[Darryproduct]

If you haven't seen news articles on it already, Google Red Meat and Processed meat cause cancer. The World Health Organization has stated that Processed meats cause cancer & Red meats can cause cancer.

What is your response to this and feelings?

I'm thinking "I told you so" to all my meat loving, protein high diet friends. I know that is not the correct response to my non-vegan, non-vegetarian friends; so instead I smile and pray that they soon become vegan as well to help the planet and ultimately have a healthier lifestyle.

 

[silva]

It may be a new study, but it's nothing new. Seems everyone I know knows all that already.

What I have a problem with is that these studies do more to promote chicken and turkey eating than turn people away from meat.

 

[Necter]

it seems just that those who consume dead animals should become sick.

 

[Everly]

WHO is generally conservative and it's taken many years for them to look at the hundreds of studies done all over the world and to make a pretty weak "statement". If you really read their report and their recommendations, you'll see how they've watered down the results of the studies.

This is good news in some ways but hardly a genuine red flag for those still eating meat. IIRC, they say the risk for cancer from processed meat is about 15%. That's not enough of a risk for most meat-eaters to change. The thing that creates more change regarding eating other animals is the compassion aspect. But it takes a lot more effort and money to make the truth known. Not many places want to show pictures of animals being tortured, even though plenty of news outlets show prisoners being beheaded.

As for "feelings"... I'm not sure what you're asking. I don't have any feelings about this report, just thoughts.

 

[no whey jose]

Most meat eaters I know are, unfortunately, either making light of it in a "gotta die someday" sort of way or doubting the legitimacy of WHO's conclusions. It was the same with cigarettes, though, wasn't it? Growing evidence that this is a dangerous habit, finally an official statement proclaiming as much, public denial, then a gradual cultural shift away from the dangerous behaviour. We're already beginning to see this with meat eating. Every day I read a new article in the mainstream media which paints vegetarianism in a positive light. More companies are creating vegetarian products. Politicians are talking about protecting the environment. The general public is expressing an interest in animals as individuals worthy of basic rights (even if only lions and orcas.) Change is happening!

 

[unovegan2]

it's interesting. all of my veg friends haven't done the i told you so thing, but everyone thinks it. yet, all kinds of push back from the meat eaters about it. it's very telling about both sides of this debate.

 

[Auxin]

Its nice that more people are beginning to pay attention to the scientific evidence.
They learn all kinds of cool things like
1) meat causes cancer and impotence
2) arugula prevents cancer and improves sexual performance
Is it any wonder vegetarianism is on the increase in colleges?

 

[Werewolf Girl]

I came across this video and found the parallels between the responses in it and the responses to processed meat causing cancer VERY interesting:

The mindset is almost identical. They scoff and say they don't care about cancer and life is short so why not enjoy it blah blah blah. I wonder if people will frown on processed meat in a few decades the way we do on smoking now? Change takes time and people often resist it at first.

 

[Auxin]

People generally care more for their trivial pleasures than they do about their lives.
Half a century isnt enough time to change that. Just look in the oldest literature from brahmanism, buddhism, judaism, christianity, and islam ranging from 3000 to 1500 years ago. All of them depict people who were knowingly indulging in habits that would kill them, they did it anyway.
Moreover, many people despise life and try to hasten its end.

It takes maturity and a respect for life to counteract those behaviors, and thats a thing thats more difficult to achieve.

 

[Auxin]

Ironic, I'm reading a book by Doctor E.H Dewey, published in 1900, I just came to a part where he matter of factly attributes Ulysses S. Grants death by throat cancer to his cigar smoking habit and the good doctor firmly denounces his fellow doctors for smoking cigars in the rooms of the sick "where the purest air of heaven ought to prevail". The danger of smoking was known to the medical community 62 years before that ^ smoking video was made.
Back in the 50's it was known that meat causes various forms of disease and its only now being accepted.
I wonder what established medical knowledge of today will become shocking revelation in the year 2077.

 

[BobJustBob]

The mindset is almost identical. They scoff and say they don't care about cancer and life is short so why not enjoy it blah blah blah.

It is horribly sad that the great majority of people won't make major changes to their lifestyle to improve their health until they become sick. By then it is often too late.

 

[Auxin]

Its unfortunate, but its their choice.
Whats horribly sad is that its forced on children.
Outside of a few scientists employed by the industries, in the scientific world its accepted as a fact that raising kids on pizza and ice cream condemns them to a life of disease, disability, and early death.
If I took someones child and did with a knife what their parents were doing to them with cheeseburgers I would be globally denounced as a twisted monster and sent to prison for the rest of my life. But cheeseburgering the child to death is a protected 'right' of parents.
Its a strange world.

 

[Jasminedesi16]

Most meat eaters I know are, unfortunately, either making light of it in a "gotta die someday" sort of way or doubting the legitimacy of WHO's conclusions. It was the same with cigarettes, though, wasn't it? Growing evidence that this is a dangerous habit, finally an official statement proclaiming as much, public denial, then a gradual cultural shift away from the dangerous behaviour. We're already beginning to see this with meat eating. Every day I read a new article in the mainstream media which paints vegetarianism in a positive light. More companies are creating vegetarian products. Politicians are talking about protecting the environment. The general public is expressing an interest in animals as individuals worthy of basic rights (even if only lions and orcas.) Change is happening!

Yep I sometimes wish I could have been born later just because I think the future will be way more vegan friendly and positive than it is now.

 

[Werewolf Girl]

Yep I sometimes wish I could have been born later just because I think the future will be way more vegan friendly and positive than it is now.

But hey look at it this way, we're like pioneers!

I went vegetarian about 15 years ago and in that time there has been a crazy amount of progress and the amount of vegetarian/vegan options at stores and restaurants has exploded. There used to be maybe one kind of veggie burger and some tofu dogs in the frozen section of my local grocery store and now it seems like every store I go to has a special vegetarian section. People in general also seem much more open to the idea of vegetarianism and it doesn't make you "weird" anymore. While it would have been great to be born in a world that's already vegan it has been very exciting seeing all this progress happen.

I hope that by the time I'm old there will be even more huge changes and factory farming will be a thing of the past.

 

[Muttley]

I've had a few people bring this up to me and ask me about it (since I may be the only vegan they know?) and my response most of the time has been, ' yeah, no sh*t' . im more wondering who the people, who were under the impression that things like hot dogs, bacon and canned meats were healthy enough are? even when I did eat meat, things like hot dogs were just gross shame foods that I knew weren't any source of nutrition. I cant imagine reaching for a can of ham out of an unrefrigerated shelf and believing there wasn't anything wrong with it, nevermind there being no nutritional value. I have seen quite a few posts on social medias and forums from meatheads with silly graphs of ' what I would rather die from' , exaggerated statistics, or just generally ignorant sentiments about someones grandfather who lived to be 106 and ate steaks wrapped in bacon 6 times a day

 

[Windigo]

Most people who eat meat have an ''yeah yeah I know meat is unhealthy blablabla'' kind of attitude; which sounds much like smokers do indeed!

It shows that in general; people are becoming more aware and people are less accepting of such behaviours; which is good. If this continues then I'm pretty hopeful that in another twenty years eating meat will be a thing of the past.

 

[Jasminedesi16]

But hey look at it this way, we're like pioneers!

I went vegetarian about 15 years ago and in that time there has been a crazy amount of progress and the amount of vegetarian/vegan options at stores and restaurants has exploded. There used to be maybe one kind of veggie burger and some tofu dogs in the frozen section of my local grocery store and now it seems like every store I go to has a special vegetarian section. People in general also seem much more open to the idea of vegetarianism and it doesn't make you "weird" anymore. While it would have been great to be born in a world that's already vegan it has been very exciting seeing all this progress happen.

I hope that by the time I'm old there will be even more huge changes and factory farming will be a thing of the past.

Haha yes that is true And you can tell your grandchildren you were one of the pioneers lol