If veganism is a moral stance against the harming of animals, ...?

Question

then why don't all self-proclaimed vegans grow every bit of their own food? Every commercial agricultural product involves the killing of animal life, from soy beans to grains. Just because you aren't eating the animal, your support of agro-business perpetuates the killing of them.

Insects are killed by pesticides to provide fruits, vegetables, and grains. Chipmunks, prarie dogs, rabbits, and other rodents are killed in the harvesting process. Packaging involves gelatins from animal carcasses.

In other words, if you didn't grow it yourself, your food has killed animals. Personally, I eat meat, raise chickens for eggs, bees for honey, and will soon be raising cattle for slaughter. I have no delusions about where my food comes from, which is why I am trying to grow as much of it as possible. I worry about feedlot diseases, contaminated water for irrigation, destruction of environments, pesticisides in the aquifers, etc. What are vegans really worried about?

Answer 1

I make no claims of ethical purity. I'm fully aware that some animals are killed during the harvesting of plants for my vegan diet. Eating a vegan diet is not about a quest for personal purity, which is an unattainable goal. It's about doing what we can to help reduce animal suffering.

When our society takes the concept of animal rights seriously, we'll have to reform the way in which we harvest crops to try to reduce the number of animals killed. However, this isn't going to happen as long as our society continues to view animals as just a food source. I realize that, in some way, I'm contributing to the death of animals simply by interacting with society. But I think that withdrawing from society would cause even greater harm, because I would lose the ability to influence and encourage others to become vegetarians.

While animals are killed during the cultivation of crops for vegetarian and vegan diets, it's worth pointing out that far more animals are killed during the cultivation of crops for a meat-based diet. This is because plants have to be fed to the livestock, and only a small portion of the food that an animal eats is converted into meat for human consumption. Far fewer animals would be killed during the cultivation of crops if humans ate these crops directly, instead of feeding to these crops to livestock.

Ultimately, regardless of how hard we try to avoid it, some animals are always going to be accidentally killed in the course of human events. Similarly, no matter how hard we try to avoid it, some people will always die in car accidents. But the fact that we might accidentally run someone over with our car does not imply that it is OK to run them over on purpose.

Answer 2

Well even i need to defend the vegans on this.  Well most of us live in cities and you can only grow so much.  This is not the days of farming of long ago you don't have much of a choice.  For the average person it is not economically or (and more importantly) physically abel to do this especially if they live in a colder climate their diet would be extremely limied

Answer 3

Little by little my friend. These things don't happen overnight. In time, I'm sure, not only will everybody be vegan but even the growing of our food will be too, as the technology become practical ect.

This doesn't mean we don't do what we can today. The Wright Brothers first plane was not exactly a Boeing 757, but without the Wright Brothers plane we wouldn't have the 757 now.

Answer 4

Sometimes one has to come to terms that you cannot be vegan 100% of the time. Bottom line: It is about being as animal cruelty free as possible.

Vegans are worried about the mass murdering and suffering of billions of animals worldwide, that is what we worry about. Animals are killed for food, for science experiments, for cosmetic testing, and other reasons which are unneccasary since there are other alternatives. There is a line between neccesity and greed. People support the horrible killing of animals so their fur can be worn as an accessory is sick and selfish.

Vegans and even vegetarians show compassion. We do what we can to make we don't contribute to the horrific treatment and abuse humans put animals through. We're trying to save lives.

Answer 5

Veganism is a lifestyle that seeks to eliminate cruelty to  animals as far as is possible and practical.

Your question is nothing more than an angry rant projecting your ignorant intolerance of a different lifestyle that you fail to appreciate on individuals whom you don't even know through the anonymity of the internet for the sake of defending your immoral food practices and maintaining your own self esteem.

Vegans don't have any delusions of purity, but apparently you do.

Answer 6

Odd question. Well, the difference is that you EAT the flesh. You eat DEAD animals. That squirral in the road? Cows and pigs are made of the same thing. Animals are always going to be less respected than humans, but I can do whats right for me as an individual.

Answer 7

People will do the right thing when and if it suits them. When one does the proper thing for what ever reason then they should be applauded for that and should feel good in themselves. That more people don't garden and farm is a shame but then we all have a place and function in our modern and forward moving civilization. It is why one person does one thing while another can farm. We move into the future. We learn and things change though not quite fast enough for all of us. It is enough that you grow your own food and it is better if you share with the librarian down the street as well as the medical doctor who works 18 hour shifts, as well as the county police and fire department. To do the right thing for the right reason and encourage others with your knowledge is commendable. To stuff ones face with potato chips and point a finger, a sneer with a pasty face of waxy skin just makes for a society of angry divided people that goes nowhere. A lesson is not a lesson with no one to learn and no one to teach, so if one becomes passionate on an important subject, it may be they have an important lesson to hand down.

Answer 8

Veganism is about minimizing suffering.  We're well aware that we can't eliminate it completely.  Not being able to accomplish EVERYTHING doesn't exonerate you from doing ANYTHING.  I do grow as much of my own produce as I can, but that's pretty limited by the climate and the fact that I live on a 4,700 square foot lot!  For the rest of it, I have to accept that I can't control everything.

For me, veganism is also about reducing my carbon footprint.  I worry about wasting resources, destruction of rainforest for grazing land and intensive animal agriculture's contribution to global climate change.  Again, I know I can't change things singlehandedly, but that doesn't mean I don't have a responsibility to make good choices.

Answer 9

Actually to some degree you are right, and this is why I have started to move in the direction of growing my own food.

However there is only so much I can do with the growing season and the land I have. Right now I am growing garlic, basil, broccoli, sweet peppers, spinach, parsley, onions, chives, lettuce mix, tomatoes, etc. Non of these foods save the lettuce have I harvested any. it is simply not time.

Veganism is not about being perfect it is about doing the best you can with what you got. It is also a process in which it takes time to transform your habits. I was an almost tartar raw meat kind of guy before I was more of an omnivore, I was a vegetarian before I was vegan, and from their I have been dabbling in raw foods, assimulating solar energy, and have become a big time advocate organic and or local and home grown foods.

I'm sure as time goes on I'll find more ways to be ethically and environmentally responsible. Just cause you can't be perfect right off the bat does not mean it is not a goal to strive for, even if it may be a goal for eternity.

Edit: Most vegetarians I know are more reserved about their believes in publics than not. Maybe YA emboldens some to speak their mind.

As far as the killing of animals go and plant based food, as I understand it about 80% of grain based crops go to feeding animals that take an exponential amount of this plant based food per unit of meat raised for human consumption use. According to the U.N. it takes 8 pounds of grain to get one pound of beef, highly inefficient. If it is indirectly killing animals to grow such food the amount wasted to feed other animals adds to this number significantly.

This is not to say indirect harm to the animals and ecosystems should not be thought about. Then again as I have mentioned our diet as it relates to ethics is hopefully a process. Many people in this lifetime unfortunately do not think much farther than the packaging their food comes in, but hopefully that is starting to change.

Answer 10

.....I worry about feedlot diseases, contaminated water for irrigation, destruction of environments, pesticisides in the aquifers, etc. What are vegans really worried about?

What are you  doing to help solve these problems? well, I can say this for the vegans.... at least they are actively doing something toward what they belive in.... what are you doing?

Answer 11

Vegans live in the real world, not in a bubble of purity. Most have become vegans to minimise their personal contribution to animal suffering and exploitation, but are fully aware that animals are unavoidably killed during food production.

There are several reasons why  a vegan might not grow his/her own food. You describe how you yourself raise animals for food; clearly you have the land and the capital to be able to do this, Most people do not have those resources.

Most people - vegan or not - also have to work for a living, raise their families etc - growing 'every bit of their own food' is not something they have time for.

Vegans are also not JUST vegans, they may have other political and ethical concerns that take up their time and energies, choosing also to be vegan because they care about animal exploitation.

Veganism isn't a full-time occupation. To those people, vegan or otherwise, who grow or raise their own food - well done, good job. But to imply that those who don't have the resources, time or land to do so are somehow less vegan or less ethical is elitist and absurd

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Answer 12

I am wondering why is it that you ask? I do grow some of my own food, but not all. That wouldn't be possible for me. I don't see animals as food. I don't find anything about animal cruelty appetizing. I simply try to live my life doing as little harm as possible. What is it that worries you about vegans? No judgment implied -- just wondering.

Answer 13

Many vegetarians do grow their own food. We have about 4 vegetable patches and several fruit trees at the moment but it's real hard work and we live busy city lives so we do what we can. The point is that we know what is wrong and we do everything that is practical to do what is right which is a lot more than I can say about meat-eaters.

It's a common question asked (along with "vegetables are living too") by people that see their unethical lifestyle threatened by more considerate people. By making such arguments you're just missing the point altogether :(