3. It's contagious.
When I became a vegetarian in the first place no-one else in my family would have ever considered to also become a vegetarian. Seven years later I'm a vegan, my mother, sister and best friend have become vegetarians, my father cuts back on meat and even my boyfriend (who I had never expected to ever go down that road) has cut back on meat so far, that he only consumes fish on an irregular basis.
This might not sound so notably to you, but in my childhood days my family (including me) consumed meat every day, often with more than one meal! The same applies to the family of my boyfriend and most friends of mine. When I first became a vegetarian at the age of 13 most of them didn't personally knew a single person that also was vegetarian or vegan and especially my parents were sure that 'phase' of mine would be over within a few weeks.
Needless to say, it wasn't.
I'm quite confident that more people I know will turn vegetarian and some of my family members and already vegetarian living friends will turn vegan within the next years, as they see how well I get on with it and how much I benefit from this lifestyle of caring, that I chose.
I call it 'vevolution' and it's best feature is that it's highly infectious for anyone with a distinct mind!
4. The meat industry is pure evil.
There will be more posts on how exactly farmed animals, workers and the environment suffer due to the meat industry, but what I'm mainly trying to highlight here, is that except for the meat getting cheaper and cheaper and more money is flowing towards the managers and shareholders, there isn't one good or just thing to name in favor of this metaphorically bloodsucking industry.
Fact is, that as most workers aren't trained properly for the jobs they do, a noticeable number of animals is not dead, while they are being 'disassembled'. This again leads to further blunting of the workers mind, which often results in drinking problems or violent behavior towards their families, as for them violence has become entirely normal. So victims of the meat industry are not only the animals, but also the workers themselves (Melanie Joy states that no other group has such a high percentage of work related accidents) and their families and friends.
But this is not the extend of it - not by far! The meat industry pollutes our environment like no other industrial section. They pollute our water, are one of the main reasons for uprooting of the rainforest and the antibiotics used on farmed animals make the humans that consume them immune to several medications.
So as a matter of fact: WE are the victims of carnism. WE pay with our health, as the pollution that finds it's way back into OUR bodies through water, air and food.
pure evil it is!!
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