You know, I realized I didn't answer this. The problem is with "choice" -- what do you mean by that? Sure, in a utopian society (you know, like Star Trek where they have replicators and Riker said our ancestors were "barbaric" for eating animals) I agree. But we don't live in that society yet. Most of the world doesn't have that choice.
If we all could afford to eat grains, vegetables and maybe tofu (if you like it, I personally do), that would be great! But you do realize that the production of these things, especially soy, comes with its own problems, including on livestock and the environment and labor exploitation? I'm not sure at this point we have a "choice" to eat what we want without hurting others and animals. Where I live, vegetables and fruit are more expensive than meat. The cheapest to eat is beans and rice, but who wants to eat that every day? And would that be good for you?
Agriculture itself is cruel, to both animals and people.
I choose not to eat meat because, at this point, I can. (I've been a vegetarian for 20 years (25 if you don't count my occasional relapses!) Also, I lost my taste for meat, and it disgusts me now. (I'm sure the disgust would go away if I were starving though!) I was vegan for three years and had some problems with it, though I do think I should incorporate more vegan meals in my diet than I have. I just wish it wasn't so damn expensive to eat this way.
You mentioned having problems with "humane slaughter." Surely you see the difference between raising animals in a feedlot that are then sent to the barbaric slaughterhouse versus an individual raising their own animals on their property with free range and either hiring someone to do the slaughter or doing it themselves if they do it correctly? (As in a quick kill without the animal suffering.)
Also, what do you think about pets or riding horses, etc? Just curious.
Thanks for the conversation!
With the choice comment I just mean people who can decide what kind of diet to eat and aren't limited economically or to certain foods locally. This basically applies to anybody who lives in western countries and some others as well. A decent amount of the world has that choice and I personally believe we should all make the right choice and not eat animals -as in those who can make that choice.
Well I mean, eating Vegan and Vegetarian is generally cheaper! Meat is expensive, I'm off to India next year, a country full of vegetarians, many because they can't afford meat, others for religious/spiritual reasons. Where do you live where meat is cheaper? That's crazy, in the majority of places it's cheaper to eat a vegetarian/vegan diet. There is problems with the production of grains and soya that's true, but the vast majority of it goes to feeding livestock. No diet is perfect but on pretty much every measure, a vegan diet is the least harmful and uses less resources.
I agree that there is a difference between a factory farm and someone raising an animal themselves, and between a quick death and a long drawn out one. It's just not 'humane' - killing a living being against its will cannot be considered humane, it's not possible. If someone treated humans, or even dogs in this way, most people would be absolutely appalled and outraged. We have to do a lot of mental gymnastics and have to undergo extreme conditioning to eat the diets we do. We don't naturally place dogs as 'pets' and pigs as 'food' from birth - that view is forced on us and relentlessly drilled into us from the day we are born. We would not have the conversation between a quick death and drawn out one about dogs or cats for food, however if we are talking about Euthenasia then that's a separate conversation!
Pets have a lot of issues that are swept under the carpet, for example too many pets are bred for the supply, so they are kept in pens and many are killed. If people rescue animals - great, but we should stop breeding them. Horse riding I'm against, especially as a sport, because they kill them if they get hurt, and because you have to do things to convince such a powerful animal to let you ride it as well. Also why should we get to sit on a horses back? It's not okay, animals do not exist for our use, they deserve better then that, they deserve to be free.
My attitude to life and to my Vegan lifestyle (and my political and other beliefs) boils down to empathy, if I wouldn't want to be treated in a certain way, then I cannot do it to others. I have a lot of progress to do on this front though, the phone I'm typing on now for example has a lot of issues.
Thanks to you too - I look forward to your reply :).