Vegetarianism, and my conflicted feelings.

As I stood at the market stall running my hands across what used to be a coyote's face, I recalled my days as a vegetarian, and what it was that made me turn to the green side, and back.

I wont bore you with the details of how I became finger deep in the eyeball-holes of a fur trinket. Suffice to say that I was at a market stall at a medieval festival. I don't mind if you're considering laughing at me for going to a medieval festival, probably its an indication of why we don't talk much. (Please note, I am fully aware that I should be laughed at for visiting a medieval festival and the previous comment was purely in jest. Like a jester. At a medieval festival?) Also note that I am not entirely sure whether it was a real coyote's face, or a fake one. Although one must question the sanity of someone making a fake coyote-face-fur. Certainly all of the fur looked genuine. Perhaps I am being naive.

Anyway.
It was a stark reminder of the way I used to/kind of still feel about animals, and vegetarianism. Certainly I am opposed to fur, fundamentally I don't mind things like leather because the animals aren't being killed for their skin, they are killed for other purposes (we'll get to that) and the leather is a byproduct and might as well be used.

But when I was a vegetarian, I based my reasoning on that I thought it was the morally right thing to do. I mean, it's not fair, is it. Killing animals for our own sustinance when we can perfectly well get by without ever having to harm one.

Here, of course, comes the problem, and exactly why I don't think I can ever be a vegetarian again. There is no point. Being a vegetarian solves nothing. We're still milking cows all day, and keep battery hens for eggs.

Sorry to digress, but here is an alarming fact.
Almost 80% of eggs bought by people in supermarkets are free range. Now that's a good thing, right?
Yes it is, but we still have countless battery hens facilities in place because pretty much everything pre-made that uses eggs: cakes, breads, quiche, dough, sauces, condiments etc etc etc, are made with battery eggs.
This needs to change.

Anyway.
Vegetarians still eat dairy and eggs, thus nullifying any good they would do by not killing cows and chickens to be eaten, because even if you argue that we could just keep the chickens for eggs, but not kill any, that makes virtually 50% of the chickens born (the males) utterly useless, and they would be culled at birth, and the same for cows. You have solved nothing. As for pigs, who serve no commercial purpose other than to die and be delicious, they would practically become extinct.

Being vegan is the answer. Only suddenly it's not so easy to convince those vegetarian's who like a nice bit of cheese, or a cup of tea with milk, or some scrambled egg in the morning.

If the world decided it could cure world poverty and starvation by going vegan then sign me up, but until then, I'll enjoy my cereal without having to put some cardboard-flavoured soya rubbish on it.

By the way, I have neglected to include in this discussion, the vegetarian sub-group of "I don't eat any meat, but I eat fish".
I have left them out because this is the worst possible type of vegetarian.
Chickens, cows, pigs and lambs are farmed. Farmed to be eaten.
Fish are born free. (I know some are farmed, so shut up)

If you disagree with anything I've said, please comment. I like to argue; I like to discover new ways that I'm still right.