Does eating meat make you a hypocrite when you're fighting for animal rights?

I suppose it depends on exactly which rights one thinks they have; but generally speaking, I would say it does not. Believing that there is something wrong with torturing animals does not entail believing that they have some right to never die and be used for food. We’re all part of the cycle. Humans will die and become food for detritivores and saprotrophs just as surely as any other creature becomes food for us. That’s life—quite literally.

No, I can help animals even though I eat meat. Or would you rather I not help animals at all? It’s wrong to have a litmus test in order to accept help from someone.

I even voted for Proposition 2 in California to require humane conditions for chickens and other animals intended for food.

Be conscious of where your animal based food comes from. It’s not hypocritical to be an omnivore and work for animal rights if you try to only eat animal products that have not been factory farmed. Best bet is to buy locally from small farms where you know that the animals have been raised humanely and organically, then killed and processed humanely and cleanly. If you can’t go locally, then try to find sources that are known for the humane treatment of their food animals.
After all is said and done, however, working toward the better treatment of animals, Lab or otherwise, is a good thing, in whatever degree.

Seems it would depend on what animals rights one is defending.

If you’re fighting for them to be raised (for human consumption) in humane conditions (that is, up to the point of execution) then eating them is consistent, and not hypocritical.

If you’re fighting for them to be able to live their lives out to a natural length, i.e. not get executed, then you’ve got some cognitive dissonance going on there.

There’s animal rights and then there’s humane treatment of animals. Are you referring to the first or the latter?

No.

If you were to hunt and kill the animal yourself, and you were within your rights to do so, and you prepare it yourself, wasting nothing of the animal, then no, you’re fine, go ahead and eat it, that’s the natural order of things.

However, if you fight animal rights, and eat meat from a fast food chain or a grocery store, then yes you’re a hypocrite. (and yes, that’s the right word)

I think being an activist is better than not, but yes, if you are fighting for animals’ rights while allowing them to be killed for your own pleasure, that does make you a hypocrite.

There are worse things than hypocrisy, though.

Not necessarily, no.

I’m a huge animal lover, have led 4-H groups for poultry raising and exhibition, ( showing and breeding purebred strains not for butchering. ) I was a wildlife rehabber for 4 years and have kept many farm animal pets, including my 14 yr. old geese I raised from goslings. Chickens, which I dd not eat, but collected their eggs. I eat little meat, and do not support factory farming procedures, but, I do plenty, all on my own, including keeping my 5 acres a haven for wildlife, adopt most of my pets from animal shelters and boycott down products and goose liver pate.

The occasional pot of soup or turkey dinner does not make me feel like a hypocrite in the least. I may do more, in actual hands on terms than many strict vegans.
Pick your poison, there is plenty of it, and there are many ways to support animal ethics without giving up the occasional consumption of meat.

Well, if the animal right you are fighting for is the right to life, yeah. That would be hypocritical.

If was the right to be in soup, on the other hand…. ;-)

Yep.

I don’t think so. One can be for compassionate humane treatment of animals and recognize that it is a cyclical reality of life on this planet that life must die so that others can live.

The idea that we are humans so we have a higher moral food system than the natural system we are a part of is arrogant and delusional.

No.

What kind of animal rights are you talking about?

If you are a member of PETA you are in serious trouble not to mention a complete hypocrite. But if you are simply interested in the right of an animal to lead a good and happy life, and you eat only free range critters then by my definition, absolutely not.

It’s all in the definition I would say.

I guess it depends on the specifics of your animal rights activity. If you’re fighting to save the cows from being slaughtered and you’re eating hamburgers for dinner, then yes. You would be a hypocrite. But if you’re fighting to save sea turtles from extinction then eating chicken for dinner isn’t considered hypocrisy. So know what you’re fighting for (and why) and know what you’re eating, then you don’t have to worry about it.

Absolutely not. Domesticated animals enjoy the services of vets and regular feeding. Wild ones don’t. Often there’s far more animal suffering in the wilderness.

@mattbrowne Good point. A friend came back from a visit to India. He said he saw more sick and disease cows than he thought possible.

@Adirondackwannabe When I was traveling in asia 2 years ago EVERY street dog was covered in mange. Hideous. Tropical dogs are a mess in those warm, humid climates.

Whoa, I agree that some wild animals and semi domesticated dogs have rough lives but I don’t think it is anywhere as bad as the chickens in battery farms and sheep and cattle packed so tightly they can’t fall down on road trains and ships. Not to mention the way the cattle is slaughtered once it gets to Indonesia and the religious ceremonies begin. And I don’t think they see much of the vet but they do get lots of antibiotics mixed in with their regular feedings so that they can survive the crowded sickening conditions of factory farming.

@rooeytoo Yes, the world abounds in suffering, but all we can do is our own little part. If we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed then we become paralyzed. Whenever I find my thoughts wandering towards the incomprehensible miseries of the world I remind myself that I have and continue to do my part in the ways I am able. That’s all we can do. :-)

Right now it is an amazing 70 something degrees and my geese are strolling around the lawn and I have a magnificent buck napping on the grass while the cats bask in the sun.
The horses are rolling around in the sunshine, the sheep are resting under the trees and all’s right in my little corner of the animal planet right now and it makes me smile.

@Coloma – I agree with that view of life. I can only do what I can do. But I don’t think that animals in the wild necessarily suffer more nor do I believe that domesticated meaning factory farmed for food production animals have a good life just because they have antibiotics poured into them

@rooeytoo Agreed. :-)

Yes, @rooeytoo, therefore we reject buying eggs or meat from factory farming. The problem is that not all people can afford this. So there’s still a demand for factory farming. The solution is to raise the standard of living for everybody instead of giving tax cuts to millionaires.

@mattbrowne -you said “Domesticated animals enjoy the services of vets and regular feeding. Wild ones don’t. Often there’s far more animal suffering in the wilderness.” I find that to be an incorrect statement. And based on that I made the comments I did.

I think it is a hell of a stretch to assume that all people would buy free range if tax cuts to millionaires were curtailed. It’s a bit more complicated than that. Is that what they do in Germany, do you not have factory farming there?

@rooeytoo – Why is the statement about the wilderness incorrect? And why wouldn’t people buy meat, eggs and dairy products from farms that treat animals well once they are aware of abuse and once they can afford it? The demand for such products skyrocketed over here. More and more EU laws are put in place to combat factory farming. It’s not easy and the agriculture lobby is strong. In Germany factory farming is on the retreat and we will see the day when it’s completely gone in the near future. It can be done. Child labor is gone too. I believe in the good in people and I believe in progress.

The wildlife fare well on my little mountain. I tossed out 3 leftover chicken breasts last night, in the “spot.” Not a trace this morning. Some lucky Fox, Raccoon, Skunk or Coyote had a nice meal over here last night. :-) All of my leftovers go into the woods.

@mattbrowne – I have spent a fair bit of time in the wild, I just returned from 6 years living very remotely. I saw animals involved in their carnivorous pursuits which does involve suffering for the one who is to be dinner. And I know there is starvation among those creatures who have been displaced because of human encroachment. But when an animal in the wild becomes sick it usually dies quickly or is dispatched quickly by a predator.

Whereas those living in factory farms have a total existence that includes suffering and deprivation. Battery chickens never see the light of day or feel grass under their feet, their beaks are removed, they are pathetic things, same sort of deprivation is true in hog farms and veal as well.

I have never seen groups of animals suffer like that in the wild.

I believe in the good of people as well but to make a blanket generalization that all will buy free range when millionaires cease receiving tax cuts is a stretch, I don’t see a link between the 2. I think you were using the question to promote your brand of politics. And really now we went from eating meat to child labor, I can’t keep up with your changes of subject.

@ coloma – good on ya, nothing goes to waste here either, it is recycled through the dogs or birds or compost!

Well, one reason most animals have triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, sextuplets, heptuplets, octuplets, nontuplets, decuplets or even more, is that most of their offspring die an early death. There might be a good year followed by a harsh winter. There’s sickness. There’s lots of suffering. There’s ruthless competition. It’s part of nature.

Farmer can’t afford to lose the offspring. Ethical farmers care for their animals.

Yes, there is unethical farming and we need to put an end to this.

okay okay, I bow to your obviously greater knowledge and intellect.