Why I Think Eating Meat is Immoral (But Why I’ll Still Never Turn Vegan)

Last year, a friend showed me a video presentation by proud vegan activist James Wildman called "101 Reasons to Go Vegan." I'll link it below. There were so really good arguments in there, even with the logical fallacies and such. (Watch the video here.)

And at the end, with the compelling arguments, I understood why someone else would turn vegan, and yet I personally didn’t. And frankly, I don’t think I ever will. And it’s not just because of “health” or “religion”, but rather just cause of the easier lifestyle.

When you really think about it, it’s quite surprising how the whole world hasn’t turned vegan yet, and especially the extraordinarily well-off First World countries like America or the UK. Factory meat farming and the egg/milk industries produce an unimaginable level of suffering. Sure, some may argue the carnivores hunt in the wild and that it’s simply the “circle of life”, but I don’t think these kind of people really understand what’s going on here.

To be clear- I’m not a vegan myself, and never plan to be. I’m just here to share my thoughts about the “Food-Matrix” that James Wildman says we’re all living in.

But take a look out how many animals will kill for meat on a daily basis. 100? 1000? A million?

(For an even better idea of the sheer amount of death occurring on a daily basis, I highly encourage you to visit thevegancalculator.com.)

God damn. That’s a lot of dead animals. Like a ton. In fact, an “animal holocaust” is almost an understatement. In retrospect, saying factory farming is ok is almost like saying the Rwandan genocide was justified because relationship domestic violence happens all the time.

So why do we still eat meat then, with all this suffering going on? Well, let's take a look at some of the moral justifications behind a meat-based diet.

So without further ado, let’s start out with:

“It’s Just the Natural Way of Things”

As a meat eater myself, this is just such a stupid argument in my opinion. On face value, it seems reasonable, as humans technically evolved to eat meat, and are the only primates in the animal kingdom with the ability to do so (Gorillas and chimps technically can, but it very limited amounts in captivity).

So if eating meat is the natural order of things, then shouldn’t all humans be eating meat?

The main issue I find with this argument is that if these same people truly believed in a “natural” lifestyle, they’d be out naked hunting in the woods for deer and berries, drinking water from dirty, e-coli infested puddles. What I mean by this is that humans live the most unnatural lifestyle possible in the animal kingdom.

On the bad side, we eat processed chips and fast food, and the worst among us purchase handguns that shoot military grade bullets faster than the speed of sound in order to kill their loved ones.

But on the good side, we use lab drugs to cure common ailments, eradicated smallpox, and have split the atom. 

Both of these sides are extraordinarily unnatural behaviors, for the better and for the worse. But for the man who proudly eats his A5 steak saying “That’s the natural order of things,” then why should he be able to give cough medicine to his 4 year old daughter coming down with the common cold? 

Why should he be able to be saved if a 450 pound silverback gorilla pins him down in a zoo accident? Why should he ask the doctor to administer chemotherapy to his dying grandmother with burning throat cancer?

The truth is, there’s nothing wrong with living an unnatural lifestyle, in fact, it’s 100% better than a “fully natural” lifestyle. Some of the best things in life are unnatural, and some of the worst things are natural, and vice versa. 

But to justify eating meat as the “natural order of things” is foolish and stupid. So let’s turn to:

“But Eating Meat is Better for You”

It is true that eating meat comes packed with nutrients compared to vegetables. A pound of steak will let you run much farther than a pound of spinach (despite what the Popeye’s cartoons might tell you). 

It makes sense, as animals eat tons of grain and corn to produce small amounts of densely packed, nutritious meat. Even if you ate the 1000 calories of spinach and then 1000 calories of steak, the steak give you stamina for far longer.

Eating meat makes sense if you live in a Third World country like Madagascar or Egypt, where food is scarce and most jobs involve backbreaking labor. 

But chances are, if you’re reading this blog post on a smartphone, laptop, or computer, you’re likely dozens of times more well off than the average resident of Haiti or Venezuela. 

And in fact, most meat is ironically consumed in First World countries like America and the UK, where it is needed the least, due to the taste and culture in Western countries. 

But if you’re in a First World country, you really don’t HAVE to eat meat. Every single nutrient you need can be provided from veggies, and our lifestyles have made it so its far easier to be overweight than underweight (both a blessing and a curse, depending on how you view it). The only thing lacking is Vitamin b12, but if you put in just a bit of effort, you can easily get enough from supplements like nutritional yeast.

So Is "Unnecessary" Meat-Eating Still Justified?

So what are we left with here?

We know that being vegan is likely just as healthy as a meat-based diet.

We know that choosing to eat meat causes an “animal holocaust” on an unimaginable level of pure, Grade-A suffering.

We know that being a mean-eater isn’t justified by “being natural.” (After all, curing cancer is directly the opposite of “natural”)

Well, I think in retrospect, the answer to “Why the heck isn’t America (or frankly any First World country) vegan is- because we can be (damn right). And let me explain.

I believe that humans have an inate intrinsic value. If this level of suffering were applied to humans, I would do everything in my power to stop it. But when it comes to animals, I really don’t care.

Or in this case, it isn’t necessarily the slaughter of animals that’s horrible, but the immense suffering they endure on factory farms. After all, the 1-2% of meat and dairy farm animals raised on lush green pastures live excellent lives, like the Wagyu cattle that get daily massages in Japan.

After all, I’m not against the slaughter of animals, but I am wary of the intense suffering they’re put through in factory farms. And vegan or not, the world would be better if animals lived better lives.

But we’re missing the point here. Even if 100% of the farm chickens, cattle, fish, and pigs lived wonderful lives, in constant orgasmic pleasure on the daily, eating meat still wouldn’t be justified, especially if you’re in a first world country.

The point is that no one really NEEDS to eat meat. And that’s all that really matters in the end, isn’t it? Despite all the excuses, there is no justifiable reason for an animal to die to get to your plate, other than the taste of that delicious steak. (If all this food talk is making you hungry, I sincerely apologize)

Imagine it like this- a 40 year old man needs to have a multiple organ transplants to survive, so the doctor goes into his storage closet with all the preserved organs the man needs. However, the 40 year old man is extrodinarily rich, and requests his organs are “fresh” for maximum compatibility.

So being the greedy guy he is, the psychopathic doctor murders a 15 year old hormonal teenager for his heart, a 34 year old soccer mom for her kidneys, and a 21 year old college student for her liver. Would that be justified to you? Of course not.

And even worse, eating meat isn’t life threatening. Sure, you could argue, it’s better for your health, but if the first situation with the doctor and the 40 year old terminally ill patient isn’t justified, then neither should eating meat.

So no, eating meat is not justified, in fact, far from it.

So If Eating Meat Isn’t Justified, am I a Bad Person?

No. Let me explain my way of thinking about this:

When your grandma purchases the new iPhone 16 for you on Christmas Eve, knowing that the metals sourced in it come from not-so-ethical sources, does that make her a slave owner? A child trafficker? A sadistic psychopath exploiting the planet and Mother Nature for her limited resources? Of course not.

If you buy your girlfriend a chocolate box for Valentine’s Day, knowing that most chocolate, especially the cheapest, comes from child slaves in Central America, does that make you a heartless psychopath exploiting poor children on the other side of the world? Of course not. 

The world is a horrible place. But it’s also a wonderful place at the same time. And acknowledging that, but trying to be the best person you can and heart is completely fine. 

As one YouTuber put it- eating meat doesn’t make you a bad person. And being vegan doesn’t make you a good person.

If you take nothing from this blog, and continue the traditional American meat-based diet, I really don’t care. After all, I love meat. Fried chicken, steak, sausages, you name it. And I assume if you’ve made it this far, you relate to this as well.

Go vegan for all I care, or slaughter as many innocent chickens, fish, and cattle as you’d like (not literally of course). All power to you. :)

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