I am not a vegetarian but would like to know this

Question

I have friends who are vegetarians who don't eat meat because they don't like the killing of animals, yet they eat eggs and drink milk. The only difference there is that in milk production the animal lives slightly longer, but at the end of the day it is slaughtered.

Poultry in egg production is treated much worse than any animal going to slaughter. They still end up the same way, yet they have had a wretched life before that point.

I have no problem with anyone protesting and becoming a vegetarian, but there does seem a double standard with many.

If you have the courage of your convictions then look hard into all products that are made from animal products. Then see where your convictions lie.

Former farmer

Answer 1

I'm not sure exactly what your question is but yes, it is double standards. Some people may not realise the cruelty that goes with milk & egg production, or simply choose to deny it because they don't want to have to give up consuming those things.

It's just a guess though.

Answer 2

I think you answered your own question and many of the people who have responded are not answering the question you really asked. "WHY"? Which I trhink is safe to assume follows the first sentence of your posting. -> "I have friends who are vegetarians who don't eat meat because they don't like the killing of animals, yet they eat eggs and drink milk...(Why?)"

I am a vegen because for me I wanted to live a healthier lifestyle which is the reason most of us become vegetarian or better vegan. However for those who do it in protest of animal slaughtering it makes sense that they would give up only the meat product and not the product which comes from the meat. The products coming from said soon to be slaughtered animals would still be available whether the animal is to be killed or not and does not affect the slaughtering of the animal.

Lets also not forget that we shouldn't judge others because of what they're lacking (in this case sense to also want to stop the creul treatment of harvested animals) but embrace the fact that they are heading in the right direction to a more natural and healthy lifestyle. Otherwise we would be the "Catholics" of the food and lifestyle world.

Answer 3

I'm not quite sure what the question is exactly, but i agree with you. If you want to stop supporting all animal cruelty, then vegan is the best thing to do.

star slight - what does hitler being a vegetarian have to do with anything? Just so you know, he wasn't actually. But even if Hitler was a vegetarian - does that matter? If you're implying that vegetarians are nefarious b******s because Hitler was a vegetarian, then you need to think through a few things. Hitler was a man, Hitler had a moustache, Hilter didn't smoke/drink. Does that mean that all men, people with moustaches and people who don't smoke or drink are evil jerks too?

Answer 4

The truth of the matter is that most people, even vegetarians, don't know the horrible truths about milk and eggs production.

The 9 million cows living on dairy farms in the United States spend most of their lives in large sheds or on f***s-caked mud lots, where disease is rampant. Cows raised for their milk are repeatedly impregnated. Their babies are taken away so that humans can drink the milk intended for the calves. When their exhausted bodies can no longer provide enough milk, they are sent to slaughter and ground up for hamburgers.

Birds exploited for their eggs, called “laying hens” by the industry, are crammed together in wire cages where they don’t even have enough room to spread a single wing. The cages are stacked on top of each other, and the excrement from chickens in the higher cages constantly falls on those below. The birds have part of their sensitive beaks cut off so that they won’t peck each other as a result of the frustration created by the unnatural confinement. After their bodies are exhausted and their production drops, they are shipped to slaughter, generally to be turned into chicken soup or cat or dog food because their flesh is too bruised and battered to be used for much else.

Answer 5

That would be a vegan, if you cut out milks and eggs..

Answer 6

Milk cows are treated poorly and slaughtered after they can not produce milk anymore, notat the end of the day.

Egg layers are treated poorly but the egg itselfi s not fertilized.

But yes I understand that it is still very cruel. I just woke up to this thinking and finally became vegan because torture is not okay for me.

Good question though very true.

Answer 7

i think because some folks are more committed to "protecting" animals than others who seem to be more into the status of "vegetarian" or "vegan"

Answer 8

Where's the question?

Any effort made to reduce suffering is better than nothing and a lot of vegetarians do think about becoming vegan.  Many go on to do just that.  There is also the option of buying free range/organic diary produce and eggs for those of us who just can't quite kick the old habits.

However, I believe there might be a log in your own eye so best not to worry about the flecks in others'.  

Answer 9

Hi!

I reckon that even the smallest effort made to reduce suffering is great.

I'm vegan, because personally that's the only way to go. I have strong convictions and being vegetarian doesn't cover all of them.

It can be looked as double standards.

Answer 10

Actually, I'm not vegetarian to prevent killing. I personally see death as a part of life. It is something that you cannot prevent but only post-pone. However, I think factory farming is unethical as many treat their animals horribly, feed them c**p along with an overdose of hormones and antibiotics. I have heard that local farms (in my area at least) take better care of their animals. While alive, they roam in the fields and sleep in shelter.

I'm not going to fool myself to think food chains would not buy from these farms you speak of. I try to refrain from eating eggs and large amounts of milk outside of the house. However, while at home, I try to buy eggs and milk from near by farms.

But you are right, many people do play a double standard.  

Answer 11

I agree, if you truly want to prevent the slaughter and mistreatment of ALL animals, vegan is the only way to go.

But many people don't understand the concept that animal byproducts still come from animals that have to go through h**l to give them their cheese and eggs.

But either way, vegetarians do still make a difference in the sense that they lessen the demand for meat. So I have no beef with them.

No pun intended.  

Answer 12

This is not a question

It seems you are neither veggei nor vegan so my "answer" is generally aimed at the majority of the vegans that answer here.

I don't think I have ever seen a vegan say vegetarians are worth something without a caveat of some description.

Vegans should understand that the only way to change society is to get off your high horse and integrate the changes through education and positive examples. Currently, you are not cutting it at all. vegans seem to forget that the vast majority of animal welfare changes, knowledge and education has been driven by vegetarians.

See my profile for other "vegan" insults I've received in this forum.

To be honest, if the comments in this forum are typical, it really is no wonder mainstream people see vegans as slightly odd.

The majority of vegans in this forum do not even know how insulting they are, look at the answer above me.........."Lets also not forget that we shouldn't judge others because of what they're lacking"....Even they, in thier attempt to tell people not to judge manage to tell everyone that vegetarians "lack" something.

Tell me exactly, what postive affect can stating vegetarians are guilty of double standards have ? The result can only be further insults from vegans or alienation from vegetarians. How is that going to improve the animal welfare situation ?

It does sometimes seem that proving you are "better than me" is more important than the actual reasons for being vegan.

I eat eggs from my own hens, apparently that makes me the spawn of the devil

Answer 13

You know what, you are absolutely right!

In my eyes the consumption of eggs is

worse than eating beef (but both i see as

wrong). It's ridiculus, chickens used for

eggs are treated worse than most animals

going to slaughter yet some vegatarians

say "I dont eat meat because killing animals

is bad" . I beleive torturing immensly then

killing after a long enough life of pain is

worse than killing for meat. Horrible..

I guess some people don't have courage

to stand up for what they beleive if right

because they just crumble under the pressure

of the majority of the world saying thier lifestyle

is wrong and they should change to be like

everyone else. Some people may not know

about the cruelty behind the production of

milk and eggs. As a vegan I often get asked

why dont i eat eggs/milk, it doesnt hurt them?

So yeah, im not sure what your question was

but your point is good, its something i have always

though about and tried to tell people.

Answer 14

I wish I knew.  Most vegetarians do already know that cows' milk and hens' eggs are cruel products.  Those who go vegetarian for the animals should take that final step.  But maybe, as with most omnivores with meat, they can't break their addictions.  Dairy is a pretty hard habit to break for some people, as the milk contains morphine-like chemicals that encourage calves to suckle. It's not so good when it's given to adult humans!  Those "power of cheese" commercials aren't kidding!

As soon as I found out about the dairy-veal connection, I knew I had to stop using it.  And when I found out about just how horrible the egg industry is, well, I couldn't eat eggs anymore.

But I originally went vegetarian because my body could no longer tolerate meat.

Another point of grammar:  You might want to use the pronoun "she" instead of "it" when referring to an animal used in either industry.

Answer 15

Generally vegans lead to ethical life. There would be exceptional for certain cases that you see. Could be a beginner.

Answer 16

That's why I'm vegan.

It doesn't mean I live by a perfect standard but I do not support this obvious double standard.

There are many ways to reduce your contribution to suffering to close to a minimum but being vegan is what works in my situation.

I have other things to work on such as my contribution to unfair  labor practices which is an equally serious issue or debatable as even more so.