Converting Vegetarians

"From what I've noticed, people nowadays make the choice to become a Vegetarian just because it labels them so, not because its what they feel is right for them and their body, and so they follow the guidelines: no products from animals. They seem to feel that their decision to not eat a burger here or there actually makes a difference in animals' lives...but whether or not they choose to eat the meat, the cow has nonetheless been killed, and someone else will just come along and eat that burger for them. The same could be said for religion nowadays, the way that people choose a religion based on the label, not their true beliefs. IMO, a vegetarian has the right to be a vegetarian if they have rational reasons for not putting meat into their bodies (i.e. seeing it as unclean for the soul, etc.). Thinking that not eating meat saves animals' lives is just irrational in today's age...not to mention, it would seem that many of the animals on this earth are here simply for us to eat...it's delicious and often nutritious."<br /> <br /> Everything that you've just said is completely untrue. Being a vegan DOES save animals' lives, because it lowers the demand for meat. Corporations will only make as much meat as they know people will consume, and with more vegans and vegetarians, less meat is being consumed than if they were eating meat, and so it lowers the demand. Corporations then have to make less meat, and so fewer animals are bred. Peta.com has a running count of how many animals have been saved (or, prevented from being bred) by vegans that day (which is often in the millions) and the average vegan saves 100 animals a year. How is seeing eating meat as unclean for the "soul" rational? No one can even prove that a soul exists. Eating meat is, though, extremely unhealthy for the body. Animals were not put on Earth for us to eat. That's an extremely childish and simplistic worldview. There is a scientific explanation for both humans and non-human animals being here, and there is substantial scientific evidence that humans are actually herbivores. If we were carnivores, or even omnivores, we would have sharp teeth for ripping flesh rather than dull ones for grinding plant material. We would have short intestinal tracts to prevent us from absorbing saturated fat, rather than our winding ones that take food on a three-day long journey. We would have speed, night vision, strength, and the ability to hunt without tools- none of which we have. Not to mention that meat is NOT nutritious in any way- it's incredibly bad for you. Research has shown that vegetarians are 50 percent less likely to develop heart disease, and they have 40 percent of the cancer rate of meat-eaters. Plus, meat-eaters are nine times more likely to be obese than vegans are. The consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy products has also been strongly linked to osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, asthma, and male impotence. Scientists have also found that vegetarians have stronger immune systems than their meat-eating friends; this means that they are less susceptible to everyday illnesses like the flu. Vegetarians and vegans live, on average, six to 10 years longer than meat-eaters. A plant-based diet is the best diet for kids, too: Studies have shown that vegetarian kids grow taller and have higher IQs than their classmates, and they are at a reduced risk for heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other diseases in the long run. Studies have shown that even older people who switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet can prevent and even reverse many chronic ailments. goveg.com/healthConcerns.asp<br /> <br /> Being a vegan or vegetarian is much better for the environment, your body, and the animals. I'm not saying that you have to be one; I'm just saying that you should do some actual research before you voice your unfounded opinions.

As 'soul points out, vegetarianism DOES save animal lives. Or more accurately, causes less animals to be bred for slaughter. They're never born in the first place, so they don't get killed at a young age to be eaten. <br /> <br /> Even one vegetarian in the world would make a difference, but there are hundreds of millions. In our masses, we choose not to eat meat, so all those millions of animals are not bred. One person eats a lot of animals worth of meat in their life. I can't remember how many, but it's been researched and documented. Farmers don't spend money breeding animals that aren't going to sell, slaughterhouses and supermarkets try not to produce and purchase more meat than they can sell. Otherwise would waste money. Businesses try to reduce wastage, and producing meat for millions of vegetarians to leave on the shelf would be throwing away a fortune. Meat's expensive!<br /> <br /> On your primary issue, you're putting too much weight on personal experience, specifically, this one annoying friend you have. Not all vegetarians are like that. Most of us are grown-ups! Teenagers do all sorts of stupid things to be accepted, and plenty of stupid things come out of their mouth. It's not sensible to judge ANYTHING on the opinions of people like that!

Actually, 'soul, going by the teeth, and by our history, humans are omnivores. We DO have pointy sharp teeth for ripping meat! And saturated fat is a valuable source of energy. For the first hundred thousand years or so (depending on what you define as a modern human... basically the whole of history up til 1,000 years ago, or, for the obesity epidemic, just 30 years or so ago), eating TOO MUCH food was never a problem! Still isn't for most of the world, where most are starving, and half of the rest are eating themselves to death. Saturated fat causing heart disease was never an issue when people lived hungry and died of disease at 35!<br /> <br /> On the other hand, it's a pretty stupid person who lets his teeth dictate his ethics or his lifestyle. You're very right about the environment though. It takes 8lbs of grain to produce 1lb of beef. That's a massive waste of calories, which is why people in poor countries don't eat a lot of meat! It also take 100x as much water to produce one calorie's worth of meat, than it does to make 1 calorie's worth of plant-based food. <br /> <br /> Animal sewage is a huge pollutant, the whole animal rearing industry is an environmental catastrophe! Methane, produced by burping cows (!), is 20x worse than carbon dioxide for trapping heat through the greenhouse effect. It's a serious source of pollution.<br /> <br /> Finally, food animals nowadays are generally fed antibiotics their whole lives, every day. It's cheaper than waiting for them to get ill. This obviously produces resistant bacteria, and the horrendous and unnatural overcrowding allows diseases to spread like wildfire. Something like 80% of battery hens have Salmonella. As well, cattle are filled up with growth hormones, to make them grow bigger quicker. These chemicals remain in the meat. Which means you eat them! Massive amounts, way more than is natural in any animal, including people! Animal welfare standards are bad enough, but the hygiene standards, from rearing the animals through slaughtering them and selling the meat, are horrific! And many companies in the business fail the standards. Meat is one of those foods, where if you knew what went on, you wouldn't be able to eat it. <br /> <br /> And nobody likes to think about what's in a hotdog before they eat one!<br /> <br /> Many many health problems in people can be attributed to eating meat. Vegetarians are just healthier. <br /> <br /> It's no sacrifice to me. I don't miss meat. And even if I did, the price the animals pay is too high just to satisfy my palate. Indians eat very little meat, many are vegetarian, and they have some of the most varied and tasty foods in the world! Similarly many East Asians eat little meat, and especially little mammal meat. When you compare the world's cuisine, to a steak or a hamburger, meat looks really dull. <br /> Meat IS really dull!

@FujiFlame Unholy Jesus I am so sorry for whatever movement you hope to represent for their having to make excuses for you, if anyone in such a movement is intelligent enough to do so. Einstein was vegetarian and advocated it at his death. Buddha, Pathagoras, DaVinci. You're a vestige of human evolution. BTW, ham, bacon, and sausage are now in the same category as cigarettes in the World Health Organization's index of carcinogens. You're probably also fat. <br /> <br /> People say it's weird that I and some of my friends (even older) are vegan, but 20 years from now you won't be able to see your own penis if you eat like an average American. <br /> <br /> If you're male as am I, then you and I share more genes with male chimpanzees than we do with female humans. Chimps, as are all of our monkey/ape relateives, are almost entirely vegan. Betray your biology if you must, but shaln't have sympathy for your plight. <br /> <br /> I wish you all and only the best and I hope you turn to compassion.

@ infectedmuchroom<br /> <br /> all you guys got to keep in mind just because this group are called infected mushroom doesn't mean that they do drugs. in this song vegetarians means staying off the drugs.<br /> <br /> IMO it's the people not taking drugs that they're trying to convert. They're diving into sounds that appeal to the mainstream, and once they've got em hooked they can give em anything and they'll love it.<br /> <br /> I have plenty of hunches Infected Mushroom has drug experience. As someone who has taken psychedelics and listened to their music for years, there's just too many quirks about their music that suggests it, from song titles to the very rhythms and noises that make the songs. I can't listen to B.P Empire (the album in full) without thinking "these guys were on some SHIT when they made this!" I'd be surprised if anyone could. Classical Mushroom is also pretty out there.