Eating Animals, and Why Vegetarianism Matters

I recently read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer and was pleasantly surprised by how uncomfortable it made me, which inspired a new dedication to eating as vegan/humane as possible. He makes a convincing case for vegetarianism and veganism not just from the position of not wanting to be a cause of suffering, but in terms of how such choices impact all parts of our lives, including environmental and economical.

The case made for the amount of pollution factory farms cause is undeniable, and especially frightening is his discussion of how the antibiotics fed to these animals just to barely keep them alive are producing a new crop of superbugs, which has be coming into sharp focus given the multitude of food-based virus and bacteria outbreaks the world has been dealing with lately. Besides the obvious and immediate health threats, he also drives home the fact that the monopolization of our food system has driven nearly all small family farms and their support systems (independent butchers and so on) out of business, concentrating the dangers.

I was most pleased with how he was unflinching in his (successful, in my case) attempt to force the reader to understand the kind of profound suffering animals experience when living in these conditions, and the horror of their last moments of life. Dismissing vegetarians and vegans as liberal softies becomes increasing difficult when having to look into the face of what "manly meat" really means. Anyone who reads these passages without having a visceral, disgusted reaction is not human.

Stemming from this discussion, to my own discomfort, I was forced to turn a microscope to my own hypocrisy when it came to a vegan diet. I eat primarily veggies and grains, but dismissed veganism as extreme and ridiculous. I mean, cows like to be milked, and chickens just lay eggs naturally, right? I guess that depends on whether or not they're being force fed antibiotics and not allowed to move all day. Yikes.

A good portion of the book also deals with some of the few independent family farms still left, which was certainly inspiring, but the question of animal suffering still hung heavy throughout the entire book.

Overall, I would highly recommend the book. Of course, there were some stones unturned, but either way it's an excellent primer for anyone on the fence about vegetarianism/veganism, and an excellent reminder to current veggies that they really can make a difference.