Quote:
Originally posted by iamnormal
So the base of being a vegetarian is feeling guilty.
On what you feel guilty about is the type of vegetarian you are?
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Exactly. Check out this handy moral spectrum. Put a pushpin at the point below which you will not eat:
Fruits that fall to the ground of their own accord
Plants you have to hurt first (Fruits you pick)
Plants you have to kill first
Lower order moving animals (clams, oysters, shrimp)
Food that involves hurting animals (honey, milk, eggs)
Common food animals (pig, cow, deer)
Uncommon food animals (ostrich, buffalo)
Animals you killed with your own hands
Endangered species (whooping crane)
Cute animals (bunny rabbit, cat, dog)
Intelligent animals (dolphin, chimpanzee, koko the signing gorilla)
Humans that wanted to be eaten (that guy in germany)
Humans that you don't care for very much (osama)
Humans that you like (grandma)
You will probably note that you fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum somewhere, like most people. If you actually think about it, it's kind of amazing that 80% of the people in the US draw the line somewhere between cows and buffalos. Throughout the world, you will find people all over this spectrum.
My advice to everyone: use your head, think about what you believe in. Don't be a sheep, eating only what convention tells you to eat. If you're morally ok with eating bald eagle, going down to mexico and hunting a few is to me much better than blindly following what the masses are doing, without ever thinking why.
a lot of vegetarians are guilt driven, the same way you would be guilt driven about eating chimpanzee or grandma.
(i'm lacto-ovo, btw)