I often get asked why I am a vegan, and I balk at giving all the graphic details because I am afraid of offending people. It's really stupid of me, though, because I would not only be doing animals a favor by telling the truth about it, I would also be doing the person a favor because everyone deserves to know where to find information about the facts behind what they eat, not just in terms of health, but in terms of the suffering of animals and their offspring.
The last straw was a little while ago, the shopkeeper at the bulk store I go to said "but why would drinking milk be harmful to cows? We are
helping the cow by taking its milk, so it doesn't get sore udders!" I realized in that moment that I am doing nobody a favor by letting them think these kinds of things. If someone knows all the facts about the animal product industry, and still decides to use it, then there is nothing more I can really say, but if they don't know, then am I really being a friend if I stand there and don't say anything when they say something as ignorant as this? It's one thing to slap a milkshake out of someone's hand, but it's another to correct them if they think that the milkshake is super happy to be there.
With that, I post this --
www.goveg.com/whatsWrong.asp a bit of info on some things that are dreadfully wrong with the dairy and egg industry. And buying from organic or family farms really makes little difference -- for me, it kind of comes down to what I believe is ours to take and what isn't, and the inherent suffering that goes along with the taking, regardless of the circumstances.
Don't read it if you don't want to, and don't blame me if you do, and it upsets you. I am tired of not saying anything.
love and respect, h
