“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian.” This is according to Paul McCartney a famous musician and member of the band ‘The Beatles.’ In concurrent society, many people have made the choice to become vegetarian. However what does it truly mean to be vegetarian? Why do people make this choice in the first place? What struggles do they face? Why do we even call them vegetarians? Most vegetarians should be known as "Animal lovers” because they refuse to eat meat mainly due to their stance against animal cruelty.
The group known as vegetarians has been portrayed through the media and American society as hippies. According to Taylor Clark, a renowned journalist, majority of Americans assume that they are ‘loopy, self-satisfied…show more content… Taylor Clark emphasizes the many struggles of being a vegetarian in American society through illustrations of harsh criticism, lack of vegetarian food options at restaurants and social gatherings, etc(344-347). I know of a few vegetarians who have been forced to order a measly salad, rather than a well prepared vegetarian dish, due to the lack of vegetarian options on many restaurant menus. We may claim that we love animals just as much as a vegetarian does. However majority of us, often do not take into account the level of cruelty bestowed upon pigs, cows, chickens, etc. due to our extremely demanding food choices. Of course, becoming vegetarian cannot put an end to animal cruelty and the large number of slaughterhouses throughout America. However, due to the fact that vegetarians are willing to erase meat from their diet. In addition to overcoming the struggles of becoming vegetarian in concurrent American society. it can strongly be contended that they are truly “Animal lovers.” Therefore, those who have a huge consideration for animals, going to the extent of changing their diet completely and dealing with the social struggles of being vegetarian,…show more content… This is indeed, a valid argument as various popular international religions such as Hinduism, Rastafarianism and Buddhism all hold vegetarianism as a method of practicing their beliefs. Millions, if not billions of people in the world are of these religious doctrines. Therefore it may be argued that there must be more people who have made the choice of becoming vegetarian due to their religious beliefs. However, when researching these different religions and the reasons behind their upholding of vegetarianism, it can be noted that religious practices of vegetarianism all comes back to man's consideration for animals. For example, in Hinduism, the cow is held as sacred, additionally they believe firmly in karma. The basis of karma is that you must not use your God-given body for killing God’s creatures, wether they be human or animal. I learnt this through conversation with a close friend of mine, whom is a firm follower of Hinduism. Hence, religious reasons for being vegetarian originate from a group’s stance against animal cruelty. Additionally, according to Michael Pollan, a professor of journalism at the UC Berkeley Graduate school, in his essay “How Change Is Going to Come in the Food System,” the food movement is gradually changing towards healthier food and sustainable agriculture (340-342). This brings