obtained from http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=grill
I had originally wanted to type a post about my Bali vacation, but something killed my mood and now I'm compelled to blog about it. I got the link of this website from Xiaxue's blog, and found myself rolling my eyes 70% of the time spent reading what this guy wrote.
I was looking over a menu in a restaurant the other day when I saw a section for vegetarians; I thought to myself "boy, I sure am glad that I'm not a meat-hating fascist"
You know someone's obviously looking for trouble when he starts an article like that. Visually, this translates into the image of a scrawny teenage punk doing the "360 degree" (according to my cousin Xin Yi, that's the proper name of the swagger thingy that makes Ah Bengs walk like they have flea-infested balls.) while shouting to random innocent people, 'Eh! you stare what stare! Want to fight is it? Can! I can fight! I can fight 'cos I am strong! Come lah!' Obviously, all he gets are people ignoring him, shaking their heads in disgust/amusement/sympathy. Personally, I would choose the latter but more about that on another day. Lesson 1: if you want to sound convincing in a speech or article, don't shoot yourself in the leg before you even begin. Let's look at another lovely quote:
What pisses me off so much about this phrase is the sheer narrow-mindedness of these stuck up vegetarian assholes. You think you're saving the world by eating a tofu-burger and sticking to a diet of grains and berries?
Woah hohoho. Looks like somebody's getting wound up! My immediate immature reaction to this was "well, at least we actually get shit passing through our 'stuck up vegetarian assholes', you constantly constipated, carcinogen-ridden, artery-clogged dirtbag!" However, let us read on before I make further comments.
Well here's something that not many vegetarians know (or care to acknowledge): every year millions of animals are killed by wheat and soy bean combines during harvesting season (source). Oh yeah, go on and on for hours about how all of us meat eaters are going to hell for having a steak, but conveniently ignore the fact that each year millions of mice, rabbits, snakes, skunks, possums, squirrels, gophers and rats are ruthlessly murdered as a direct result of YOUR dieting habits. What's that? I'm sorry, I don't hear any more elitist banter from you pompous cocks. Could it be because your shit has been RUINED?
That's right: the gloves have come off. The vegetarian response to this embarrassing fact is "well, at least we're not killing intentionally." So let me get this straight; not only are animals ruthlessly being murdered as a direct result of your diet, but you're not even using the meat of the animals YOU kill? At least we're eating the animals we kill (and although we also contribute to the slaughter of animals during grain harvesting, keep in mind that we're not the ones with a moral qualm about it), not just leaving them to rot in a field somewhere. That makes you just as morally repugnant than any meat-eater any day. Not only that, but you're killing free-roaming animals, not animals that were raised for feed. Their bodies get mangled in the combine's machinery, bones crushed, and you have the audacity to point fingers at the meat industry for humanely punching a spike through a cow's neck? If you think that tofu burgers come at no cost to animals or the environment, guess again.
If there's one thing I hate, it's a narrow-minded, anal, self-righteous person who doesn't tolerate the existence of any other set of beliefs other than his own. Yes, extremist religious fanatics who give me shit like "I want to save you" or "there is no God other than mine", I'm talking to you as well. I'm not defending vegetarianism or my own beliefs, nor am I gonna adopt some holier-than-thou stand to criticise meat-eaters and assert the moral superiority of vegetarians in comparison to those who love meat. A vegetarian who, for instance, takes delight in grossing out his meat-loving friends and relatives with gory details about the factory farming industry while dining at social/family gatherings (read: freaking inappropriate.) or one who hurls abuse others just because they eat meat will annoy me as much as a meat lover who criticises the HELL out of vegetarians just because he happens to have a few counter-arguements on his side. It's really interesting to see how Mr Maddox (that's his name) seems to be turning his article into an argumentative monologue, complete with insults and allegations. Can you spell 'unnecessary'? On the other hand, I let my empathy kick in and give him the benefit of the doubt. I mean, maybe he had a particularly traumatising run-in with a bunch of celery-worshipping droids, maybe he's sick of all the anti-meat/anti-fur/anti-leather campaigns and marches that are oh so common in the States. Maybe one of those people insulted his mother. Or maybe his uncle's wife's cousin's sister-in-law's brother got knifed for eating -gasps- not one but TWO hotdogs in Las Vegas, and last but not least, maybe the last girl he dated was a massive two-timing biatch - who also happened to be vegetarian, duh. Really, the possibilities are endless.
The vegetarian response to this embarrassing fact is "well, at least we're not killing intentionally." Since when is the knowledge that every year millions of animals are killed by wheat and soy bean combines during harvesting season 'embarrassing'? For your information, Mister Maddox, most vegetarians are usually animal rights activists and vegetarianism is just ONE of the ways such people try to reduce and/or prevent animal sufferring or cruelty. Kindly do not marginalise all of us as stuck up individuals who take the moral high ground and berate meat eaters while proudly boasting about how "guiltless" we are. Boo to those obsessesed vegetarians who are - I cannot stress this enough- a MINORITY, of course. And get this, genius: many vegetarians know that animals get killed by accident during crop harvesting and there are projects by PETA and other animal rights organisations to reduce this. Lesson 2: always look at both sides of an argument. More monologue gems...I think my eyeballs are dizzy from all that rolling.
That suddenly makes you innocent? I guess we should let drunk drivers off the hook too since they don't kill intentionally either, right? There's no way out of this one. The only option left for you dipshits is to buy some land, plant and pick your own crops. Impractical? Yeah, well, so is your stupid diet.
It gets worse...
Even if combines aren't used to harvest your food, you think that buying fruits and vegetables (organic or otherwise) is any better? How do you think they get rid of bugs that eat crops in large fields? You think they just put up signs and ask parasites to politely go somewhere else? Actually, I wouldn't put that suggestion past you hippies.
Now he's just being plain rude. Newsflash, smart boy! Modern societies are made up of all sorts of races and religions of people who have various beliefs which they hold close to their hearts. Vegetarians have their own beliefs too...apart from the extremists (m-i-n-o-r-i-t-y) nobody's saying that everyone should go vegetarian because it's The Right Thing. A characteristic of a civilised modern society is a fabric woven out of a myraid of cultures and outlooks, i.e. you don't go round labelling people as "vegetarians" or "meat-eaters". You don't see an African-American guy and yell out "Yo Nigga!" don't you? Hippies. Ouch, that, like, really hurts. Peace, maaan.
His attempts to justify his meat-loving habits by refuting many things vegetarians mention while advocating their practices contradict the intentions he seems to be establishing in the first place. Mr Maddox doesn't like vegetarians 'cos they're self-righteous, self-justifying, tight-assed and mean shits, boo hoo hoo. So why is he acting like the sort of person he despises? I'm absolutely increduled by the statement 'humanely punching a spike through a cow's neck', and I sure as hell won't want to be exposed to the rest of this guy's moral universe. Or hear him stage another monolugue titled, for example, "Torture: Skinning alive vs. Electric shocks to the balls; which is more humane?"
Who the hell defines what a so-called 'lesser evil' is anyway? I don't understand why people like Maddox insist on finding ways to assert their practices/religions/customs etc. are better than others, when really, it's up to the individual to decide what he wants to believe in. Nobody's denying that little critters get smushed up by harvesters and tractors, nobody's denying that the tiny buggie-wuggies that eat our crops die terrible spasmic deaths upon exposure to pesticides. Hell, there're even studies which apparently show that plants have feelings and may perhaps be able to feel pain. Go and google 'plants have feelings' and see what you get. All these are as real as the sufferring animals go through while being raised in factory farms and during trips to the slaughter houses, how they struggle and thrash about while squealing/mooing/squawking etc. in pain while workers at slaughter houses humanely *snort* decapitate them/break their necks/poke them with electric prods/slit their necks. It would be ignorant and ridiculous to insist that you are always right when you don't know about anything else, wouldn't it? With knowledge (reading widely about various stuff, obviously.) acquired, people can hence make informed choices. The keyword is CHOICE! We make choices all the time. You choose delicious cheesecake over your bulging waistline. Your desire for convenience makes you choose driving to the mall, which may just be 10 minute walk away (in the case of my Mum.). You know about animals sufferring, but still choose to eat meat 'cos your love for meat triumphs over your sense of empathy. It's as simple as that. No, I'm not saying you're heartless...it's your right to make a choice. Just don't expect everyone else to think and behave like you do, and don't get all overly-defensive and aggressive when they don't.
Then some of you throw out claims that "we are trying to limit the suffering." How about you limit MY suffering and shut the hell up about your stupid diet for a change; nobody cares. Even if the number of animals that die in combine deaths every year isn't in the millions, even if it's just one, are you suggesting that the life of one baby rabbit isn't worth saving? Are you placing a value on life? Enjoy your tofu, murderers.
Nobody cares, Mr Maddox? Think again. Check out the intentions, baby: limit HIS suffering. Ahhh...so it's all about him (I knew I was getting somewhere with that ex-girlfriend hypothesis..hehehe.) and his silly ranting. Congratulations, Mr Maddox, for you have shot yourself in the leg for the squillionth time. "are you suggesting that the life of one baby rabbit isn't worth saving" - isn't this contradictory? I mean, so you pity the poor little fuzzy thingy, vegetarians are bigass bullies who have double standards yadayadayada...and you eat..........what? Say it, you twit. I see no reason in continuing the rest of that particular point. Lesson 3: Don't shoot yourself - again!
Poor guy. Maybe he should cool down, lay off the dairy and meat for a bit, and have a refreshing bowl of salad. That should soothe his frazzled nerves and allow him to think more clearly. Check out PETA's reply to his article and his immaturity and flawed logic becomes more evident. Cheers.
I had originally wanted to type a post about my Bali vacation, but something killed my mood and now I'm compelled to blog about it. I got the link of this website from Xiaxue's blog, and found myself rolling my eyes 70% of the time spent reading what this guy wrote.