“So, what about hardcore vegetarians and vegans? Now, surely if they miss the taste of meat that much, they would treat themselves occasionally to naturally-reared meat from animals that have had a happy life.”
You’re missing the point – “hardcore vegetarians and vegans” tend to have arrived at their decision through thinking at an ethical and philosophical level and arrived at the conclusion that the exploitation of any sentient being (and any creatures such as fish that as yet to be proved by humans to be sentient) is wrong. Basically, if a creature has a nervous system and the ability to sense the emotion of fear (i.e., run from a predator or dangerous situation, or clamp its shell casing closed) regardless of how ‘happy’ it’s upbringing, it would never ever be considered a “treat” by any vegetarian or vegan. In fact, to even mention this just shows how little you consider the depth of feeling and thought involved in making the choice to be vegetarian or vegan.
“But then I suppose many purist vegetarians are so inclined, not for environmental or health reasons, but simply because they love furry animals so much that they cannot bring themselves to eat them.”
It’s nothing as crass as sentimentality (as implied by “they love furry animals”) that brings people to consider vegetarian/vegan as a serious life choice. Rather it’s empathy and a serious regard for all living creatures as well as our precious environment. I understand, as a meat eater, you have no way of understanding or even respecting my choice but, as a writer, you should have the ability to be a little more objective or thoughtful for those of us who are trying to tread a little more gently on this planet.
There are plenty of people that have jumped on the current trendy vegan fad, and maybe these products would sate their carnivorous leanings as well as filling the latest marketing niche (after all, it’s all about the money – I may be cynical, but that’s what a life in the design/advertising world does). It also allows meat eaters to assuage their guilt by being vegan occasionally without feeling like they’re ‘missing out’, which I guess is a start…
I am not trying to convince you to live your life differently, just to consider those who choose to do so with the respect they deserve.
ANA LUCÍLIA
by email
P.s. Recently, philosophical veganism has been legally recognised in the British courts as a belief system and, therefore, is protected in the same way as religions.
