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It's my friends first thanksgiving as a vegan and she asked me for some advice on how to answer family questions at the dinner table. Here's a thread of the 13 Quick Vegan Answers to Commonly Asked Questions I gave her...
1. I buy cage free/grass fed/humane products.
Cage free, grass fed and humane are all just labels, all those animals end up in a slaughterhouse.
Cage free, grass fed and humane are all just labels, all those animals end up in a slaughterhouse.
2. Why did you go vegan?
I went vegan because animals deserve to live a life free from exploitation just like us.
I went vegan because animals deserve to live a life free from exploitation just like us.
3. Vegans kill more animals because of deaths in the crop fields.
The animals we eat are fed plants so that’s more plants, land, water & resources needed to mass produce animals. If we didn’t mass breed animals to kill them that would reduce the amount of animal suffering.
The animals we eat are fed plants so that’s more plants, land, water & resources needed to mass produce animals. If we didn’t mass breed animals to kill them that would reduce the amount of animal suffering.
4. Plants have feelings.
Plants are alive and respond to stimuli but they are not sentient so they don’t have pain receptors or a nervous system.
Plants are alive and respond to stimuli but they are not sentient so they don’t have pain receptors or a nervous system.
5. Eating meat is the natural order.
We don’t eat meat in a natural way, we cook it, season it and clean it because we cant regularly digest raw meat.
We don’t eat meat in a natural way, we cook it, season it and clean it because we cant regularly digest raw meat.
6. Humans are on top of the food chain.
Just because we are at the top of the food chain and dominant over animals that doesn't mean we should treat them anyway we want.
Just because we are at the top of the food chain and dominant over animals that doesn't mean we should treat them anyway we want.
7. We have canine teeth.
Our "canines" are pathetic, they can barely crack a walnut, its no way they could tear through living animals.
Our "canines" are pathetic, they can barely crack a walnut, its no way they could tear through living animals.
8. Where do you get your protein from?
Protein is literally in every food not just meat. Beans, rice, broccoli, spinach, oats, nuts, seeds, etc... all have protein.
Protein is literally in every food not just meat. Beans, rice, broccoli, spinach, oats, nuts, seeds, etc... all have protein.
9. Eating meat is tradition/cultural and the way things have always been.
Tradition and culture doesn’t make something right, slavery was cultural, female genital mutilation is still cultural in some societies today.
Tradition and culture doesn’t make something right, slavery was cultural, female genital mutilation is still cultural in some societies today.
10. Animals eat other animals.
Not all animals eat animals, there are many animals that don’t eat other animals i.e. elephants, horses, cows, hippos, rhino’s etc...
Not all animals eat animals, there are many animals that don’t eat other animals i.e. elephants, horses, cows, hippos, rhino’s etc...
11. Meat tastes good.
Just because we get the pleasure of taste from something it doesn’t make it right to make beings suffer for our pleasure when we have the option not to.
Just because we get the pleasure of taste from something it doesn’t make it right to make beings suffer for our pleasure when we have the option not to.
12. Dairy is cruelty free since the cows don’t die for it.
Cows are forced to be pregnant every 9 months to produce milk then killed when their bodies break down so there is no nice way to exploit animals and use their bodies.
Cows are forced to be pregnant every 9 months to produce milk then killed when their bodies break down so there is no nice way to exploit animals and use their bodies.
13. Milk is healthy.
70% of the world is lactose intolerant because humans aren’t made to consume milk from another species, cows milk is literally meant for baby cows and we can get calcium from plants.
70% of the world is lactose intolerant because humans aren’t made to consume milk from another species, cows milk is literally meant for baby cows and we can get calcium from plants.
