Beware of happy meat

By on April 26, 2011

When you advocate for “humane” meat, dairy and eggs, you are not doing anyone a favor. You are certainly not doing any favors to the animals that will be brutally slaughtered. You are not doing any favors to the health of that person or their family as they continue to ingest saturated fat and cholesterol. You are not doing any favors for the environment.

Don’t confuse people and allow them to think that using animals is the ethical food choice. The ethical food choice is a vegan diet. Tell people the truth. Why try to manipulate them? Just to be popular, sell books, get hits on your blog?

I was deeply saddened after reading an interview with John Robbins earlier today where he advocates for “humane” meat and animal products. The truth is I don’t know if I ever would have gone vegan if Robbins had advocated for happy meat, dairy and eggs in his book “Diet for a New America.” That would have been a convenient out for me. Maybe I would have gone vegan eventually, but in the meantime, how many animals would have died, how would my health have been compromised, how much harm might I have done to the environment? Would I have been protesting, writing, advocating for veganism or animal rights if he hadn’t told me that veganism was the ethical choice?

 

Comments

  1. Julia
    April 26, 2011

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    Pretty frustrating indeed, though not entirely surprising. “Diet for a New America” and “Food Revolution” were pretty much vegan manifestos, but from what I’ve heard Robbins already jumped onto the happy meat wagon in “Healthy at 100”. He’s not an animal rights promoter, he’s a welfarist and a health food vegan. That’s the sad truth.
    I’d really like to know what the health reasons are that he’s talking about that require people to eat some animal products…
    He’s done such great things for the vegan movement, but now it’s time for him to shut up. Let’s hope he’ll stop writing books before he completely turns the other way.

  2. Holly Wilson
    April 27, 2011

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    What a disappointing interview! He classifies himself as an activist- yet promotes eating ‘small amounts’ of flesh for health…? I just don’t get it.

  3. Jo Tyler
    December 20, 2012

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    Diet for a New America was not a vegan manifesto – it does not even call for vegetarianism. Or even a reduction in our consumption of animal products. It’s all about treatment. He says so right in the intro. I re-read it recently because, like countless others, that book was the reason I went vegan.

    He writes on page XV: “You don’t have to forego animal products to derive great benefit from this book. You don’t have to be a vegetarian to be concerned about your health, and to want your life to be a statement of compassion. It’s not the killing of the animals that is the chief issue here, but rather the unspeakable quality of the lives they are forced to live.”

    I had to put aside my shock and irritation and wonder how such welfare-based messaging has resulted in the creation of so many ethical vegans I know. It’s confusing and worth considering how it is that the wrong message can so often produce the right results. So…I have to say that despite his welfarist stance, I am still immensely grateful for his work.

  4. Lindavegan Middlesworth
    December 19, 2013

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    I am so very angry with John Robbins despite the fact he helped lots of people go vegan years ago. He is hypocrite. He eats fish! I know because I asked!! He, even though I know him, could not even answer me and had his son, ironically called Ocean, answer me.

    He is not much better than Michael Pollan and Michael Pollen is a total fraud and is nothing more than a money maker with no concern for animals.
    There is NO reason to eat ANY animal products and not one animal deserves to suffer at the hand of humans. John Robbins is pushing the vegan movement backwards now and I hope he stops writing forever!

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