Debate: Should meat-eaters respect the views of vegans?

(relevant definition of respect in this context: 

 

"have due regard for (someone's feelings, wishes, or rights).

"I respected his views"

synonyms:

show consideration for, show regard for, take into consideration, take into account, make allowances for, take cognizance of, observe, pay heed/attention to, bear in mind, be mindful of, be heedful of, remember; archaicregard "at least they respect your privacy".")

 

My last blog post was my side of the debate of “should vegans respect the views of meat-eaters”. I decided it was only apt that this next post be the reverse of that debate:

Should meat-eaters respect the views of vegans?

Now out of context I think it’s very fair to say that meat-eaters should respect and therefore act respectfully towards vegans, however having just written a rather long post as to why vegans have no obligation to respect meat-eaters (and indeed shouldn’t, as it goes against the entire ethos of veganism), it seems only fair I explain WHY I think that the reverse is different.

Now in the other post I stated how meat-eaters are harming life that vegans hold dear. Having already given animals some higher value that the rest of society denies them, vegans have to watch everyone else use and harm them. But they definitely don’t have to be respectful of it. In many cases they exercise their right to protest it. Vegans (back to those of the activist variety) feel some sense of obligation towards the animals being harmed and killed for the gain of the rest of our species, and so have no cause to respect those harming them, and should feel no guilt in trying to sway them towards stopping.
But do meat-eaters have cause to respect the people criticizing and seeking to undermine and put an end to their way of life? The answer may not seem so clear-cut here, but I think it is.

First off, as I established before, unless I missed something massive when I was eating meat (maybe someone forgot to send me the memo), meat-eating is not a religious or moral code, it just comes from tradition and sensory pleasure. As a society, we don’t tend to weigh preference the same as moral beliefs. Piled on top of that, there’s all the ways in which the animal agriculture industry is causing harm. In brief summary, in case you haven’t picked up on them, here are the main three things the aforementioned industry harms:

Animals – Obviously, this is the easy one. There are all the animals that are killed, abused and exploited: literally billions of casualties every year. Whether or not you think it is right or at least okay for us to do so, we can all acknowledge the simple fact that they are dying, and therefore count as something the industry harms. So yea. Enough said on that.

The planet – This one has been coming up a lot more in the news recently, and with the climate change talks in Paris it’s finally getting some of the focus it deserves, but a lot of people still aren’t aware of it. Animal agriculture is the leading contributor to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions in the modern world (that’s right, it even dwarfs all forms of transportation combined!). It is also the leading cause of oceanic dead zones, deforestation and species extinction. Needless to say, our insatiable hunger for animal products has done a great deal of damage to the environment of the planet we live on. As it is, we are putting a massive strain on the ecosystem, and all experts concur that we cannot keep meat consumption going at the rate it is. It is vastly unsustainable.

Humans – Last but not least, ourselves. Now we’ve always known that a diet high in animal products increases risk of heart disease, osteoporosis and strokes, however more and more we are discovering additional heath risks to an omnivore’s diet. Just last year, the World Health Organization released a report detailing how red and processed meats are carcinogenic (causers of cancer). And we’re not talking mild carcinogens here; we’re talking on the same level as cigarettes.  We’re hearing about the problems of dairy, and you can even find studies detailing the health issues with eggs. Not to mention the fact that for a long time there have been many studies proving that plant-based (vegetarian and vegan) groups (Buddhists, Rastafarians, etc.) on average live longer and healthier lives than meat and dairy eaters. The proof out there is undeniable, and we must conclude that a plant-based diet is healthier for the human race, with the only evidence people seem to be able to offer against it being fragile arguments like “look, we have two slightly pointed teeth” (seriously everyone, the canine teeth argument was shattered a long looooong time ago, stop throwing it back at us like it’s clever because it’s really not).  Not to mention, the food alone that we have to produce to feed billions of cattle, chickens and pigs could easily solve world hunger several times over if we stopped producing that livestock and sent the food elsewhere (tens to hundreds of billions of livestock, seven billion people. You do the math). And that’s not even considering the resources used throughout the rest of the process. A worldwide plant-based diet could save a lot of people.

So, a balanced vegan diet is better for us, and going vegan has greatly positive impacts on animals and the planet. People, animals, and the planet: your three basic arguments against eating meat (and using animal products in general). I think it’s pretty clear why we don’t respect people who are harming people, the planet and multiple other species.

One of the things that we respect in celebrities and famous figures is when they show an act of kindness in dedicating their resources, in the form of time, publicity or money, to those in more need. It’s often front-page news, and people give them a large amount of appraisal for it.

Vegan activists are pushing to do that with food resources. Meat-eating society is stopping them.

When you think of the most highly respected figures throughout history, they are usually the most intelligent, but also the most kind and compassionate, the most noble and just. Adolf Hitler was an incredibly intelligent man, but we don’t respect him because he lacked kindness. It is the people who have had positive impacts on the world around us that we respect. Now, I’m aware we’re talking about respect in a different context, but this kind of thing is important to keep in mind.

When asking vegans to respect meat-eating as just another valid lifestyle that happens to be different to their own, you are asking them to respect the choice to kill billions of creatures, torture and exploit even more, cause a large amount of damage to the planet and the Eco-system, and use up valuable resources that could save a large number of human lives. They are asking us to take into consideration and make allowances for their choice to sacrifice others.

When vegans/vegan activists ask the rest of society to respect them and their beliefs and actions and lifestyle, they are asking society to respect their choice not to cause harm, and to work to save lives, and also their choice to try and convince others to live a more compassionate lifestyle. They are asking everyone to show consideration for their sacrifice in the name of preserving life.

 

Now, it may seem like vegan activists are often being preachy, acting morally superior and stuck on a high horse (side-note: vegans don’t ride horses) or putting themselves on a pedestal, but the fact of the matter is, if living a lifestyle that causes less harm and damage is not a better, more compassionate and yes, morally superior lifestyle, then nothing is. Morality is about right and wrong, and although I will always believe it is best to always be humble, there is nothing wrong with acknowledging when you are doing something good, and acknowledging when someone else is doing something bad. Having the courage to tell people that their lifestyle is causing harm is, in my eyes, worthy of respect.  Any group in history who was stood up to an oppressor of another, despite the ridicule of the rest of society is a hero to me, and generally speaking, eventually the history books and the rest of society acknowledges them as such as well and gives them the respect they deserve. I’d have hoped that in such a modern, advanced society as we have today, we could acknowledge and respect an activist group for standing up against what they perceive to be wrong whilst they are still actually around, whether or not you think they can actually make a difference.

So, in conclusion: yes. Meat-eaters should respect vegans. Even if you are not ready to make such a sacrifice yourself and give up animal products, it is only fair that you respect those that have, and acknowledge that it is a positive decision.  With the way the planet is going, you better hope more people have the strength and wisdom to make the change, even if you personally can’t. I know I’m praying for it.

(The blog is over now. I hope I didn't offend. Good day.)