Nightmares for a Week

The Hunger Argument

Number of people worldwide who will die of starvation this year: 60 million
Number of people who could be adequately fed with the grain saved if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 60 million
Human beings in America: 243 million
Number of people who could be fed with grain and soybeans now eaten by U.S. livestock: 1.3 billion
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by people: 20
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 80
Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90
How frequently a child starves to death: every 2 seconds
Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 20,000
Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 165
Percentage of U.S. farmland devoted to beef production: 56
Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce a pound of feedlot beef: 16

The Environmental Argument

Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect
Primary cause of greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels
Fossil fuels needed to produce a meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 50 times more
Percentage of U.S. topsoil lost to date: 75
Percentage of U.S. topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85
Number of acres of U.S. forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 mllion
Amount of meat U.S. imports annually from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras
and Panama: 200,000,000 pounds
Average per capita meat consumption in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras
and Panama: less than eaten by average U.S. house cat
Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pound hamburger: 55 sq. ft
Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1000 per year

The Cancer Argument

Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat four times a week vs. less than once a week: 4 times
For women who eat eggs daily vs. less than once a week: 3 times
For women who eat butter and cheese 3 or more times a week vs. less than once: 3 times
Increased risk of fatal ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs. less than once a week: 3 times
Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs. sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times

The Natural Resources Argument

User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the U.S.: livestock production
Amount of water used in production of the average cow: sufficient to float a destroyer
Gallons to produce a pound of wheat: 25
Gallons to produce a pound of meat: 2,500
Cost of common hamburger if water used by meat industry was not subsidized by the U.S. taxpayer: $35 a pound
Current cost of a pound of protein from beefsteak, if water was no longer subsidized: $89.
Years the world’s known oil reserves would last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13
Years they would last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260
Barrels of oil imported into U.S. daily: 6.8 million
Percentage of fossil fuel energy returned as food energy by the most efficient factory farming of meat: 34.5 percent.
Percentage returned from least efficient plant food: 328 percent
Perccentage of raw materials consumed by U.S. to produce present meat-centered diet: 33

The Cholesterol Argument

Number of U.S. Medical Schools: 125
Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30
Nutrition training received by average U.S. physician during four years in medical school: 2.5 hours
Most common cause of death in the U.S.: heart attack
How frequently a heart attack kills in the U.S.: every 45 seconds
Average U.S. man’s risk of death from heart attack: 50 percent
Risk for average U.S. man who avoids the meat centered diet: 15 percent
Risk for average U.S. man who consumes no meat, dairy products or eggs at all: 4 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of meat, dairy products and eggs by 10 percent: 9 percent
Amount you reduce risk if you reduce consumption by 50 percent: 45 percent
Amount you reduce risk if you eliminate these foodstuffs from your diet entirely: 90 percent
Meat, dairy and egg industries claim you should not be concerned about your blood cholesterol if it is: “normal”
Your risk of dying of a disease caused by clogged arteries if your blood cholesterol is “normal”: over 50 percent

The Antibiotic Argument

Percentage of U.S. antibiotics fed to livestock: 55
Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13
Percentage resistant in 1988: 91
Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: ban
Response of U.S. meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: full and complete support

The Pesticide Argument

Percentage of pesticide residues in the U.S. diet supplied by grains: 1
Percentage of pesticide residues in the U.S. diet supplied by fruits: 4
Percentage of pesticide residues in the U.S. diet supplied by vegetables: 6
Percentage of pesticide residues in the U.S. diet supplied by dairy products: 23
Percentage of pesticide residues in the U.S. diet supplied by meat: 55
Pesticide contamination of breast milk from meat eating mothers vs. non-meat eating: 35 times higher
What USDA tells us: meat is inspected
Percentage of slaughtered animals inspected for residues of toxic chemicals including dioxin and DDT: less than 0.00004

The Ethical Argument

Number of animals killed for meat per hour in the U.S.: 500,000
Occupation with highest turnover rate in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker
Occupation with the highest rate of on-the-job injury in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker
Cost to render animal unconscious with “captive bolt pistol” before slaughter: 1 cent
Reason given by meat industry for not using “captive bolt pistol”: too expensive

(Source)

Anonymous asked: Obviously, the main reason is you don't get to eat meat, and meat is fucking delicious. It also contains iron, protein etc. but who cares about that, the main point is that it's tasty as fuck. 20 reasons plz.

That’s hardly a valid reason, vegan food is just as ‘tasty’.

My reasons for not eating meat or any other animal products:

1. It’s unnecessary.
2. Animal cruelty.
3. Humans are natural herbivores.
4. It’s destructive to the environment.
5. It’s destructive to your physical health.
6. It’s destructive to your mental health.
7. I am not a speciesist.
8. I consider animals and humans to be equals.
9. Meat is murder.
10. Dairy is rape.
11. The meat industry is responsible for 70% of the worlds water consumption.
12. 38% land use.
13. 20% greenhouse gas emissions.
14. IT’S UNNECESSARY.
15. It’s wasteful.
16. Being vegan is cheaper.
17. It takes more than 11 times as much fossil fuel to make one calorie from animal protein as it does to make one calorie from plant protein.
18. It takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of meat and even fish on fish farms must be fed up to 5 pounds of wild caught fish to produce 1 pound of farmed fish flesh.
19. It’s nothing more than tradition.
20. It’s wrong.

Class of Nonviolence »

Human rights versus animal rights.

brisvegan:

“Individuals hold human rights simply because they are members of the human race … The violation of human rights occurs when individuals are treated as objects, as means to others’ ends rather than as people whose goals are respected.” - Ward, Gannon & Vess (2009).

I’m reading this in the context of studying human rights in forensic mental health settings. This quote really resonated with me because of how I conceptualise animal rights. I am not trying to argue that animal rights should receive the same set of human rights verbatim, as some would not be relevant to non-human animals, e.g. the right to a fair trial (haha). Instead, I care about the basic rights that should be afforded to any sentient, conscious life form.

To preface - animals are sentient beings. This fact is long established. They feel pain. They feel fear and terror. They have bonds with their young. They are intelligent. They learn. They are capable of having life partners. They are social. Why then are they not afforded basic rights, given that we know they belong to a class of organisms that have been scientifically acknowledged as sentient? Or, when animal rights are allocated (e.g. the RSPCA’s Code of 5 Freedoms), why are they not respected or acknowledged beyond lip service?

Animals are treated as objects. They are used as a means to an end - food and fashion are two obvious ones. In the world today, animals are not respected for being animals, despite everything we know about them, and despite the fact that the vast majority of humans will vehemently state that they are animal lovers. Well why do you treat animals so badly then?

People will then get agitated and say that society does look out for animals, that they are treated well on farms; slaughtered humanely; that there are legal punishments for animal cruelty and abuse. People seem to cling to these excuses to justify their actions. Farms are heinous flesh factories. There is no such thing as humane slaughter, just as there is no such thing as humane child abuse, rape, murder, or torture. The phrase “humane slaughter” is an oxymoron; a joke. And in Australia, no judge has ever handed down the maximum penalty for animal cruelty or abuse. In Queensland, individuals can be sentenced for a maximum of 2 years, and fined $100,000 per offence. No penalty has come even remotely close to this, even for the most disgusting animal cruelty crimes that receive nationwide media attention. It’s all suggestive gestures with no substance. And these people will still jump up and down about how much they love animals if you challenge their hypocrisy.

I wish for a future where non-human animals are recognised for their sentience, are respected, and are not exploited. Veganism is the best way to contribute to this future.

Video resources for Vegan and Animal Rights Information.

thelittlevegan:

Films/Documentaries

Home

Earthlings

Meat the Truth

Behind the Mask

A Delicate Balance

Gary Yourofsky’s Animal Rights Speech

Savannah to the rescue again! These are some great sources, definitely check all of these out if you are at all interested in animal rights or vegetarianism/veganism

thelittlevegan:

150 years ago, slavery was considered ok.

125 years ago, child labor was considered ok.

100 years ago, denying women voting rights was considered ok.

75 years ago, not helping the sick, the handicapped or the hungry was considered ok.

50 years ago, racism was considered ok.

25 years ago, unequal pay for equal work was considered ok.

Today, the suffering that humans inflict on animals is considered ok.

(Source: nicholascohen)