If you look at my most recent post, you'll see a carnist practically make the case for at least going vegetarian. Pretty unique. Chris Parker goes the other direction, taking a twisted approach by arguing that eating meat actually fights cruelty. Someone clearly doesn't understand the law of supply and demand, though he does make a valid point (one that misses the fact that many animal-exploiting companies have recently acquired veg-friendly companies):
Vetoing all meat doesn't give any incentive for a farmer already committed to raising livestock to stop abusing his animals. If you're not going to buy a chicken regardless of how it's treated, why should anyone change for you?Good point, really. I mean, why change for us? But they are. They are buying White Wave, Gardenburger, and other companies in a bid to reach for our ethically-oriented wallets. It isn't unreasonable to think that, as the demand for animal-friendly products grows, these divisions will become more profitable than the meat-producing divisions some day.
In the meantime, while vegans and vegetarians hope to shrink the market (and, frankly, we're falling just short of holding the line at this point), our activism has had an impact on meat-eaters, prompting many of them to question where their meat is coming from and leading to an increase in organics, free range products, grass-fed beef, and the growth of all these types of animal product categories that make Whole Foods Markets successful among more ethically-minded upscale consumers (whether they are genuinely more ethical or not). Though the population continues to grow, the message is slowly getting through that meat consumption must go down for the health of our nation.
Ultimately, the nation isn't going to go vegetarian overnight. Suppliers will have time to continue to acquire and develop new, non-meat product categories and to phase out or divest themselves of meat-producing divisions. In the end, that renders Chris Parker's opinion entirely moot.
Categories: organics | cage-free | free-range | grass-fed | vegan | vegetarian | meat-eating | carnism | omnivore | ethical eating
