Russell: Defending vegetarianism: Rebuttals to common arguments

Yes, I’m a vegetarian. And, no, I don’t tell this to everyone I meet within moments of introducing myself. The stereotype of vegans and vegetarians being overzealous hippies has never accurately described anyone I’ve personally met who share my views. In fact, I’ve had more aggression directed at me for my diet than I’ve ever reciprocated toward anyone else. Aside from being predictable and annoying, these conversations have made me wonder why people find my decision to not eat meat so offensive or ridiculous.

So, in anticipation of these frequently echoed arguments, I’ve listed my a priori rebuttals.

“Your lack of meat consumption has a minimal — or zero — effect on the number of animals slaughtered each year.”

It’s true that only 5 percent of Americans identify as vegetarians and just 2 percent as vegans, which, unfortunately, means that our impact on the meat industry is minimal. But those who say the effect is nonexistent don’t understand the basic concept of supply and demand. According to information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Census Bureau, a vegetarian saves more than 30 land animals each year. Again, it’s not much, but it’s something. 

But even if being a vegetarian did have zero impact on the number of animals slaughtered each year, not eating meat is a personal moral decision. I know that the cow that contributed to the hamburger at Five Guys has been dead for awhile now and that the damage is done, but that doesn’t change the fact that eating a product that came from a living animal killed for my consumption is morally reprehensible. With that logic, there would be no reason not to participate in cannibalism or to refrain from defiling a dead human body, either. It’s about being able to live with yourself when you support behavior that you believe is wrong.

“Being a vegan or vegetarian is unhealthy.”

There’s a heated debate in the medical and scientific communities as to whether or not vegan-vegetarian diets are healthy. Since the majority of grocery stores and restaurants cater to carnivorous diets, it’s more difficult to maintain a balanced diet with the options available. This is where a lot of novice vegans and vegetarians go wrong: They don’t supplement. They simply go without protein, calcium, essential amino acids and other nutrients most people obtain from meat and animal products. A grain-based diet can account for all the nutrients necessary for health. You just have to do your research and pay closer attention to what you’re putting in your body. In the meantime, supplements can be a big help in making sure you’re meeting all of your body’s needs.

As an added debate point: There are plenty of unhealthy carnivorous diets that don’t seem to attract the same animosity. Non-vegans and non-vegetarians are never asked about their protein intake. There are athletes and bodybuilders who are able to sustain healthy lifestyles on strict vegan diets. It’s difficult, sure, but not impossible.  

“Evolution has conditioned us for a carnivorous diet.”

This is an argument I usually hear from students who have taken Introduction to Evolutionary Theory and have, overnight, become Darwin scholars. It’s well-known that there is no scientific basis behind arguments such as these. For example, men are not “naturally” more inclined toward infidelity because of evolutionary history. The great thing about evolution is that it didn’t stop in the caveman era. Moreover, a study published in a 2010 edition of Social Psychology Quarterly supported a theory that intelligent people are more likely to adopt evolutionarily novel preferences and values. In other words, exhibiting behaviors similar to your ancestors is not necessarily something to be proud of.

We live in a world that makes it easy to remain ignorant about immorality behind the scenes. Individual choices won’t change the world by themselves, but bridging the gap in understanding can be a step toward a public movement for real political reform. Perhaps confronting the way we treat animals can also prevent callousness in matters that affect our own species.