The Supply and Demand of "Happy Meat"

[Tim Gier]

On the one hand we're told that if we burn down slaughterhouses today and do nothing to change demand that more slaughterhouses will open tomorrow. We're told that those who slaughter chickens would be just as happy to grow bananas if by doing so they could earn the same return on their investments. We're told that it's not a supply problem, it's a problem of demand.

On the other hand we're told that it is because exploiters and their partners in the animal advocacy movement are promoting and supplying "happy meat" that people are eating it, and more important, that because this myth of "happy meat" is being foisted on a confused public that people who otherwise would have been vegan won't be and many of those who are now vegan will stop being so.

So which is it? Do those who supply the products to market want to sell what they produce and want and try desperately for us to buy it, or are those who produce the things we eat simply responded to the demand of a hungry public, and if it weren't for them, we'd just buy what we want elsewhere?

[Tim Gier]

This article, reporting on a study about the detrimental effects of advertising, is what got me thinking about this. http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/1170861/advertising_...

[Monica Nilsen]

As long as people eat meat, and they will continue doing so (at least for a long time to come), I prefere the animals have a life with less suffering even if they are going to be killed for meat in the end. And actually I think they would prefere a 'good' life as long as they live rather than hell from time being born to time being killed if they could choose. As a human, if I was going to be killed I rather have a happy life while living than a shitty life. ( I'm going to die anyway so I might as well live in hell? no, don't think so ) Life is NOW, shouldn't we assume animals prefere NOW to be good rather than horrible? 

   People are not going to stop eating meat over night - going vegan - because it's unethical. Most people don't find it unethical eating meat, I don't think people who choose ecological eggs / meat would go vegan if there were no ecological choise. Even thou I would love my family and friends to go vegan, well they don't. They do belive it's ok to eat animals, eggs, milk...  But, most of them agree animals shouldn't be treated so bad, and slowly there are small changes,  -for instans some eat less meat and some now only buy ecological eggs. Well, you can argue that male chick still get killed, (yes they do and of course I don't support that), but I think the egg laying HEN herself would prefer this life rather than living in a small cage. And those people would buy their eggs anyway.

    It must be possible doing both, while the goal is ending animal holocaust we work on giving animals better lives now, for we must not forget all animalsuffering going on right now. It doesn't help them saying :'this is wrong, all slaughterhoses must close, I will not work for welfare because i belive there should be no slaughterhouses.'  This mental prosess among people will take time,  and giving animals more respect trough laws might give people time to change their belives, hopefully.

      

         Personally I think we should work more on humans, we are so overpopulated so there is time for birthcontrol. This is usually a tabu, but we all know that less humans gives less pollution and less animal suffering. The world would be a better place, but that's another discussion..