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Editor:
On the matter of veganism, while I can understand the merits of eating less meat and supporting local, organic, responsible producers is great for the health of the planet, I would like to offer a word of caution: telling people how they should nourish their bodies is not a good look.
I'm referring to "Hypocrisy Now," which ran in the Green Issue (April 20). If I had a dollar for every vegan I've heard preach the values of their way of living, I would be able to singlehandedly preserve all the land in the world being lost to huge commercial animal farms.
Humans are not evolved to eat all vegan diets. (Please don't say that it's fine because apes do it. We are not apes, by the way.) There is so much evidence of this, not just based on science, but also on millennia of human history. Yes, of course, we should drastically cut down on meat. Meat should be nothing but sprinkles. Perhaps in the future we will evolve to be vegans in a way that supports our bodies, but that doesn't happen over night. In the meantime, feel free to quit telling me what's best for my body. People have different requirements. I don't mind that you're vegan and I'm glad it works for you and your body's specific needs, but please stop with the assumptions that everyone is like you.
Instead of entirely turning one's back on the problem, i.e. industrial agriculture, like it's going to solve the problem, why not support those local producers who farm responsibly? People are never going to stop eating meat (it's literally in our DNA), so shunning the farmers isn't going to solve the problem. And stop calling us "hypocrites" for f**** sake. As if name calling was ever a call to action.
Loo K, McKinleyville
Editor:
I guess I now understand the phrase "sacred cow," after reading this week's letters to the editor (Mailbox, April 27). It seems folks would rather live "high on the hog" than look at the actual footprint of their meat consumption. (Yeah, like the world is really going to be fed on grass-fed beef and backyard chicken).
The cruelty and environmental destructiveness of CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) is the real consequence of our meat hunger. "Meet the meat you eat" and "if you haven't caught it or shot it, don't eat it" might be guidelines for those who still want to enjoy their meat with a cleaner conscience. And the endorphins you get when you eat meat feel so good. Meat is still going to jack up your insulin levels and increase your risk of cancer and heart disease but, hey, alcohol and cigarettes aren't good for you, either, and are still widely enjoyed: let them eat meat.
Laura Snyder Julian, Blue Lake
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