Are those that eat meat and are aware of the arguments for vegetarianism bad people?

So here is a question.  

I am currently eating a steak.  It came from a dead animal - one who most likely didn't have the greatest life, one could say suffered - One could go so far as to say the animal I am eating used to live a life of torture.  

I am perfectly well aware of the arguments for not eating meat.  The arguments against animal abuse.  I have watched the videos of animals being slaughtered because I wanted information to make an informed opinion.  

It wouldn't be a lie for me to admit that I agree with all the arguments from the non meat eater/vegetarian crowd.  I agree with them almost completely.  That the animals do in fact suffer more than they should.  

But honestly - eating this steak makes me feel good.  I enjoy chewing it, tasting it - the red and bloody steak it becomes with butter and pepper.  It's delicious to me.  

I guess it's more that I just don't care about the suffering the animals enough for me to give up my delicious steak.  Or veal chop.  Or rack of lamb.  

What say you, rational minds?  Am I a 'bad person' for admitting that the arguments make sense and yet I choose to simply ignore them for my own one could say - selfish and short-term desires?  

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Permalink Reply by _Robert_ on May 5, 2013 at 5:52am

no, but you should cue a bit of common sense or lets all be just happy with insane health care costs and crappy insurance.

Permalink Reply by _Robert_ on May 5, 2013 at 6:30am

It's child abuse, plain and simple.

Permalink Reply by Richard E. Robertson on May 5, 2013 at 2:54pm

The arguments you are responding to are purely emotional ones, not intellectual ones. This is a form of propaganda manipulating you through your sense of empathy. The fact that you enjoy eating meat does not make you a "bad person". You are a human being. Human beings are omnivorous animals and omnivorous animals eat meat. Meat eating animals aren't "bad" because they desire to eat meat. 

What you are calling "arguments that makes sense" are simply emotional appeals - they "feel" correct. This is a tactic of theists to "prove" the exist of their pet deity/deities. And they are attacking you by triggering feelings of self-hatred (guilt). In short they are manipulating you into attacking yourself. Don't feel guilty - get angry! These people who did this too you are abusing you and what they did was no less worse than what you saw being done to other animals in those videos; in fact it may be even more so (subjectively).

Permalink Reply by mary bottoms on May 5, 2013 at 3:11pm

The answer to that question is deciedly NO. You have a perfect right to eat meat. I've met some vegetarians who did not like hearing about meat eating per se. After giving her comments, my brother mentioned that he had recently returned  from a black powder hunt with a wild boar. He went into great detail. At the time, he needed the meat to survive.

This happened at a New Year's eve party. Though  my brother did not intend to gross her out, he had a right to speak and follow his own precepts. The young lady did appear a bit affected, but not horribly so.

 

Permalink Reply by John Major on March 1, 2014 at 3:56am
People used to have a perfect right to keep slaves too. The entitlement doesn't enter into it. People who used to keep slaves and who felt bad about it, we're wrong.
Permalink Reply by futilethewinds on May 5, 2013 at 3:17pm

I personally rarely see people as good or bad (or evil), just their actions. The action of eating meat, especially with full knowledge of why one should not, is wrong.

Permalink Reply by Richard E. Robertson on May 5, 2013 at 4:16pm

Except in this case no argument has been given why it is wrong - just emotional propaganda. "Why it is wrong" is question begging.

Permalink Reply by John Major on February 28, 2014 at 4:54pm
If by bad, you mean doing something that you know you shouldn't, then yes, you're bad. The tension between doing the right thing and making yourself happy is less easily resolved by atheists. Like the vast majority, you set aside what you know to be wrong to satiate selfish desires.
Permalink Reply by SteveInCO on February 28, 2014 at 11:17pm

The question in the title makes the assumption that if you are "aware" of the arguments, you will necessarily be compelled to agree with them, and that the ONLY reason you won't then become a vegan is because you are bad.  It leaves no room for the possibility that you might disagree with the argument.

Pretty arrogant.  Here, try this one, same tactic.  "You've heard my arguments for Jesus, so since you aren't a Christian you deserve to go to Hell."

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