Personal Choice

Posted on by The Crumby Vegan Posted in For the AnimalsTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I really like to eat babies.

Human babies. 

You know, those babies that are a few months old. If you cook them just right the meat falls off the bone. People tell me I shouldn’t eat babies because it’s cruel but I don’t care because what I eat is my personal choice.

I get told, a lot, that what someone eats is their personal choice. However, I struggle to understand how a choice could be personal when it involves someone else, someone else that had to endure suffering and death, someone else that would probably run away from a slaughter house if they had their personal choice.

Here comes the creative part.

Imagine asking a pig what their personal choice would be in a factory farming scenario. This is how I imagine it would go:

Me: Would you like to be castrated without painkillers?
Pig: No, I don’t think I would enjoy that.
Me: OK, well would you mind if your mum lived in a crate?
Pig: No, I probably wouldn’t be happy with that either.
Me: Fair enough, but how do you feel about dying so humans can eat you?
Pig: Nope, I’m not keen on the idea. 

If you imagine the pig giving a different response to these questions then please do let me know in the comments below.

  • An example of a personal choice would be what colour you want to paint your bedroom, this choice has no effect on anyone else.
  • An example of a choice that is not personal would be whether you want to eat your friend. Yes this may sound ridiculous, but hopefully I’m making it very clear that eating someone is not a personal choice because it impacts someone other than yourself. Hence, eating animal products is not your personal choice. 

This post isn’t asking you to use plant-based milk, eat less meat or to stop wearing leather. Instead I’m trying to provide reasoning in the hope that you’ll acknowledge (if you don’t already) that farm animals are living beings, with no choices because they have been taken away every time we eat animal products.

Make it your personal choice to choose compassion, and if you need any help with that, I’m here for you 💚

 

 

55 thoughts on “Personal Choice”

  1. Reply
    klolszewski says:

    It’s so disturbing that as humans, we feel the right to have power over everything. Factory farming was a personal choice made by someone for MONEY and they didn’t care about the hurt it’s causing these animals. Great post, Zoe!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Reply
    thewildflowerhippienl says:

    YES!! AMEN! I also think it is really weird, when people have a cat or a dog and they say that they are animal lovers. But they eat steak for dinner. How can you eat animals if you love them?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      I completely share those feelings with you. I do struggle to understand people and I find they normally mean that they love cats, dogs, etc. but they forget to say that they don’t love cows, pigs, etc. (although we all know that you can not love every animal and not kill them).

      Thanks for your mega comment and sharing your thoughts with me 💚

      Like

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Hi Arielle. I love that you love your cat, it shows you have a lot of compassion for animals. It’s just advertising industries have done a great job in telling you that a farm animal can have a ‘humane’ life and death. As I said to Jeff, I’d really be interested in what you thought about a previous article I wrote: https://thecrumbyvegan.com/2017/12/18/the-humane-christmas-tale/

      Anyway I don’t want to push you to hard on the topic as I can imagine it may be a sensitive one if you have made such a strong connection with your cat and you might not be comfortable with talking about what goes on in farms – I can totally understand that.

      I’d love to hear more about your cat one day though, I also love cats! 💚

      Like

  7. Reply
    Adriana Martin says:

    I think that we live in a world of choices and we all have the right to decide our own lifestyle. I am not vegetarian though we eat a lot of veggies as we love them. Respect your point of view and expect my non vegetarianism to be respected too.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Adriana you are absolutely right, us humans (depending on where we are born) have a world full of choices, however the animals don’t. We take them away… That’s not something I am proud of. We pride ourselves on being a species of heroes, looking after the disabled, ill, minorities… Yet we slaughter the most weak and innocent of all: the animals.

      I have to respect your choice to eat animals but I don’t agree with it. Also I remember your most recent blog post talking about having diabetes in your family, I would highly recommend looking into veganism as there is a very strong connection between animal products and diabetes. A good place to start would be watching the documentary ‘What The Health’ if you haven’t already.

      I think we differ in a lot of ways, although I think it’s wonderful that you love veggies – that I can absolutely agree with you on 🙂 💚

      Like

  9. Reply
    msmamabean says:

    Thanks for bringing this up, I guess we all know how bad some of these places can be, but choose to ignore it or just hope it isn’t true. Well we all know they are, so we have to be careful where we buy our food so that we aren’t encouraging unethical practices.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Such a wonderful comment 🙂

      I don’t think there are ethical practices when killing animals, but you are so right about people hoping the suffering doesn’t go on. We can all turn a blind eye when it’s convenient, especially when it allows us to avoid thinking about bad things and having to do something about them. I really appreciate your honesty 💚

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Reply
    Kam Gale says:

    This is very insightful, I think that as humans we think too much of ourselves and not enough about those around us which includes the sweet animals. This is very insightful and puts things into perspective about how we should rethink our treatment towards not only animals but also to each other. Kindness and compassion makes a huge difference! Thank you for sharing!
    xo – Kam

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Oh Kam your comment is glorious! Thank you so much 🙂

      I definitely agree that humans have this self-righteousness about them with regards to animals. The more love we have for the weaker, innocent beings (animals) then the more love we will have for ourselves.

      Thanks again, Kam! 💚

      Like

  12. Reply
    Lynne says:

    This is an interesting perspective on this topic!! As a meat eater, I do consider certain things hat you e mentioned and I appreciate the way you put it here. Thank you for this view point!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Lynne, I’m so happy to hear you say that. I find a lot of non-vegans kid themselves about what goes on (which is incredibly understandable because no one wants to think about animals suffering). It’s better to be honest rather than lie to yourself, so I appreciate your comment, thank you! 💚

      Like

  13. Reply
    Janise Burrafato says:

    Thank you for sharing your point of view. I’m a meat eater and I try to be conscious of how the animals are raised. From the perspective of quantum physics, plants are living things too. We all just have to be conscious of that as well.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      I’m not sure you need to go to the level of quantum physics to appreciate that plants are living things… BUT if that’s what is stopping you from cutting meat out of your diet (because you love plants so much!) then you’ll be happy to hear that a vegan diet causes the death of far less plants (because farm animals being fattened up eat a ton load of plants). So veganism is best for animals, plants, environment and your health – win, win, win, win 💚

      Like

  15. Reply
    Joscelyn says:

    That’s a very compelling point of view. I believe animals have feelings and personalities just like our pets. We would never think eating dogs and cats is acceptable, so why pigs and cows? My family and I are new to vegetarianism, but can already tell a difference in how good our bodies feel eating more vegetables and no dairy or meat. It’s really amazing!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Joscelyn that is such fantastic news. So wonderful that your family could do it together too. It sound likes you’re doing a great job but if you ever have any questions then feel free to ask 💚

      Like

  16. Reply
    morganmike55 says:

    I do like the idea of being vegan for health purposes but I have to disagree when it comes to eating veggies only because of the fact that we’re killing animals, I mean it’s a life cycle if we don’t kill them, another animal will. I can understand both arguments and I respect both opinions I just don’t agree is all. I’m sure you know but there are humane ways of killing animals for their meat. Great post though, everyday i’m getting closer and closer to making the step into veganism.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Thanks for this really interesting comment. I’ll reply to your points one by one 🙂

      With regards to the ‘life cycle’, I have no opinion on people killing animals and eating them if they would starve otherwise, however I have a huge issue with us killing animals just because we like the taste of them.

      Also with regards to ‘humane’, I invite you to read my article talking about the topic: https://thecrumbyvegan.com/2017/12/18/the-humane-christmas-tale/ The definition of humane is to be compassionate etc. but there is nothing compassionate about the factory farming industry – it’s all about making money unfortunately.

      Lastly, I think it’s fantastic that you’re moving slowly towards veganism. Everyone does it for their own reasons: I did it for animals, some of my friends do it for the planet and you’d probably do it for health (good choice!).

      Do you find that the less animal products you eat, the better you feel?

      Thanks again for reading and commenting! 💚

      Like

      1. morganmike55 says:

        I agree the word “humane” probably isn’t the best word to do when talking about killing animals, and I also think it’s about money. Who knows? But I do feel better not eating animal products. There’s too many unknowns that happen in between the animal being killed and appearing on the shelf in the grocery store. I’m not sure if i’m ready to go all vegan yet lol but I definitely don’t eat meat as much as I used to!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. The Crumby Vegan says:

        I agree absolutely with your comment. All the cost cutting that they do to get from farm to fridge is shocking and definitely at the expense of the consumer’s health.

        Very happy to have met you (online) and look forward to chatting in the future 💚

        Like

  17. Reply
    jenniferlynn19881 says:

    I really appreciated your sense of humor too in this post. The fact that they castrate without any pain killers or just rip them apart from their moms when they still need them, it honestly breaks my heart. It brings me to tears to just think about it. My husband and I made the switch cold turkey ( weird to call it that lol) and we love eating plant based. We will NEVER go back and I can’t imagine it either.

    We had changed our personal choice and we aren’t forcing it on others, however, my providing plant based when we host dinners, they are already considering the change.

    Loved this post and I am happy I am introduced to your lovely blog!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Ah I love your comment Jennifer, thank you!

      I think you’re absolutely right about veganism and how to help people transition, it’s so important to not be forceful. I try not to talk about veganism (apart from my blog) and I tend to find that people come and ask me questions which is nice. It’s only at this point that I find people are receptive to information, rather than forcing it down their throats haha!

      It’s lovely that you commented and I’m so happy to hear that you were able to transition with your husband, such a wonderful thing to experience together 💚

      Like

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Haha, I love your honesty Caylin! It’s people like yourself that I feel most comfortable talking with because at least I know where I stand.

      I think it’s wonderful you were open enough to reading this, especially when it might not make you feel incredible. Thanks for commenting 💚

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Reply
    All She Things says:

    There is science behind eating meat vs plants with all the food chain scenarios. I am not saying being vegan is wrong or meat-eating is an offense. I love your stance and I love how you have reasoned it out. However, I do stand against the conditions in which animals are treated for commercial purposes.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Reply
    Marya says:

    I still eat meat, and I’m not planning to give up on it anytime soon as pretty much like Caylin above, I just love chicken too much. But I think it’s great to see a different perspective about something. And I admire your commitment to stick to the cause you’re following. Stay true to yourself, and good luck! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Hi Marya 🙂 I can totally understand liking a particular food, I did too before I became vegan. Have you ever thought about giving up the foods that you don’t really care about instead?

      Thank you for the lovely words by the way 💚

      Like

  22. Reply
    Natalia says:

    I know that animals are sometimes kept in bad conditions, however I never think about that too much. Of course, it would be better if they were well treated before being served on our plates, and I cant disagree with that. However, people eat meat since they had learned how to hunt, and I’d never resign from eating meat as such. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Hi Natalia, thanks for commenting. You’re right, it would be better for animals to be treated better (but I guess we have very different opinions about that as I would prefer them to not be killed at all).

      People learned to hunt to survive, now we eat meat for very different reasons.

      However this post is all about asking non-vegans to acknocledge the farm animals, which you have done and for that I thank you 🙂 💚

      Like

  23. Reply
    Holly Lasha says:

    While I appreciate your passion and commitment…I do not agree that animals are capable of “personal choices”. They are not humans, and are not comparable to humans. That would never be a point of view that would sway me from eating meat.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      As I said in the post, I’m not trying to sway people into not eating meat.

      But regardless, you think if they had the choice to run away from the slaughter house they wouldn’t? I beg to differ (and there is plenty of video footage to show that they would). If you genuinely don’t believe it then just go to a slaughter house and see for yourself. No one wants to die and it is natural to run sway from slaughter (survival instinct) if they could… But they can’t 💚

      Like

  24. Reply
    the_sand_arena_ballerina says:

    I fall into the camp of doing my absolute best to only purchase animal products which are farmed in a humane way and eating less of it.
    I also will only ever purchase cruelty free make up and hair care products. This is a topic which often seems to get overlooked.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Ah I love the wordpress profile picture you have with a horse – you clearly love your animals 🙂

      I think it’s great that you try to do your best with regards to what meat you eat. It’s unfortunate that the factory farming industry use the word ‘humane’ in such an incorrect way though. If you’d like to know more then check out this article: https://thecrumbyvegan.com/2017/12/18/the-humane-christmas-tale/ (no bad images). There is no such thing as a humane death though unless the animals are suffering and the only way to help them is to help them to die.

      I also think it’s lovely that you make the effort with your hair care and makeup products. It’s so important! It’s people like yourself that are making cosmetic companies go vegan and cruelty-free so I thank you for your compassion 💚

      Like

  26. Reply
    dcvaughan says:

    I’ve been pescatarian for one year with, most days, being completely vegetarian. I am making some other slow changes with using plant-based milk products (I’ve hated regular milk since I was in my teens). I was never a big meat eater, but it just became a matter of “what am I even doing this for? I don’t enjoy eating meat, it’s just habit. I work in the animal welfare industry, I feel like I’m ignoring a big picture.” So boom, switched and am loving it!

    Like

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