Hypothetically Speaking

[lilouisianagal]

What if everyone became a vegetarian?

[CavySpirit]

If you have a problem with vegetarianism, THIS ISN'T THE FORUM FOR YOU.

[lilouisianagal]

CavySpirit-
I DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH VEGETARIANISM ---I AM A VEGETARIAN!!! I am asking what would happen to all of the animals if everyone became a vegetarian.

[CavySpirit]

Why? .........

[lilouisianagal]

Because I was thinking on it. I mean think about it. If no one ate any meat or used any animal product, then farmers would certainly quit keeping them (and killing them YAY). If it were to all happen at once I wonder what would happen to all of those animals/carcases/meat? But would the cow, the chicken, the sheep, the pig, etc survive? I think that they may be used for showing, but is that based still on the meat industry?

[GuineasGalore]

ooh they could sell the little animals cheap for pets and i would keep flocks of sheep and goats in my big backyard!! =

[cinn&sprinslave]

Well for one the world will never stop using meat because our pets Cats and Dogs for example need meat in their pet food to survive.

[loves2travel]

well, lillouisangel, there is NO WAY that everybody in the world is going to become vegetarian. simply no way. at least not in this life time. so thinking about the answer to that question is almost as ridiculous as deciding what we would do with our huge c&c cages if one day all the guinea pigs in the world sprouted into fruitless beanstalks.

Its not going to happen, so discussing it "hypothetically" is sort of pointless.

[Piglet]

She was just asking!

[Treen]

It's just supply and demand - there are only so many animals bred to be butchered because the supply (i.e. people wanting to eat them) is there. If everyone stopped eating them, the animals that are alive already would eventually die out, and the breeding programs would have been altered or phased out in the meantime.

[lilouisianagal]

Thank you Piglet. And thank you Treen, that was more the direction I was heading. I'm not stupid or anything I do realize that the world is not going to *poof* all become vegetarians tomorrow (or ever for that matter). My point is that if you are pushing for everyone to do something (ie stop eating meat) that you should think about the consequences if you were to actually succeed. I was pondering over whether anyone would keep these animals (to any significan degree) if it were not for profit.

[Faunn]

...This is a little off topic but, isn't a vegan someone who doesn't eat any animal product? I am, I could say, part vegitarian. I do eat (and drink) animal products, but NO meat. poor cows...and sheep, and pigs... One other thing off: Don't guinea pigs remind you of pigs and sheep. When I watched the 'Meet your meat' video, I thought, 'Who, guinea pigs must be a strnage hybrid of pigs and sheep: The talk like piggy's and they are built to graze.' Just to say...

[TinaFabulous]

I dont think it was a pointless question, she was making a point that if everyone stoped eating meat there would be less animals killed and if everyone became vegan there would be a reason for anyone to kill any animal.

I liked this topic, and I reallly dont get why some of you were so rude to her, if you think a topics "stupid" then dont post on it.

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by lilouisianagal

What if everyone became a vegetarian?

I was wondering if vegetarians realized that humans evolved when they started hunting animals because they had to think of the most effective ways to catch their prey. Can you deny thousands of years of evolution?

[CavySpirit]

"humans evolved when they started hunting animals because they had to think of the most effective ways to catch their prey."

Care to quote the scientific research that supports that claim?

[lilouisianagal]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

I was wondering if vegetarians realized that humans evolved when they started hunting animals because they had to think of the most effective ways to catch their prey. Can you deny thousands of years of evolution?

Yes, Rocinante, we have developed as a people who eat meat, but at this point in time is it really neccessary? It would be more cost effective per acre if we were to grow soy, which when properly prepared is nearly indisinguishable from animal products, though so much healthier. As a nation struggling with heath and obesity, why do we insist on the less cost effective and more damaging method of obtaining protein? I find the neccessity for meat and animal products understandable in third world and developing countries, because most of their populations need the added fats and nutrition contained in animal meat.

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by CavySpirit

"humans evolved when they started hunting animals because they had to think of the most effective ways to catch their prey."

Care to quote the scientific research that supports that claim?

Any book on anthropology will do.

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by lilouisianagal

Yes, Rocinante, we have developed as a people who eat meat, but at this point in time is it really neccessary? It would be more cost effective per acre if we were to grow soy, which when properly prepared is nearly indisinguishable from animal products, though so much healthier. As a nation struggling with heath and obesity, why do we insist on the less cost effective and more damaging method of obtaining protein? I find the neccessity for meat and animal products understandable in third world and developing countries, because most of their populations need the added fats and nutrition contained in animal meat.

I don't know if it is still necessary to eat meat. Wasn't there a recent case where parents caused their infant child medical problems by putting him on a strict vegeterian diet?