Thursday, June 12, 2008

13 Reasons to be a Vegan

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Here are thirteen reasons that have compelled me to give veganism a try.

1. Because every package of chicken contains a little poop. Yes, POOP.
A USDA study found that 98 percent of broiler chicken
carcasses had detectable levels of E. coli, indicating fecal
contamination.

2. Because grain used to feed animals could be used to feed hungry people.
Eighty percent of U.S. agricultural land is used to raise chickens, pigs,
and other farmed animals; seventy percent of grains are used to feed
them. If the massive quantities of grain, soy, and corn now fed to
factory-farmed animals were freed up, there would be plenty of food
for the world’s starving people.

3. Because when animals feel pain, they scream too.
If you burn them, they feel it. If you give them electric shocks, they feel
it. Animals feel pain in the same way and to the same degree that we
humans do.

4. Because more than half the water used in the U.S. is used to raise animals for food.
A totally vegetarian diet requires 300 gallons of water per day, while a
meat-eating diet requires more than 4,000 gallons of water per day.
Time magazine reports, “Around the world, as more water is diverted
to raising [cattle], pigs, and chickens, instead of producing crops for
direct consumption, millions of wells are going dry.”

5. Because you wouldn't eat your dog.
Most people are horrified that some cultures eat dogs or
whales, but these animals suffer no more than animals
commonly consumed in the U.S. The difference is only cultural,
not moral.

6. Because no one should have to kill for a living.

Slaughterhouse workers have among the highest rates of
injury and illness in the country, and working in a
slaughterhouse would dull anyone’s sense of compassion.

7. Because this is not what wings are for.
Chickens, pigs, and other farmed animals never get to breathe
fresh air, feel the sun on their backs, build a nest, nuzzle their
young, or do anything at all that they were born to do.

8. Because eating fish does not make you a vegetarian.
Fish have the same ability to respond to pain that birds and
mammals have and are also interesting individuals in their own
right. According to a review of the science published in Fish and
Fisheries, fish are “highly intelligent”—they have long-term
memories and learn from one another, use tools, form social
hierarchies, and “can even be favourably compared to nonhuman
primates.” Explains marine biologist Dr. Sylvia Earle, fish
are “so good-natured, so curious. You know, fish are sensitive,
they have personalities, they hurt when they’re wounded.”

9. Because they feel fear.
Their hair stands on end, they urinate on themselves, and they shake,
just as we do when frightened out of our minds with the prospect of
being hurt or killed.

10. Because no matter how you slice it, it's still flesh.
Other animals are made of flesh, bone, and blood, just as we are, so
“meat” is just a euphemism for a decomposing corpse used as food.

11. Because even prisons aren't this crowded.
Animals on factory farms are crammed into so little space that many
of them are unable to do anything natural to them for their entire lives.

12. Because no living creature wants to see her family slaughtered.
Cows love their calves, sows love their piglets, and chickens
love their chicks. Farmed animals love their families and
mourn their loss.

13. Because you shouldn't have to lie to your children about the food you eat.
Children would be horrified to learn about the cruelty and
violence involved in turning chickens, pigs, and other animals
into nuggets and other “foods.”

These reasons are all from Goveg.com.

For more Thursday Thirteens go HERE

6 comments:

Bubba said...

I'm definitely not a vegan, and I don't really agree with several of your points. However, I applaud you for: knowing why you believe what you believe, and having the courage to share with others.

Great TT! Have a great weekend!

Valerie Roberson said...

Wow. Very thought provoking list-especially the bit about water consumption. That's just shocking!

Anonymous said...

I too don't agree with your points, that being said, I think going Kosher helps.

Bea Elliott said...

Gosh... those are some great reasons to live on a plant based diet! I've been vegetarian for 6 years (thinking I was doing "my part" for the animals & planet - Then discovered the horrors of "factory farming" and the environmental devistation animal agriculture presents. Have been VEGAN for 7 months and I feel better than ever! Never realized dairy products were such poison in my body! I look better - have boundless energy and have lost some stubborn pounds.... For all your reasons and a million more... GO VEGAN!

Anonymous said...

That was a very convincing post, thank you.

Unknown said...

Great theme for TT. You made some convincing points and I love that you have information/research to back up what you believe in. You go girl!