I have a friend who's an unabashed vegan. This means all animal products are considered cruel and unusual punishment to the animals. He even has a beef with butter/milk...the animals who produce it are supposed to be feeding their calves/kids with it, and he thinks it's a cruel joke by humanity. Once, on facebook...he said "if you eat beef, what's stopping you from eating a human?"
He believes that the beef industry has been feeding us lies for years - iron, and protein can be found in better sources, and that we could save the planet if we would just become vegans. Personally, I think that farming anything in large enough numbers to feed the planet is killing our planet. Why do you think 3rd world countries need pesticides and fertilizers to get anything to grow to support the population? Anyhow, beef is more calorically dense than anything else - why do you think any meat is prized in 3rd world countries? Try India, where all parts of the cow are sold as food. Even China uses a great portion of the cow! In America, most of the "bad" bits in the cow are turned into hamburger and sausage - which means more food and more jobs for people makiing them.
If we go vegan all at once, do you think the jobs and "meat market" would survive? Or would it just go underground? I think it would turn into a status symbol - meat is a luxury in some places; it is too abundant in our countries.
He believes that the beef industry has been feeding us lies for years - iron, and protein can be found in better sources, and that we could save the planet if we would just become vegans. Personally, I think that farming anything in large enough numbers to feed the planet is killing our planet. Why do you think 3rd world countries need pesticides and fertilizers to get anything to grow to support the population? Anyhow, beef is more calorically dense than anything else - why do you think any meat is prized in 3rd world countries? Try India, where all parts of the cow are sold as food. Even China uses a great portion of the cow! In America, most of the "bad" bits in the cow are turned into hamburger and sausage - which means more food and more jobs for people makiing them.
If we go vegan all at once, do you think the jobs and "meat market" would survive? Or would it just go underground? I think it would turn into a status symbol - meat is a luxury in some places; it is too abundant in our countries.