No Such Thing as a Vegan

A friend of mine sent me this link. He even said 'Don't mean to be a jerk, just grossed me out'. I've listed my thoughts:

1. This is gross, in the sense that we are so disconnected with the food we eat and the products we use. Who knew that tennis raquets weren't vegan?
2. The person who created this image is trying to make a point that there is no such thing as a vegan. I get responses like that all the time, like the guy at work who eats beef every night for dinner and drives an SUV gives me a hard time when I eat something local but don't know if it's 100% organic. The thought process is that if you can find a minor misstep in my actions then it discredits my convinctions. Like a tiny thing that I do justifies your apathtic decisions? I don't know where this philosophy comes from, but it's strange.
3. Should it be this hard to abolish animal products from our lives? Some would argue it's great that the entire cow gets used but it shouldn't be that difficult to remove any one thing from your life. I fear when any one thing is impossible to get ride of, dependence is not a strength. (Plastic anyone?)

The Soy Scam

I've been getting asked a lot lately how I feel about the detrimental effects of soy and to be honest I hadn't really heard anything about it. I do know about rainforests being cleared in the amazon however the majority of that is used to feed livestock for human consumption.

However I wasn't surprised when I found this article that argues that the dairy industry funds lobby 'anti-soy' groups. Does this mean that the 'Got Milk?' ads aren't selling enough pus filled dairy?

Capturing the Meat Industry in Photos

It can be difficult for me to explain how strongly I feel about the meat industry and the ridiculously inhumane methods used.

However I'm blown away by these photos that seem to perfectly capture exactly what I feel so strongly about. Check them out here.

Tommaso Ausili's award winning photographs captured in an Italian meat factory:

Paying for the Meat Industry

One of my biggest gripes about the annual seal hunt is that my tax dollars subsidize it. I don't like hearing about how all of these people need the hunt for income because if it's not making any money why not subsidize an industry that could eventually stand on its own?

This same argument applies to the meat industry, and the thing that really gets me is how much money the meat industry receives compared to crop farmers. And the irony is that 80% of crops grown in America are used to feed livestock! (not sure of the exact number for Canada)

I've detailed in the past how ridiculously unsustainable, socially irresponsible, and morally abhorrent the meat industry is before so I won't get into it again. And I understand that our Canadian farmers require subsidies to remain competative with international prices however I don't like helping to support something that I take a stand against.

What I especially loathe is the meat industry being so slow, resiliant and outright defiant to improving animal transportation laws and conditions when they recieve these government handouts.

Fish-Eating-Vegetarians

It's surprising to me how many 'vegetarians' I meet still eat fish. It's a very interesting physcological question on what and who we extend our compassion to.

How come the morals and reasons that have convinced someone not to eat meat do not apply to fish? Is it because we are constantly told how good and essential fish is to our diet? Or is it because most fish are caught from the wild and so the factory farming issue doesn't apply?

Or is it because humans can't identify emotions or feelings from fish like we can from cows or pigs?

I usually contend that our moral compass as a society continues to grow but it starts from large animals down to the small (seriously... ask a mouse or a spider). I've heard the arguments as to why humans have a right to rule over and consume animals and when the arguments are defeated it is usually through examples of larger animals (many animals exhibit cognitive dissonance, empathy, grief). People can visably see a gorilla holding the body of their dead baby or an elephant funeral) but it's more difficult to visualize these traits in our marine life.

I'm not saying that all animals have the same level emotional intelligence or foresight but it's getting harder and hard to ignore the science that all animals feel pain in the same sense that we do.

You can find an interesting on how fish feel pain here.

Food for Thought

I believe in karma and one thing I've always believed is that it cannot be good for the soul to eat something that spent its life or last moments in fear and pain. (Take that Chick Soup for the Soul!) Although I usually don't use it as an explanation not to eat meat because it's lacking in scientific prooft but I believe it nonetheless.

However it seems there now IS scientific proof the vegans and vegetarians are generally happier people.

In other news, the UN has now asked that the population of the world take on a vegan diet to save humanity (seriously, that is pretty much their wording).

The next great threat to national security....

I don’t know if the following story is absolutely hysterical or a sign of the apocalypse.

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/05/21/fbi-looking-for-vega.html

I can just imagine this coming from the top after a conversation like this:

Dick Cheney: Well sir, we have yet to locate Osama Bin Laden, weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, or any sort of proof indicating guilt for 90% of Guantanamo Bay detainees.

George Bush: Drat.

CondoleezzaRice: Despite that sir, I believe there is a greater threat to our nation’s security and constitution.

GB: Homosexuals? Democrats? Hippies?

CR: Actually sir you are somewhat correct. I’m talking about VEGANS.

DC: They are going to ruin the country!!

CR: He’s right, they go against everything that America is built on. They believe in environmental preservation, animal compassion, health, and social awareness. I also believe that most them try to bike to work.

DC: That’s disgusting. We need to infiltrate their gatherings and generate the main threats and suspects immediately.

GB: I like it. And I think we should call them “The Alliance of Destruction & Doom”, how can America not fight something with that name? Otherwise you are supporting Destruction and doom. Simple as that.

CR: I like it.

DC: Well our time is up, I feel like we made some real progress. I’ll send a memo to the FBI, the NRA, and Bill O’Reilly. I guess we’ll just have to make time to talk about our $400 billion dollar deficit next time.