Meat is murder; damn tasty murder By Ben Abelson As I walked down the street the other night, I saw a young woman kneeling down on the sidewalk writing at a feverish pace. Being a less-than-perfectly PC individual, I assumed she was chalking something related to the recently passed, ‘Take Back the Night.’ “ How nice,” I reflected, “the support that’s been shown for take back the night is really great.” You can imagine my horror when I glanced down at the concrete and saw the scrawled epithet, “Meat Is Not A Treat To Eat.” My stomach churned as my rage rose. “Why don’t you use pig’s blood instead,” I suggested, “it leaves a more permanent impression.” Her boyfriend wrote me a terse email that evening which both defended their beliefs and devalued mine. I sit here delicately munching a spicy Italian sausage, prepared to perfection on my George Foreman grill. In my opinion, nothing tastes quite as good as a well prepared piece of meat. But, not everyone likes the same things I do. If someone would rather enjoy a salad, who am I to tell them that’s wrong? Yet, such hubris is rampant in vegetarian activists I have no problem with people making the choice to not eat meat. My issue is with the evangelical activist factions that dominate vegetarian discourse. These people invade our living space and force us to ‘listen’ to their views. The most PC individual won’t tolerate a Jehovah’s Witness thrusting the mantle of Christ onto his shoulders. Why then do we tolerate these intrusions into our lives? There’s no reason that I should be told I’m ‘bad,’ called a ‘murderer’ (“Meat Is Murder”), or be compared to a ‘rapist’ (“Dairy Is Rape”). Like many other things, my culinary habits are a lifestyle choice. As long I’m not violating or harming other people, I have the right to live my life however I might choose. How long would a chalking that read, “All Fags Will Burn In Hell” be tolerated on our campus? Why do we, as a community, continue to allow chalkings that portray a large percentage of us as killers? Some activists claim that people aren’t meant to eat meat. Sure, you can survive and live perfectly well without eating meat. But, that doesn’t mean that human beings aren’t meant to eat meat. Nature conceived us as omnivores. I have sharp incisors to rip and tear tough flesh and textured molars to grind grains and vegetables. If vegetarian activists insist on preaching, why don’t they take a trip to the jungle and inform the lions of their evil, murderous ways? Animals were made to eat other plants and/or animals. This is called the food chain. One recently written wespeak compared the meat industry to a ‘holocaust.’ As a human being this offends me. Who would dare compare the slaughter of animals to the planned genocide of an entire people? This belittles the untold numbers of victims of genocide worldwide. Who would have the gall to call the majority of the human race, Nazis? Is this the face of vegetarian activism? Some people call the meat industry cruel. They say that animals suffer when they die. I’m not claiming that the meat industry treats animals nicely. But, what if there was no meat industry — would my dinner feel less pain if I personally killed it? Does a hunted ibex suffer any less than a delicious veal calf? Vegetarian activists can no longer disguise their faults with meat-eating as issues with the meat industry. Their issue is with the act of eating meat, in any form. I see a dystopic future where pet-owning is viewed as barbaric slavery, where animal domestication is akin to imperial colonialism, and where burgers must be bought and sold on the black market. Is this the legacy that we want to leave to our children? Recent wespeaks have linked meat-eating, and to our current conflict in Afghanistan. How does an omnivorous lifestyle lead to war? How does the meat industry manipulate us into bombing Afghanistan? When I see “Meat Means War” or “Eat Meat, No Peace” chalked on a sidewalk, I don’t feel guilty for eating a chicken sandwich and embroiling my nation in a long-term conflict. Meat doesn’t kill people; U.S. foreign policy, destroyed national landmarks, and insane terrorists kill people. Why do vegetarian activists insist on allying themselves with Arab extremists? Vegetarian activism is not merely a misguided ideology, it is a seductive cult. It provides an authoritarian structure individuals a quasi-religious cause guide to one’s life. “Minimal” sacrifice and unquestioning obedience to a specific code are the only qualifications for entry. In return, participants are given order and meaning. They are provided with compatriots to protest with for the unattainable cause. Thus, the vegetarian activist is synthesized. Abelson is a member of the class of 2002

editorial letters “The League of Smooth Justice” (almost a love story) Overcome the dollar and expand compassion, Wes progressives Contextualizing Anti-Western sentiment in the near east  Think, question, act Meat-eaters, begin to rethink your justifications  Meat is murder; damn tasty murder Bombs for Ramadan: bad chalking, good policy Bartlett apologizes for “Dairy is Rape” Crenshaw’s terrorism comments are one-sided

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