Comments

I have unfortunately had to delete a number of comments in response to some posts. This blog was started for the sole purpose of providing information and support for vegans - it is NOT a forum for meat-industry activists or for those who wish to peddle infantile nonsense such as "it is a common misconception that animals suffer when you slaughter them, it's a painless process". Only someone lacking any sense of compassion, or a supporter of slaughter-for-profit would come out with rubbish like that - how is it painless to be electrocuted, then have your throat slashed whilst conscious (because the electrocution didn't work), and then dumped in a vat of scalding water and be roasted alive? Doesn't sound all that painless to me, but maybe I'm missing something, hey?

For the record, the process described above is an objective fact, backed by a fairly hefty volume of unimpeachable evidence, and it is the unfortunate - and unacceptable - reality for millions of chickens every year. Maybe you are happy to support such abuse and to invent whatever excuses you need in order to avoid facing up to it - but some of us are a bit more honest and decent than that, and are not prepared to accept the unacceptable.

Anyway...if you have something sensible and intelligent to contribute, then please feel free to do so. But if all you can come up with is excuses for supporting abuse of animals and the environment because you're too lazy or uncaring to change, then I'm just going to delete your comments - so don't waste your time. :-)

Is it ethical to watch shows like Mythbusters?

Someone recently asked on a forum "is it ethical for vegans to watch shows like Mythbusters, because they use dead animals for their experiments?". Now, I can understand that someone might have concerns about the specifics of certain experiments, but I think the underlying sentiment is actually quite dangerous, not least of all because it represents a serious departure from what I would consider to be reason and basic commonsense. The post below is my response to this topic, originally posted on that forum, and reproduced here because I think it is important to stress that being vegan is about making a difference, not about changing the world.

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I'm sure plenty of people here have seen the Godfather, with its infamous "horse-head-in-the-bed-scene". I'm pretty sure they didn't go and actually behead a real horse just for that scene, yet they have nonetheless depicted an act of great cruelty to an animal and profited from it.

Should a vegan then not watch the Godfather on those grounds? Seems a bit silly if they did, if you ask me.

If it were to be decided that we should not watch a tv show because someone killed an animal, then the immediate and inescapable demand arises that we also boycott every single other tv show in existence, without exception - because really, just how many vegan tv shows are there? On that logic, any show depicting any person eating meat - or even talking about eating meat - is off limits to us, on the grounds that it is promoting cruelty to animals. Likewise, we would have to decline all social invitations from non-vegans, because they would be consuming animal products. We would also have to cease trade with supermarkets that sell animal products, and on it goes, all because through these activities animals are exploited by others for profit and enjoyment.

It's one thing to have ideals as to how the world should be. But it is a different matter altogether to ignore reality and isolate yourself completely from the world. Being vegan is supposed to be about making a difference, isn't it? Showing others that it is possible to live a life of plenty without anyone having to suffer for it. But what can we show anyone if we've cut ourselves off from them and they're no longer aware we exist??? Can't see the good in that, myself...