(also heard as “Why do you vegans hate/ignore humans?”)

First and foremost, there is no universal law mandating that we can only dedicate our time to only one social issue. In other words, just because a vegan happens to fight against the innate injustices of the meat & dairy industry does not mean that she or he is precluded from engaging other just causes as well.

As an example, I myself am an animal rights advocate (i.e. a vegan) who also happens to be actively involved in increasing the level of compassion given to the homeless, increasing the level of basic decency shown to our children, and increasing the level of humility that flows from our religious leaders … and just because I happen to be engaging any one of these causes does not mean that I have abandoned the other three.

Of course, as it turns out, there truly is no other issue that is more important than veganism – for ourselves, for our loved ones, for our communities, and for our planet. Feel free to consider the following undisputed facts about several of the most popular social causes of our day:

Social Cause #01: Are you concerned about world hunger? Well, did you know that it takes 16 pounds of soybeans to produce only one pound of the flesh you call “meat”? And did you know that 20 million people will die of hunger and malnutrition this year worldwide? And did you know that 5 times that number of hungry people could be adequately fed if Americans alone reduced their meat & dairy consumption by only 10%? And did you know that roughly 80% of the world’s starving children live in countries where grains they could be eating are fed to animals that are then eaten by people on wealthier countries? And did you know that there is fifteen times the amount of protein produced per acre by plant-based agriculture compared to animal agriculture?   … In addition, did you know that at least one third of the Earth’s habitable land – that’s six BILLION acres — is currently being used for animal agriculture? And did you know that, while one of those acres might indeed produce 250 pounds of the flesh you call “beef”, that same single acre could be producing 40,000 pounds of potatoes or 50,000 pounds of tomatoes? … Well now you do.

“If you were to truly feel what it’s like to truly starve, I guarantee that you would thereafter forever think twice before eating meat or dairy.” ~ inspired by Philip Wollen & Criss Jami

Social Cause #02: Are you concerned about global warming &/or the Earth’s imminent climate catastrophe? Well, did you know that meat & dairy livestock are the number one producer of greenhouse gases — 40% more than all cars, trucks & planes combined? And did you know that a recent United Nations report concluded that an imminent and significant worldwide shift toward a plant-based diet is critical to combat the worst effects of the imminent global climate change?   Well, now you do.

“If we take vegan action to stop global warming and it then turns out to be untrue, then at the very least we will have saved the lives of billions of animals, dramatically reduced air pollution, saved the pristinity of our drinking water aquifers and halted the loss of our forests … On the other hand, if we don’t act – and soon, and global warming turns out to be true, then we will have essentially destroyed the future of our species.” ~ inspired by the words of Tony Blair

Social Cause #03: Are you concerned about the environment in general? Well, did you know that animal agriculture is the primary cause of rainforest destruction (with 40% of all global rainforests having been razed for cattle pasture within the past 40 years – and 220 square feet of rainforest being currently destroyed for every single pound of rainforest beef produced)? And did you know that animal agriculture is the primary cause of global topsoil loss? And did you know that animal agriculture is one of the primary causes of global water pollution? And did you know that animal agriculture is the primary cause of global habitat loss (due to deforestation & eventual desertification). And did you know that animal agriculture is the primary cause of species extinction? And did you know that animal agriculture and is the primary cause of the Earth’s ever-expanding oceanic dead zones? Well, now you do.

“I really wonder what gives us the right to wreck this precious planet of ours. Well make no mistake, even though we are indeed wrecking it, we won’t be doing so for long … For once our greed and our stupidity finally reach critical mass – once we finally make things truly unlivable here for ourselves and start to die off in mass numbers, the Earth will finally be free of us once and for all – and she will sigh in relief – and she will bloom once more.” ~ inspired by Kurt Vonnegut

Social Cause #04: Are you concerned about the supplies of fresh drinking water for your community, if not those for the entire world? Well, you should be … Did you know that many prominent researchers & established think tanks (including Brahma Chellany, Michael Klare, Steven LeBlanc, Jared Diamond, Chatham House, and the Strategic Foresight Group) have repeatedly warned that the next global military conflict will probably be fought over water? And did you know that more than half of the world’s current population lives in areas where water is in very short supply? And did you know that the 2010 United Nations Environmental Programme noted that agriculture is by far the largest user of the world’s freshwater resources, accounting for 70 percent its use & 93 percent of its depletion? And did you know that — while it requires 22 gallons of water to produce one pound of tomatoes, 30 gallons to produce one pound of potatoes, 100 gallons to produce one pound of corn, and 250 gallons to produce one pound of tofu — it takes LOTS more water to produce “meat” – namely, 570 gallons to produce one pound of eggs, 815 gallons to produce one pound of chicken, 1600 gallons to produce one pound of pork and at least 2500 gallons (on some farms this figure rises to over 5000 gallons) to produce a single pound of beef? … And as such, to make matters even more clear, did you know that every single meat-eater who goes vegan saves as much water in one year as he or she would save by giving up showering for the rest of his or her life?*

Well now you do.

[*The average American eats a little over 200 pounds of meat every year, requiring roughly 500,000 gallons of water. In contrast, the average water usage for a year’s worth of showers is only 5000 gallons, or 100 times more!]

“The exhausted earth groaned and quivered under the monotonous glare of the sun. Spirals of heat rose from the ground as if from molten lava. A panting lizard crawled painfully over the fevered rock in search of a shady crevice. Cattle and dogs and men alike cringed under the scanty shade of the trees and waited for the rain to deliver them from the heat and thirst. Instead the heat grew more intense and oppressive, singeing and stifling all living things with an invisible sheet of fire.” ~ inspired by S. Rajaratnam

Social Cause #05: Are you concerned about violent crime in your community – about rape? about murder? about assault? about armed robbery? And are you concerned about various forms of domestic violence as well — like child abuse? like spousal abuse? like slavery? like sexual assault? Well, do you remember the studies cited previously in Myth #38 – Amy Fitzgerald’s 2007 Windsor University study that found that a direct correlation between high rates of violent crime and the presence of slaughterhouses in U.S. communities? … and the 2013 Australian study that found that slaughterhouse workers are clearly more prone to acts of violence? … and Nik Tayler’s Flinders University study that proved that the more desensitized &/or aggressive a person was towards animals, the more desensitized &/or aggressive he or she will be towards humans as well? Well now you do …

Indeed, Prof. Armando D’Elia (naturalist, chemist and expert dietician) has recently noted that, “[Those] speaking out against the use of meat proteins can now call on support from neurobiology and the chemistry of neurotransmitters — two scientific disciplines that now explain how certain foods cause certain human behaviors. As a result we can now act with greater certainty in our food choices … Among other things, we can reject the idea that violence is innate in humans: No-one is born aggressive or ‘evil’ — and yet we can become so by eating meat.”

“All violence is a futile attempt
to replace shame with self esteem.”
~ James Gilligan

Social Cause #06: Are you concerned about the health & wholeness of those you most dearly love? Well, do you remember the latest scientific findings mentioned previously in Myth #16? – that meat & dairy consumption has been directly linked to dramatically higher instances of cancer? … that meat & dairy consumption has been directly linked to dramatically higher instances of heart disease and heart attack? … that meat & dairy consumption has been directly linked to dramatically higher instances of stroke? … that meat & dairy consumption has been directly linked to dramatically higher instances of dementia? … that meat & dairy consumption has been directly linked to dramatically higher instances of diabetes? … that meat & dairy consumption has been directly linked to dramatically higher instances of osteoporosis? … that meat & dairy consumption has been directly linked to dramatically higher instances of obesity? And did you know as well that several studies (including Harvard University and a still-ongoing study at Loma Linda University) are now showing (not surprisingly) that vegans live on average almost 8 years longer than meat-eaters – similar to the gap between smokers and non-smokers? And finally, did you know that research has also shown that many of the aforementioned severe diseases and terminal conditions can not only be halted but reversed by adopting a vegan diet?  Well now you do.

“Let food be thy medicine
and medicine be thy food.”
~ Hippocrates

“We are healthy only to the extent
that our ideas are humane.”
~ Kurt Vonnegut

Social Cause #07: And finally, are you concerned about justice and fundamental expressions of common decency? Well, did you know that it is impossible to fully embrace, champion or enliven those ideals while hypocritically supporting an industry that systematically denounces the same?

Well now you do

 

“Ethical veganism is anything but passive; on the contrary, it is the active refusal to cooperate with injustice” ~ Gary Fancione

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and integrity that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope; and joining each other from a million different centers of faith and courage those ripples build a current which inevitably sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and suffering.” ~ inspired by Robert F. Kennedy

In conclusion, then, while it most certainly IS true that there are many social causes worthy of our attention & our energy … It is just as true that ALL of these causes are powerfully (& consistently) supported while living as a vegan.

Amen … Let it be so!

 

Current status of this Myth: Vitiated
Justification it provides for eating animals: NONE

“To me it is deeply moving that the same food choices that give us the best chance to eliminate world hunger are also those that take the least toll on the environment, contribute the most to our long-term health, … and are also, far and away, the most compassionate towards our fellow creatures.” ~ John Robbins

Filed under: Minimizing the Myths of Meat by Scaughdt