J. Hutchman
Lang 120-007
17 September 2012
Complicity
Anger is oftentimes led by fear. A
fear of loss, a fear of no security, a fear of tragic events. In order to
protect the convictions one loves, there is a response of defensiveness, which
can create further disagreements.
In the eyes of some people, vegetarianism comes from the protection and love of
animals. In
others, the choice of vegetarianism comes from wanting to lose weight or join a
popular trend. If there were to
be a combination of both concern for the animals and health, then there would
be a more effective outcome.
The people who were vegetarians would better the representation of the
lifestyle, would not give in
to eating meat easily, and they would be more active in the vegetarian
community.
The representation of a vegetarian
can be better supported and extrapolated by a dedicated vegetarian
as opposed to one who is not dedicated to the decision. If a vegetarian is at
school and one of their
classmates asks them why they chose to make the dietary decision, then they can
support their reasoning
because they will have a true reasoning plus they may have done research in
advance. For instance
whenever I am personally asked about being vegetarian and how the choice came
about, I respond
to people by saying that I want to help out animals and also I have researched
how my not eating meat
saves at least 10,000 animals every year. Sometimes, there are people who are
curious about choosing
a vegetarian lifestyle themselves and want to know more about how their efforts
will really change
the animal’s lives. They may be ignorant of how the animals are caged up
tightly, their bodies are manipulated
by hormones, and that the animals are bred just to be killed for packaged meat
products. If an individual
is at least educated on these facts, then they may reconsider how important
eating meat really is.
A very influential and intelligent
vegetarian was Ralph Waldo Emerson. He used his unique orator
status and forward thinking to express the reality of tortured animals. Though
he lived over one hundred
years ago, he was still able to present the importance of vegetarianism within
the 19th century. He once
said, “You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is
concealed in the graceful
distance of miles, there is complicity” (Vegetarian). One could argue that his
tone was harsh, but with a
dignified value to get the point across. Animals were being harmed so that
other people could simply
overlook the process by which the food ended up on their plates. Ralph Waldo
Emerson represents a
vegetarian who was creative in telling people about this issue, and was also
conservative when presenting
his ideas.
If
non-dedicated vegetarians are asked why they have chosen the selfless path of eating,
they may respond
by saying it is great for their diet and that it will impress others. Their
motives are only to look attractive,
not to protect an innocent baby cow. Once the motives are presented,
vegetarians will not be taken
seriously for their efforts. The people who are curious to make the same life
decision will not be as informed
about what being a vegetarian really means. As a result, they may be led to
believe that all
vegetarians act this way and are not as serious about the mission they are on
to protect animals.
Megan Fox is an actress who makes
her veganism very public, but she also informs people that she does
so in order to stay skinny. Recently she stopped becoming a vegan because she
was scaring people
with her weight and she was about to have a baby. Megan Fox has not been known
to talk about the
animals or how to help them, which may only lead other people to vegetarianism
to lose weight. Many people
desire to look like her or embody her, so they will take similar steps. The
cycle of not paying attention
to the animals will continue without the proper information, which Megan Fox
could provide. Not only
is she not able to promote the true meaning of vegetarianism, but she also
gives it up the second her
lifestyle no longer consists of being attractive all of the time. The
representation of a vegan or vegetarian
is then shown as being inconsistent and all about the vegetarian’s needs.
People who are knowledgeable of
their beliefs or convictions are more likely to stay true to them as
opposed to becoming uninterested after a short while. Since vegetarians are
cutting out meat for the sake of
another organism, they have the thought seared into their mind about what
happens to the animal in order
to receive meat to eat. As a result they will not be as tempted to eat the
animal byproducts and will
stick with the lifestyle for a long time, if not their entire life. True
vegetarians will also be less likely to be
okay with having the smallest amount of meat on accident or be “half
vegetarians.” In other words, they
will never simply put in half of the dedication just because they are craving
some bacon on a Saturday
morning. Many of the vegetarians that I have known who are not truly making the
choice for the animals
and only for weight loss, can only stick with it for a month. They try over and
over again to start back up,
but they can never be fully committed. This only proves the idea that false
vegetarians will not stick
with the choice to give their own desires up for the love of another being on
this earth.
One of the greatest supporters of
PETA is Alicia Silverstone, who has been a vegetarian for twenty
years now. She has been active in the community be being a part of PETA and she
also wrote a book
called The Kind Diet. Alicia is
greatly knowledgeable of the lifestyle, and then reports that to people around
the world. Since she has the dedication to activities, she is also extremely
dedicated to sticking with the
vegetarian lifestyle. If more vegetarians were like her, then they would also
have the same strong hold
against the temptations. They would have constant reminders of why they do what
they do for the animals,
just like Alicia.
Since the non-true vegetarians
cannot stay committed to the strict diet or back up their decision with
honest support, then they will be even less obliged to do further work within
the vegetarian community.
Many animal support groups such as PETA and Mercy for Animals create protests
and petitions
worldwide for the protection of animals. The groups are filled with people who
not only want to make a
difference in their own eating habits, but they also want the rest of the world
to know about how animals
are mistreated. They are not staying on the sidelines and limiting the number
of animals they could
actually be helping. I myself am part of both of these animal organizations and
I also tried to set up a
vegetarian club at my old school. I tried to create petitions, talk to people
about the importance of being a
vegetarian, and created banners which informed people of simple facts about
vegetarianism. The facts included
statistics such as how many animals are saved, how the animals are emotionally
affected, and how
one’s diet can be changed overall. Not only have I made the decision of not
eating meat for eight years,
but I am also trying to reach out to as many people as I can. The help is all
about the numbers and not
about the reputation which goes along with it.
The most effective solution to
increase the number of vegetarians is by gaining support from people
who can spread the information internationally. In an ironic way, popular
celebrities, people on the internet,
and politicians can provide the correct information in order to save more
animals. Every vegetarian
saves at least one animal, and every vegetarian will make a difference. Kellin
Quinn, the lead singer
of the band Sleeping With Sirens, is a vegetarian and he also has a great fan
base. He is setting the example
of someone who not only makes the strict life decision, but promotes it to
others. Kellin Quinn is able to
be the megaphone for every vegetarian who cannot reach every person across the
world. With the help of touring
and fans, Kellin and many other celebrities provide the most beneficial
representation.
Another unique form of reaching out
to the public about vegetarianism is through social media. On
Youtube, a girl named Morgan has two channels which are dedicated to her vegan
lifestyle. She has videos
on her channel ilymorgannn which include, “Veganism, Vegetarianism, &
Superiority Complexes” and “Vlog-For
the Animals Sanctuary”. These videos demonstrate how she interacts with animals
and also
her explanation for becoming a vegan. On her other channel called
CrueltyFreeQTs, she collaborates with
her mother to discuss and review different vegan products. One of the channels
exemplifies a visual lifestyle
which others can learn from. The other provides solutions for products which
are absent due to the
decision to stick to the vegan or vegetarian path. The greatest part about
Youtube channels which have this
information is that every video is international; and people from all around
the world can become informed.
Social media sites are comprised of regular people, businesses, and
celebrities; and therefore the
perspective comes from all different types of lives. This then provides a more
broad representation of vegetarians
who can properly educate people about the lifestyle.
Vegetarianism is a choice which is
subjective, and with that comes specific obligations. The reasoning
behind that ultimate decision is what will determine how effective the lifestyle
choice actually is. Becoming
a vegetarian is more than just having people know that you are a vegetarian.
The real success
should come from knowing how one makes a difference for the animals and why
they are even making
an effort in their convictions. Having the ability to look into the sweet and
loving face of a baby cow and
knowing that its life is being saved is the most rewarding of all
opportunities. Love and compassion drive everything else, and the
knowledge, dedication, and support in the community will become
second nature in time.
Works
Cited
"Vegetarian
Quotes." Vegetarian Quotes. N.p., 23 Sept. 2000. Web. 05 Oct. 2012.
<http://choices.cs.uiuc.edu/~f-kon/vegetarian.html>.
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