Treatment of Animals
One of the main reasons for going vegan is over concerns for the treatment and welfare of animals.
What’s for dinner? For those who haven’t made the switch to vegetarianism or veganism, the answer is usually something like “chicken”, “hamburgers” or “pork chop”. If they’re in for a treat it’s “steak” or “salmon”. The other things on the plate simply surround the meat. They’re meant to complement it.
The way our culture views meat and animal products has a strong influence on us. Most of us were raised eating animals. Even though we grow up loving cartoon animals and stuffed animal toys, and even though we keep some animals as pets, and care for them, we view other animals as commodities for our consumption.
That’s a little inconsistent, isn’t it? The cute animals become pets, or are protected. The delicious ones get the axe. The media freaks out when news of dog fighting or cruelty to some animals is made public. But information about factory farms, where severe cruelty is just another day at work, is ignored. We don’t want to hear it. It’s too depressing, and we might feel guilty.
“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.”
Paul McCartney
Sometimes, meat tastes good — but we don’t need it to live (see Veganism and Health). But is the taste of an animal alone, which lasts only a few moments, worth the ongoing torture that animal faces for its entire life? And is it worth all of the life that animal is deprived of when it is killed? For most vegans and many vegetarians, the answer is obvious: no.
Whether the choice is to go vegan, vegetarian or continue consuming animal products, everyone needs to be aware of where their food comes from, and whether or not they’re OK with that.