Carleton College: Conheca onde eu moro!

Por que todos nos deveriamos ser vegetarianos? Why we all should be vegetarian?

Ola Pessoal ! Obrigada por visitar o meu blog de novo!

Abaixo, postei o paper que escrevi para aula de filosofia. Eu sei que muita gente nao se sente a vontade com esse assunto ou acha chato, entretanto, eu acredito que e muito importante refletirmos sobre essas questoes. Eu sei que nao tem nada como aquele churrasquinho com a familia ou os amigos no final de semana, porem, as custas de que? Eu realmente acredito que por um bem maior a gente pode fazer uma forcinha e descobrir outras maneiras de satisfazer o nosso paladar. Comida vegetariana tambem pode ser muito prazerosa! Por que nao tentar?

This paper aims to argue the reasons that all people should be vegetarian. Peter Singer is the author of a book entitled "Animal Liberation" and his ideas inspired my conclusion, as well as McPherson, another author who wrote the article "Why am I Vegan". In my opinion, the strongest argument that supports why we should be vegetarian is that animals have an equal capacity for suffering and enjoyment. Therefore, the way that animals are reared and slaughtered on factory farms is a source of pain for them. In conclusion of that explanation, to avoid eating meat is a form of boycott against those who inflict pain upon animals.
Animals have the capacity to suffer and feel enjoy. One cannot argue succesfully that we do not have sufficient proof that animals such as cows, pigs, chickens and fish can suffer, because studies have showed that pain animal behavior is pretty similar to human pain experience, except for the moral aspect of pain that humans can experience and animals not.
Factory farms are responsible for the amount of suffering upon animals. This kind of large production of raising livestock in confinement at a high stocking density treat animals as products, not as living beings. In order to profit, they use as little space as possible to rear animals, then the animals are not free to enjoy their lives. For example, many cows cannot even lie down because their paws do not fit where they are. Also, cattle are often injured and become "downed", commonly suffering for days without receiving food, water or veterinary care. Mothers sows are confined in gestation crates where they cannot turn around and change their position in oeder to feed their sons comfortably.


             

I agree with Singer that the most important point about being or not being a vegetarian is that "vegetarianism is a form of boycott" (Singer, 163). Unless we avoid eating meat, the factory farms and all forms of cruelty against animals will remain. When we buy "products" from these industries, we are perpetuating their profit from slaughtering animals. In others words, if we know how animals have been treated in factory farms and keep buying their products, we are sponsoring the cruelty that we often reject. "They pit, and they eat the objects of their compassion." (Singer, A.L,159)

Singer also argues that we are slaughtering and inflicting a large amount os suffering upon animals only to satisfy our taste for a particular type of food. We don't need meat from animals in order to get all nutrients to develop aou bodies healthily, as such as we can get proteins from cereals, vegetables and greenery. It implies that aour cruelty against them is justified as means to our end. I think that our sense of morals reject the idea of inflict pain upon animals only for pleasure of eating meat.The value of a living being is more than the necessity to satisfy our trivial tastes.

              

McPherson, an author who defends veganism, says that causing significant suffering to relevant animals is wrong because of the properties of that action. It means that when you know you are injuring a living being that can suffer, this action is wrong. The suffering caused by a bad action is reason enough to explain why we should not do thath action. In that case, we should stop eating meat because we know that there is no way to rear animals for food without inflicting on them a great amount of suffering. And causing suffering in a living being is wrong.

Vegetarianism is a form of boycott, since the agribussiness depends on our demand of that kind of food to profit. The strongest objection against being vegetarian is that our vegetarianism is not capable of changing the situation of animals reared on factory farms. In spite of dieting choices of vegetarians, the majority of the population will continue to eat meat. Although this argument seems to be reasonable, we could reply by saying that historically certain people committed great crimes against minorities while knowing the bad consequences of their acts.  Because everybody is doing something bad doesn't mean that we should accept and do the same wrong thing. Because of the struggle and effort of many people who believed that they should do something about racism and sexism we could accept the rights of those who were discriminated against.

            
Animals and humans are not alike. However, why don't take animals suffering into consideration?
"The question is not, Can they reason? Nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer? (Bentham)

As others form of "isms" we reject, "capitalism" is the belief that capital is the most important thing to take into consideration. It is transforming non-humans beings merely into products. Capitalism also changes the meaning of interaction with nature nowdays into eating the "products" that it makes. Meat makes money, and money is control. It doesn't matter how much pain we have been provoking. The same people who are enriching their savings from slaughtering are responsible for silencing the voices of an "animal revolution". They are getting our money and controlling our lives through the mass media. Therefore, we believe them and the idea that consumerism can bring the hapiness we desire so much.

It is something that we are purposefully ignoring. The industry of agribussiness wants us to believe that we can be concerned about animals as long as we continue to eat them, in order to guarantee their profit. The usual forms of protest and political action proved ineffective. Being vegetarian can prevent the continuation of the carnage all around in a near future.

         
                                        

Thanks for reading guys! I'm looking for answers! Bye bye!



 

Pollution in my city? What are you talking about?

Hi guys!

Let's talk a little bit about air... that air you are consuming right now. Everybody knows that air is one of the last thing people are not charging for... however, what is the quality of the air we are consuming? Do you know?
I believe that everything is connected in a well-functioning, and similarly with what happens in nature, these interactions are all important when we try to analize the reason for which people feel ill or experience disease. Although sometimes we are not able to be aware of the air pollution in our city, these pollutants are there, getting into our lungs at each breath - sixteen times per minute during rest or about one hundred times if we are doing exercise. Who cares? We all should.
I do care if the water I'm drinking everyday is full of chemical and metals, accumulating in my body during all my life until it will have caused cancer. I don't want to be unware because I can do something now. How can I change this situation? Who is responsible? How can I support the health and well-being of my community, as well as for those who will be born, the friends and the children of my children?
It's just an example. Things I'm thinking about these days. Good days. I wake up trees are smiling for me, yellow, red and green leaves swinging...besides the cold outside, it is sunny for a while. I think about my family and everybody who I love, miles and miles far from me but still close, inside my hearth. Outdoors the cold wind kisses my face to says good morning. While I'm walking cuddly squirrels running away and bitting acorns make me laugh. The grass is so green. The smell of nature. Seems happy.
I wonder: how about the multitude outside this, outside the american dream? Outside rich and safe places in Brazil? How about us and my health being damaged because of pollution, as well as everything wrong around us? Here and in my country, I cannot be blind to the disparities between people as we are...
Let's fight for this too, for the right to breath properly. Let's do research, talk with friends about these issues, know where we live and ask explanations for authorities. Let's care.

See you guys! Thanks for visit my blog!

Save lives

Hi Guys:

Have you ever seen how animals are reard in factory farms? Let's go search on google images : animals factory farm. I was astonished. The truth was in my face, only a click with my mouse, and I've never realized how much suffering we are incuting on them, unware for the consequences of that kind of act against non-human beings. What is happening is terrible.
I looked at their eyes and it seems to me that they are suffering. Seems to me that they don't deserve a life like this. I feel I'm doing something wrong eating them. I'm not proud of me, giving my money for the profit of factory farms which treats animals without any consideration.
We don't need eat meat. Vegetables, milk, eggs and fruits can provide all nutrients we should have to grow healthly. Vegetarianism is a form of boycott. We don't need to accept so much pain on those we should protect. Let's go do something guys!