Shmeat? What the hell are we are coming to?

I wasn’t going to post or comment on this story but I was over at SoulVeggie today (Incidentally, I really like your blog SoulVeggie) and thought to myself that he had some interesting points. Since you all are some of the most interesting people I know, I thought that I’d talk to you about it.

By now, you should have heard that PETA is offering 1 million dollars to the first “In Vitro” meat.   Sigh.  When is the human going to loose their taste for flesh?  Wouldn’t we be better served to have the million dollars used for educating people?  The PETA web page had this to say:

Of course, humans don’t need to eat meat at all—vegetarians are less likely to get heart disease, diabetes, or various types of cancer or become obese than meat-eaters are—and a terrific array of vegetarian mock meats already exist. But as many people continue to refuse to kick their meat addictions, PETA is willing to help them gain access to flesh that doesn’t cause suffering and death.

I have a real problem with this statement.  First, we have to go back to the fundamental reason for being vegan.  Being vegan is much more than what you eat.  Veganism is not a diet.  Okay?  Listen, I am not saying that there aren’t people out there who are eating “vegan” for health reasons.  I know that there are.  But I am talking about the ethics behind veganism.  I am specifically referring to root reason we should be vegan, because humans have no rights to take a life to live a life.  It’s simple really.  Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

So, instead of educating people about compassion (in a non-militant, crazy assed way) and ethics, PETA is promoting eating meat.  By their rationale, a drug addict should have an alternative to their cocaine because “people continue to refuse to kick their…addictions”.  I don’t think the solution to a problem is to create more of what the person is addicted to.

Creating meat through “In Vitro” still uses animal products.  For example, you would use bovine cells and grow them in bovine fluids.  The idea would be that the animal wouldn’t suffer because the “In Vitro” meat would not have a central nervous system.  I don’t know about ya’ll but I hate getting needles stuck in me.  For any reason.  So keeping a bunch of cows in cages so you can take cells from them seems like more of the same cruelty we’ve got going on now.  Factory farming will change but it will still be factory farming.  Animals are not ours to use, profit from or create a “business” out of.  They deserve to have their own agenda in life.  Whatever that may be.

So what do you think my vegan pallies?  Would you eat the “In Vitro” meat?  Is it vegan?  Do you think it’s right for PETA to offer a reward for creating yet another meat product?  I know I won’t be eating it but will you?

And for shits and giggles (literally) check out what Stephen Colbert had to say on the issue….