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Merrick

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Re: Vegetarians who eat fish..

Nov 05, 2006, 12:12

Sorry, a bit late to this thread.

I think some of the thinking on this subject has a will to see 'vegetarian' or 'vegan' as some kind of absolute, and if you make an exception to it then you have sinned, failed and might as well eat live kittens from now on.

For me, it's about reducing the damage inflicted on the world. Animal products are not just cruel to the animals, they're an environmental catastrophe, we don't need them so we shouldn't use them.

But it's also kind of like living without, say, oil products. Someone who gets the bus and reuses their plastic bags is consuming oil as much as the SUV driver, but they're doing *less* damage.

By the same token, a veggie who eats fish or the occasional chicken korma is still doing less damage and living more responsibly and sustainably than someone who eats beef every day.

Seeing veggieness as a tendency rather than an absolute is a lot more helpful. It gets us off this post-Christian martyr trip (doing the right thing is about sacrifice! If I can't do everything then I might as well do nothing!) and makes people more likely to act responsibly.

Whilst avoiding meat is a great thing to do for youself and your fellow species, it's not the Holy Grail.

In reply to:
Vegetarians who eat fish.. (dee)

Replies:
Re: Vegetarians who eat fish.. (Daminxa)

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