Support NeoGAF

[Chuck Norris]

Hippos, gorillas and orangutans have sharp teeth too.

Gorillas and orangutans have their eyes in the same position as us as well.

Yet none of these go and wrangle a cow and take them down to eat. Actually that's wrong - hippos do kill other animals from time to time but they won't eat them.

Also this:

We really aren't comparable due to hands and tools. We don't use our faces and mouths to rip and tear, so the human face has grown to be sexually pleasing over sheet functionality

 

[Deleted member 17706]

We really aren't comparable due to hands and tools. We don't use our faces and mouths to rip and tear, so the human face has grown to be sexually pleasing over sheet functionality

Whoa, man. Get out of here with your relevant facts. Are you telling me you don't like cherry picked information that was put together with an agenda?

 

[Timedog]

Eating some high quality meat is probably healthier than eating no meat.

 

[demon]

There's nothing inherently wrong with humans eating meat. The problem is in our modern world eating meat makes you complicit in supporting the factory farming industry, which absolutely is bad- for the environment, for animals, and to a degree for your health.

Lab-grown meat sounds intriguing but I don't really know anything about it. I imagine if it ever goes mainstream it's a long way off.

 

[Muppet of a Man]

what in the... we shouldn't do stuff just because animals do it too, is all I'm saying.

We are animals. What does, "just because animals do it." mean in the context of you yourself also being an animal? Not all animals do exactly the same thing, but we evolved as omnivores. That's the kind of animal WE ARE presently.

 

[Okamid3n]

considering the vast majority of meat we eat (except seafood) is of domesticated livestock, in a way we can't stop... or those species will become extinct

Well...surely there's a middle ground then. Surely.

No reason to stop eating meat, but perhaps it would do good if rich nations ate less; as other nations are elevated, they try to mimic the lifestyle of richer nations, and this shit is just not sustainable on a worldwide scale.

This webcomic picture above proves it without a doubt.

Spoiler

/s

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

I don't need gaming, might as well give it up :/

Don't take this the wrong way, but this is the worst counter-argument I've seen all week.

 

[Timedog]

Has anyone ever set themselves on fire to protest the eating of meat?

 

[Alcotholic]

Fuck that. I'll eat meat to my deathbed.

 

[zorlaczerohero]

We know that we don't need meat. We could survive perfectly well without it and still have a healthy diet. We know that killing all these delicious animals is purely to satisfy our taste.

Tell that to an Inuit or other hunter gatherer tribe. They can't survive on vegetation alone, for much of the year there isn't any. And the high protein and fat content of seal and other meats allows them to gain the weight and fat needed to survive harsh climates.

 

[YoungHav]

Animals would kill and eat us if we didn't catch them, so screw em.

 

[Panzon]

I eat meat at least twice a day. I tried toning it down but the fact of the matter is I just can't because love it too much. It's like heroin for me, If I don't have it I start itching and feeling all weird

Spoiler

never done heroin

Sorry animals

 

[Hurley]

I see what you're trying to do here but I'm still going with humans are omnivore.

 

[Okamid3n]

In general, I wish people would drop the "animal cruelty" line of thought.

On the other hand, I say we should eat less meat because:
a) the amount of meat we eat (and the rate at which this is increasing) is unsustainable;
b) it is a huge strain for the environment, arguably as big of a cause of global warming than even transportation or industry;
c) we'd just generally be a lot healthier if we ate less red meat

Spoiler

(not applicable to everyone, I know, don't jump on me)

Come at me, meat-every-meal-Gaf!

 

[Next]

We are animals. What does, "just because animals do it." mean in the context of you yourself also being an animal? Not all animals do exactly the same thing, but we evolved as omnivores. That's the kind of animal WE ARE presently.

lol

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I see what you're trying to do here but I'm still going with humans are omnivore.

That chart is just trying to do some ridiculous guilt by association nonsense by choosing variables that line up with the author's preferred theory. You could make a similar chart to argue just about anything.

What really matters is that humans can eat and derive nutrients from both plant and animal life, so yes, we are omnivores.

 

[Saintguine]

We know that we don't need meat.

And we technically don't need the Internet, videogames, sports, gym, books, science etc. to survive as well.

I don't care that we don't need it, if you start cutting out all the "frivolities" of human life, why not go all the way and become fully efficient automatons without the need for art and even free thinking?

 

[BladeoftheImmortal]

when we evolve to a higher form of life, maybe.

 

[temp]

Maybe when man's moral consciousness evolves to accept the kinship of all living creatures.

Or not, it's all subjective.

 

[CLBridges]

If we weren't meant to eat meat, I would imagine most of it would taste horrible or gravely injure or kill a person shortly after being consumed. Good ole trial and error over the course of thousands of years says we'll be alright eating meat.

 

[Necromanti]

Hippos, gorillas and orangutans have sharp teeth too.

Gorillas and orangutans have their eyes in the same position as us as well.

Yet none of these go and wrangle a cow and take them down to eat. Actually that's wrong - hippos do kill other animals from time to time but they won't eat them.

Also this:

It's hard to argue that humans are not omnivores when humans have been shown to eat meat since the beginning of recorded history, and before then through the fossil record. Hunter-gatherers ate was what available to them, so some may have been more meat-dependent, while others may have had a more plant-based diet.

Given what we know about human health, we at least know that we are able to metabolize meat and make use of nutrients that we need. Otherwise, people that cut out all animal products from their diets wouldn't be more at risk of certain nutritional deficiencies despite the variety of food we are able to produce today. Vegans may have to find foods that are specially fortified with these nutrients/ions, or take supplements.

There are also documented differences between the gut of hominids versus extant apes. There is evidence for influence of carnivory on our development. The table you posted also neglects the differences between what plant material we can't and cannot digest, and also the fact that many herbivores tend to have evolved high-crowned teeth to be able to chew grasses (that contain phytoliths) which would wear down normal teeth rapidly. (As such, the table is grossly reductionist.)

The teeth of animals that eat grass wear down as a result. Animals that eat mainly grass—like cows and horses—have teeth adapted to last, despite the wear and tear caused by phytoliths. Their teeth have high crowns (the part of the tooth covered by enamel). As the top of the tooth is worn down, more tooth pushes up from the jaw. [from an exhibit I visited last month]

It's one thing to argue that humans should try to move away from eating meat for moral reasons, but making it an argument of nutrition seems to contradict the evidence of human omnivory and the nutritional relevance of a diet that contains meat in our evolutionary history, development, and health.

 

[Paracelsus]

You can totally give up on eating meat, you only need to put together these ingredients that combined give you as many proteins as meat but cost more.

When it-^ is no longer the case.

 

[wanderingprostheyltite]

Until the bovine uprising, we will always est meat.

 

[Shamrock7r]

If eating meat is wrong, baby I don't want to be right

 

[Mysterious]

OP, I'm going to defy my evolutionary instincts. Yup.

 

[Vangu Vegro]

If fruit wasn't so damn tasty I'd have given up eating plants decades ago.

The day I stop eating meat is the day I stop eating period.

 

[Wiktor]

Meat is just too delicious. What can happen is stopping the current production of meat and switching to lab grown ones.

 

[JJDinomite]

Don't take this the wrong way, but this is the worst counter-argument I've seen all week.

Games kill people tho

 

[Wiktor]

Hippos, gorillas and orangutans have sharp teeth too.

Gorillas and orangutans have their eyes in the same position as us as well.

Yet none of these go and wrangle a cow and take them down to eat.
]

Well, now you know why humans have created vast civilizations while gorillas and orangutans are still climbing trees

 

[nOoblet16]

People who claim not eating meat prevents you from getting proper nutrition are wrong. I grew up in India where there's a plethora of vegetarian options available for people, so much so that even meat eaters don't eat mean regularly (only 2-3 days a week or so). My entire family is vegetarian and we don't have a single disease running in the family, not even minor ones and we are all healthy, tall and well built...I don't know of anyone in my family or friend circle taking vitamin supplements either and that's a common thing here in the west. Two of my uncles are farmers who grow their own food and use the domesticated animals for dairy products, so was my grandfather who is approaching 97 years of age.

I just don't see it, the only reason we humans eat meat so much is because we want to..not because we need to. I mean even if the health concerns held solid grounds I doubt it recommends eating meat every single day...and red meat at that ! Regularly eating a lot of non lean meat is very unhealthy as well.


I also feel a lot has to do with the geographical differences, cooking in the west is considerably simple compared to the east (especially India) which is why vegetarian food is comparatively tasteless and nutrition less to meat. Hell I grew up a vegetarian and started eating meat/poultry when I was 21 (I am 23 now) because it's so hard to find good vegetariam food here in the west, so unless I am cooking at home, I am usually left out of options with just mushrooms and boiled vegetables...yuk ! And this is for UK where there is a lot more veggie options available compared to other western countries.


Bottom line? It's fine to eat meat but we over do it.

 

[Nephtis]

We're so close:

The best thing about this is that we actually HAVE grown meat in a lab.

And the taste judgement is also similar! as is the reason it didn't immediately took off (too expensive).

It's pretty amazing how on the ball that episode was with that.

 

[schroddycat]

To me meat is still the best source of proteins and vitamins for us to develop our brains and bodies (I also remembered there were few mentions that the brains of our ancestors evolved to be larger when our ancestors included meat in their diet). As long it is consumed moderately and avoiding processed meat, our health will still be in good shape, so yeah, I'm still sticking with meat diet (balanced with lots of vegie and fruits).

 

[ComputerMKII]

'People don't need X' is every totalitarian dictatorship's favorite motto.

 

[AxeMan]

If we didn't eat meat then they'd be too many animals.
What would happen is the cows would rise up.

See here for their game plan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5s5qGg01nE

 

[robertsan21]

its not wrong for a start, nature has shown us that. Predator/Prey balance has been going since beginnings of life on this world.

yeah but the whole " predator/Pray balance" has been gone since like the 200 years or more.

I love meat, but I only buy local and organic, you will never find me eating lab grown foods ever.

 

[Dictator93]

'People don't need X' is every totalitarian dictatorship's favorite motto.

"Humans and other more sentient creatures do not need needless suffering."

I think most people could agree with this statement without giving way to an all watching oppressive state machine.

 

[teruterubozu]

When we develop human photosynthesis (yes, I was watching Knights of Sidonia).

 

[Yazuka]

I love meat, I will never stop eating meat. I don't think its wrong.
But the animals should be treated well before they become my dinner.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

When we can synthetically make everything with the exact same texture and taste.

So still quite a ways away

 

[Koriandrr]

We know that we don't need meat. We could survive perfectly well without it and still have a healthy diet. We know that killing all these delicious animals is purely to satisfy our taste.

I fucking love eating meat. It's rare that I ever go a day without eating meat. It's pretty much impossible that I'm going to give up eating it in my lifetime. Yet I know it's wrong. I accept my hypocrisy. I assume there are many, if not most like me. Then there are the people who try to rationalize the industry of animal death catered to our particular, unnecessary appetites.

When (if ever) do you see humans having converted to an animal-free diet? How long till we're looked back as on as cruel barbarians by our future ancestors who will never know the sweet taste of a perfectly cooked steak?

Where's your proof OP?
This is a very controversial subject, even among doctors, from what I've noticed.

I don't think that all people can survive without meat. If you want to stay healthy and fit (and exercise) you need the protein the meat has to offer, I personally think we are in fact meant to eat meat to survive.

I'm not trying to offend any vegans/vegetarians - eat whatever you want to eat, but I personally don't think humans can get enough proteins and nutrition in a meat-less diet, unless they use stuff like powders and supplements.

I'll give you an example - me and my cousin. I like eating meat, my cousin is vegetarian. We go to work out together, she gets tired and leaves around 20min before I do. Which is normal, considering what she eats. To have energy, we need meat. Of course you can get energy from carbs too, but they're not nearly as healthy for you as meat, as the body processes them a lot slower or it goes straight to fat.

I don't think we'll ever be in a place where humans don't eat meat. Unless some replacement is made. It's nature. This is how it's meant to be.

 

[Opinionatedfish]

Eventually, we will eat the bugs.

But for now, pass me some delicious chicken.

 

[nOoblet16]

Where's your proof OP?
This is a very controversial subject, even among doctors, from what I've noticed.

I don't think that all people can survive without meat. If you want to stay healthy and fit (and exercise) you need the protein the meat has to offer, I personally think we are in fact meant to eat meat to survive.

I'm not trying to offend any vegans/vegetarians - eat whatever you want to eat, but I personally don't think humans can get enough proteins and nutrition in a meat-less diet, unless they use stuff like powders and supplements.

I'll give you an example - me and my cousin. I like eating meat, my cousin is vegetarian. We go to work out together, she gets tired and leaves around 20min before I do. Which is normal, considering what she eats. To have energy, we need meat. Of course you can get energy from carbs too, but they're not nearly as healthy for you as meat, as the body processes them a lot slower or it goes straight to fat.

I don't think we'll ever be in a place where humans don't eat meat. Unless some replacement is made. It's nature. This is how it's meant to be.

You should read my post that I made earlier on this page. Also diary products, soya beans, vegetables like spinach and avocado etc are great source of protein. Also what about the cholesterol you build up from eating non lean meat?

Also stamina depends on a lot of other things than just what you eat.

 

[ymmv]

We know that we don't need meat. We could survive perfectly well without it and still have a healthy diet. We know that killing all these delicious animals is purely to satisfy our taste.

I fucking love eating meat. It's rare that I ever go a day without eating meat. It's pretty much impossible that I'm going to give up eating it in my lifetime. Yet I know it's wrong.

Wrong? What's wrong with eating a delicious piece of meat? Humans are by nature omnivores, it's an indelible part of our genetic make-up. The idea that eating meat is wrong is nothing more than sentimental hogwash propagated by vegetarians and others of that ilk.

 

[Opinionatedfish]

You should read my post that I made earlier on this page. Also diary products, soya beans etc are great source of protein.

Also bugs. We can eat the bugs. We should be eating some of the bugs.

 

[The Smoking Bun]

Get your head out of your ass man. There isn't anything wrong with eating meat or anything else for that matter unless it's absolute poison. We have it way too good these days, try surviving in the jungle for like a few months and see if nature gives a shit about your morality. Top of the food chain and proud of it. If Lions could corral humans into pens and slaughter us for meat they would, you know why? Survival. We had to eat meat long enough to develop agriculture, yes the meat-eaters of the world allowed you vegetarians to exist. And we don't need your thank you's.

 

[nOoblet16]

Also bugs. We can eat the bugs. We should be eating some of the bugs.

Yea bugs are a great source of nutrition, more so than meat yet I never see an argument made for that when people factor in nutrition while talking about the differences between vegetarian food and non vegetarian.

I mean if you are so bent on the idea that you eat meat for nutrition and would avoid being a vegetarian since it'd make you nutritionally defecient (even though there are a lot of options available for vegetarian food) then you should also start eating bugs as it's an even better source of nutrition.

 

[Hasney]

Fuck that. I'll eat meat to my deathbed.

Damn right. If it was outlawed tomorrow, I would find the black market for meat. My meat is going nowhere.

 

[chogidogs]

"Humans and other more sentient creatures do not need needless suffering."

Mother Theresa would have disagreed with you.

 

[MisterGrey3000]

Chimps eat meat though, and they're closer to us than either of those species.

All the great apes (Humans, Bonobos, Chimps, Orangutans, and Gorillas) eat meat in some way or another.
Our relationship to our Gorilla and Orangutan cousins shouldn't be scoffed at. They're pretty damn close to us on a genetic level. A lot of their behaviors are most likely similar to what some of our distant ancestors engaged in.

To answer the OP:
We're omnivores just like the other modern apes; I don't think we're gonna abandon meat until we create a really amazing and nutritious substitute that can be made in a lab.

Edit: Also, I just can't see future humans scoffing at the idea that we mostly ate animals that we've bred for the purpose of being food.

 

[Maedhros]

Morals should just fuck off.

I'll continue to eat meat 'till the day I die. After that, I don't really care. But I suspect that the answer is: never.