lives grappling a beast, we're bad somehow? We're too smart to get gored by horns when we could stand fifty feet away and still get our meat.

Really, all of this just seems to say that it's only okay if you fight fair. And humans have survived history by not fighting fair.

Battery farming is pretty sketchy, because I don't advocate the extreme cases where animals are tortured. Most animals kill for food, and in doing so, kill the prey as quickly as they can. But simply the idea of raising animals for meat, is not wrong at all.

Did you quote the right guy?

You seem to be responding so someone who was arguing against eating meat. I never said there was anything wrong with eating meat. I eat it myself.

I ate a good portion of that calf I mentioned. I ate a lamb sandwich yesterday.

I have no idea what you're trying to say or to whom.

 

[CManator]

I was brought up as a vegetarian in India and then in my late twenties when i came to Europe i started to eat meat. Also in Europe it is easier to be a non-vegetarian as the vegetarian choices can be pretty boring. And I must admit that I like the taste of meat and seafood, etc.

But lately I have been questioning if I should feel guilty for eating meat, seafood (anything that has a life). Do you guys ever wonder about things like: balance of the eco system, food chain, humans are at the top of the food chain so its justified, etc? Do humans really need meat to survive or we just eat it for pleasure? I eat it for its taste and I know some meat/seafood are supposed to be really good for our health. Also primitive man/Neanderthals used to hunt for food...but i guess they used to hunt anything for survival. The modern man does not need to kill/hunt for survival as there is abundance of vegetables and fruits available to eat.

Anyway to cut the long story short, I'm very confused if eating meat/seafood is justified and that we shouldn't feel guilty for killing living things for our consumption. What do you guys think?

Your open and honest opinions on this subject are welcomed.

Vegetarians can often be very hard to take seriously because of this mentality. That head of lettuce was just as much a living thing as that cow grazing in the next field. But veggies don't have cute little faces or snuggly fur so people tend to forget that little fact.

The roots (such as carrots, potatoes, etc) Are the rough eqivalent of the plant's heart. The leaves (lettuce, cabbage) are like the plant's face. And fruits? You're talking tree testicles there, buddy.

Life exists at the cost of other life. It's unfortunate but don't feel guilty for following the system that's been in place since existence began. Especially since there is no alternative. Frankly i think it's morally worse to hunt for sport or fun, but that's another discussion entirely.

 

[MasochisticAvenger]

Am I the only one who thinks with the time vegetarians have spent standing on their moral high ground, looking down on us, and telling us we should feel guilty about taking a life, they probably could have gotten together and invented something that tasted just as good as meat by now?

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

So glad to be part of a race that determines their morals by how science books classify their species. How is saying you're an omnivore any sort of excuse? You don't die without meat, that's just the way your species evolved in an environment where non-meat sources of protein were not as available.

Also, saying you like meat too much is really not a reason for whether or not you should feel guilty about eating meat. It's immoral or it isn't, how much you enjoy something doesn't really change that. If you enjoy going on murderous rampages (not equating the two) no one's going to say that you shouldn't feel bad about it because you were having fun.

Do vegetarians feel guilty about raising future health costs for their country by living unhealthy, and do they feel guilty about contributing to the destruction of rainforests at a higher rate than people who stick to the natural human diet?

I'm pretty sure that eating lots of red meat has been connected with way more health issues than being a vegetarian is associated with. On an unrelated note, apparently those who have a vegetarian diet suffer from less obesity and type 2 diabetes.

I'm not a vegetarian and I haven't decided whether or not I'd be able to give up meat for it, but I'm tired of seeing arguments like this saying it's a simple issue because "Meat tastes good and my ancestors used to need it to survive".

 

[karcentric]

You shouldn't feel guilty about eating meat. After all, omnivores are top of the food chain.

 

[BNguyen]

To me, there is no need to feel guilty in that I will choose to eat meat the same way a carnivorous animal will - I eat because I am hungry.
Biologically, we are designed to eat both meat and plants, we get nutrients from both sides but one side cannot provide the same benefits as the other, thus we need to eat both to get what we need, you may be able to get some protein from seeds, nuts, and beans, but there are simply not enough to go around, and either way, we would have to alter the ecosystem in order to provide food for everyone, whether it be clearing forests for grazing land or for laying down crops

Besides, if you feel guilty about consuming anything that is alive, then you should stop eating plants. Animals aren't the only ones alive on this planet.

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

Does the lion mourn the fallen gazzelle?

Eating meat is part of the natural diet for humans, you should not have to feel guilty about it is just the food chain after all.

Wait, your moral code is based around the idea that anything a lion is okay with doing is fair game?

 

[BNguyen]

So glad to be part of a race that determines their morals by how science books classify their species. How is saying you're an omnivore any sort of excuse? You don't die without meat, that's just the way your species evolved in an environment where non-meat sources of protein were not as available.

Also, saying you like meat too much is really not a reason for whether or not you should feel guilty about eating meat. It's immoral or it isn't, how much you enjoy something doesn't really change that. If you enjoy going on murderous rampages (not equating the two) no one's going to say that you shouldn't feel bad about it because you were having fun.

Do vegetarians feel guilty about raising future health costs for their country by living unhealthy, and do they feel guilty about contributing to the destruction of rainforests at a higher rate than people who stick to the natural human diet?

I'm pretty sure that eating lots of red meat has been connected with way more health issues than being a vegetarian is associated with. On an unrelated note, apparently those who have a vegetarian diet suffer from less obesity and type 2 diabetes.

I'm not a vegetarian and I haven't decided whether or not I'd be able to give up meat for it, but I'm tired of seeing arguments like this saying it's a simple issue because "Meat tastes good and my ancestors used to need it to survive".

Killing an animal and eating its flesh for sustenance, or killing an animal to defend yourself is not immoral, it is natural.
Killing people or animals because you hold a grudge or you find the act fun is immoral.
When it comes to doing something that is a natural process - i.e. eating meat, you should not feel guilty.

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

So glad to be part of a race that determines their morals by how science books classify their species. How is saying you're an omnivore any sort of excuse? You don't die without meat, that's just the way your species evolved in an environment where non-meat sources of protein were not as available.

Also, saying you like meat too much is really not a reason for whether or not you should feel guilty about eating meat. It's immoral or it isn't, how much you enjoy something doesn't really change that. If you enjoy going on murderous rampages (not equating the two) no one's going to say that you shouldn't feel bad about it because you were having fun.

Do vegetarians feel guilty about raising future health costs for their country by living unhealthy, and do they feel guilty about contributing to the destruction of rainforests at a higher rate than people who stick to the natural human diet?

I'm pretty sure that eating lots of red meat has been connected with way more health issues than being a vegetarian is associated with. On an unrelated note, apparently those who have a vegetarian diet suffer from less obesity and type 2 diabetes.

I'm not a vegetarian and I haven't decided whether or not I'd be able to give up meat for it, but I'm tired of seeing arguments like this saying it's a simple issue because "Meat tastes good and my ancestors used to need it to survive".

Killing an animal and eating its flesh for sustenance, or killing an animal to defend yourself is not immoral, it is natural.
Killing people or animals because you hold a grudge or you find the act fun is immoral.
When it comes to doing something that is a natural process - i.e. eating meat, you should not feel guilty.

Once again, how is it being natural an excuse? Natural and necessary are two terms that I feel are often switched in these arguments. Personally I think any argument using the word natural needs to explain what exactly they mean by it. If by natural they mean the human species has done it for thousands of years, I'd argue that just because something was practiced in a while in the past doesn't mean it needs to be in the future. It WAS natural because it was a necessity. In current times I'd say that it really isn't. It sure makes things easier, and if that's your reason, use that instead of hiding behind the word natural (Err... that wasn't all directed at you, just the overusage of the word natural).

I would never argue that killing an animal in defense is immoral, and nor would any of the vegetarians I know. In fact, one of my vegetarian friends said that if she was stranded on a deserted island with only animals for food, she'd straight up eat it.

 

[BNguyen]

So glad to be part of a race that determines their morals by how science books classify their species. How is saying you're an omnivore any sort of excuse? You don't die without meat, that's just the way your species evolved in an environment where non-meat sources of protein were not as available.

Also, saying you like meat too much is really not a reason for whether or not you should feel guilty about eating meat. It's immoral or it isn't, how much you enjoy something doesn't really change that. If you enjoy going on murderous rampages (not equating the two) no one's going to say that you shouldn't feel bad about it because you were having fun.

Do vegetarians feel guilty about raising future health costs for their country by living unhealthy, and do they feel guilty about contributing to the destruction of rainforests at a higher rate than people who stick to the natural human diet?

I'm pretty sure that eating lots of red meat has been connected with way more health issues than being a vegetarian is associated with. On an unrelated note, apparently those who have a vegetarian diet suffer from less obesity and type 2 diabetes.

I'm not a vegetarian and I haven't decided whether or not I'd be able to give up meat for it, but I'm tired of seeing arguments like this saying it's a simple issue because "Meat tastes good and my ancestors used to need it to survive".

Killing an animal and eating its flesh for sustenance, or killing an animal to defend yourself is not immoral, it is natural.
Killing people or animals because you hold a grudge or you find the act fun is immoral.
When it comes to doing something that is a natural process - i.e. eating meat, you should not feel guilty.

Once again, how is it being natural an excuse? Natural and necessary are two terms that I feel are often switched in these arguments. Personally I think any argument using the word natural needs to explain what exactly they mean by it. If by natural they mean the human species has done it for thousands of years, I'd argue that just because something was practiced in a while in the past doesn't mean it needs to be in the future. It WAS natural because it was a necessity. In current times I'd say that it really isn't. It sure makes things easier, and if that's your reason, use that instead of hiding behind the word natural (Err... that wasn't all directed at you, just the overusage of the word natural).

I would never argue that killing an animal in defense is immoral, and nor would any of the vegetarians I know. In fact, one of my vegetarian friends said that if she was stranded on a deserted island with only animals for food, she'd straight up eat it.

When I use natural in this case, I don't mean just our species, but what biologically makes us omnivorous. We are designed to eat both meat and plants - front teeth for tearing, back for grinding. Like a lot of animals in the world, we need both in our diet to make us healthy, taking out one side makes you body lack essential nutrients, like protein and calcium. It is a natural need for meat because it is necessary for us to live.

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

So glad to be part of a race that determines their morals by how science books classify their species. How is saying you're an omnivore any sort of excuse? You don't die without meat, that's just the way your species evolved in an environment where non-meat sources of protein were not as available.

Also, saying you like meat too much is really not a reason for whether or not you should feel guilty about eating meat. It's immoral or it isn't, how much you enjoy something doesn't really change that. If you enjoy going on murderous rampages (not equating the two) no one's going to say that you shouldn't feel bad about it because you were having fun.

Do vegetarians feel guilty about raising future health costs for their country by living unhealthy, and do they feel guilty about contributing to the destruction of rainforests at a higher rate than people who stick to the natural human diet?

I'm pretty sure that eating lots of red meat has been connected with way more health issues than being a vegetarian is associated with. On an unrelated note, apparently those who have a vegetarian diet suffer from less obesity and type 2 diabetes.

I'm not a vegetarian and I haven't decided whether or not I'd be able to give up meat for it, but I'm tired of seeing arguments like this saying it's a simple issue because "Meat tastes good and my ancestors used to need it to survive".

Killing an animal and eating its flesh for sustenance, or killing an animal to defend yourself is not immoral, it is natural.
Killing people or animals because you hold a grudge or you find the act fun is immoral.
When it comes to doing something that is a natural process - i.e. eating meat, you should not feel guilty.

Once again, how is it being natural an excuse? Natural and necessary are two terms that I feel are often switched in these arguments. Personally I think any argument using the word natural needs to explain what exactly they mean by it. If by natural they mean the human species has done it for thousands of years, I'd argue that just because something was practiced in a while in the past doesn't mean it needs to be in the future. It WAS natural because it was a necessity. In current times I'd say that it really isn't. It sure makes things easier, and if that's your reason, use that instead of hiding behind the word natural (Err... that wasn't all directed at you, just the overusage of the word natural).

I would never argue that killing an animal in defense is immoral, and nor would any of the vegetarians I know. In fact, one of my vegetarian friends said that if she was stranded on a deserted island with only animals for food, she'd straight up eat it.

When I use natural in this case, I don't mean just our species, but what biologically makes us omnivorous. We are designed to eat both meat and plants - front teeth for tearing, back for grinding. Like a lot of animals in the world, we need both in our diet to make us healthy, taking out one side makes you body lack essential nutrients, like protein and calcium. It is a natural need for meat because it is necessary for us to live.

The problem I'm having with this argument is that it actually isn't necessary to live. Last I checked all of my vegetarian friends are still kicking. A better argument is that it is very difficult to build muscle and fitness without meat, although it's still not impossible. I have a female friend who competed at an international level in climbing, and was a vegetarian (although she did include fish in her diet).

I also don't believe that our biological design should determine our morals. Making a huge stretch here, but if we had some sort of compartment in our body that was designed solely for crushing the heads of our firstborn children I would still be against it despite that appendage. And really, what's the worst that happens if we don't use our oh so precious canines?

Really, I'm not saying that eating meat is wrong, there's still a large hurdle to overcome for someone to switch to excluding it from their diet, it's just the flawed logic in arguments commonly used for eating meat, and the indifference people have for the fact that animals had to die for their food bothers me.

 

[Jaeke]

Does the lioness feel guilty for breaking the gazelle's neck?
Does the wolf feel remorse for shredding the deer?
Does the man feel sad for eating his natural balanced diet?

No. It's natural.