Veggies, veggies, veggies.

     In Grade 11 English, my classmates and I were assigned a research project that included giving a five minute speech. I was terrified at the idea of this and that definitely showed when I took to the front of the classroom. My stage fright aside, many of my classmates handled the situation extremely well. One of these well-versed young people did a crazy sales pitch on becoming a vegetarian. He was so passionate and educated on the subject that he actually convinced a few people in the class to give it a try. This handsome, young man is now my best friend and a mere ten months ago, he convinced me that being a vegetarian is the right thing to do.
     Now, my friend's main reasons for being vegetarian, which he highlighted in his speech, are more environmental/economic and have to do largely with sustainability which I totally understand and admire. One of his points that really stuck with me is this: 13% of overall pollution comes from every type of transportation; cars, trains, planes, busses, you name it. 18% of overall pollution is caused by factory farming and the food industry. I began my vegetarianism with these facts and statistics about the environment from my dear friend and they served as a fantastic foundation for my journey through this lifestyle. After learning about this aspect of vegetarianism, I began to do some research on my own to find more reasons to stick with it.
     An anthropologist named Dr. Richard Leakey was quoted on PETA's website as saying, "You can't tear flesh by hand, you can't tear hide by hand. Our anterior teeth are not suited for tearing flesh or hide." Many biologists and anthropologists agree that, physically, humans are not built for the consumption of meat. Factors such as the pH of our stomach acid, having no claws to kill with and the existence of flat molars in the back of our mouths give us the impression that humans are naturally herbivorous.
     Along with these physical deficiencies comes the simple psychological reasoning as to why we should not eat meat.When the average person walks into a McDonald's to order a Big Mac meal, she is not imagining tearing apart a cow limb from limb with her bare hands and gnawing on some raw flesh. No, she is envisioning a burger. Plain and simple. Humans do not have the urge to mercilessly slaughter, so why do we accept meat (murdered animals) so lightly in our every day lives? Because we are completely detached to the reality of where this meat is coming from. The children's book "Vegan is Love" by Ruby Roth is under intense scrutiny due to its "graphic" depiction of the reality of eating animals. The book includes images of animals in crowded cages and explains to children the crimes that are being committed against many friendly species. Critics are arguing that the book is too scary for children. In an interview with "Today", Ruby Roth was quoted as saying, "If it's too scary to talk about, the reality of where those pieces of meat come from, then it's definitely too scary to eat."
     There is always more to say about this topic and I will definitely be saying more about it in the future. Through my ten months of this new lifestyle, I've learned so much about vegetarianism and I continue to learn more each day. What it comes down to for me, personally, is the fact that I am no different than a pig, a whale, a monkey, a calf, a sheep, a dog or a cat. These things are also no different than each other and they are no different than you. We are all species and no one species should see themselves as better than any other.
     That's the beginnings of my info/opinion on the subject. I'd love to hear what you have to say!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/20/vegan-is-love-book_n_1441699.html

http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/the-natural-human-diet.aspx