Sunday, November 29, 2009
Turning around a Fail
Well, I'm three months into my "year of deconsumption" and I'm 1 for 3. I started out strong with my full month of no alcohol - but, the last two months have been pretty weak. Part of the issue might be that a year is a long time to stay focused on anything. Also, I think that some of the months I chose were either redundant or off message. So, I'm consolidating a little bit. See my new schedule on the right. I'll be back at the end of December to preview January.
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I am interested to hear your reasons for deconsuming "All Animal Products." I am intermittently reading Jonanthan Foer's "Eating Animals" right now and I am starting to redevelop my own attitudes about meat, though don't look for me to give meat up cold turkey anytime soon! Both the meat eaters and bunny huggers seem to be motivated by desires beyond even their most cogent arguments. In essence this debate seems driven by an almost religious ferver.
ReplyDeleteFor example, one could cite the tremendous carbon burden of meat as one of the best reasons to decrease meat consumption. And this is correct, but giving up meat would be only one of myriad possible solutions to reducing the carbon hoof-print. We could eat different animals with lower CO2 costs, require more technology, stop burning fuels, etc.-- in fact giving up meat almost seems like a rather arbitrary way to accomplish that goal.
On the other hand, there are no slam dunk reasons to eat meat. Sure, my body adapted over millenia to consume meat, but that doesn't mean I have to. Meat eating may have come in handy back when food supploes were inconstant or scarce, but I hardly think meat is required in the day of supermarkets just because I have two sharp teeth and a super GI tract.
Like I said, I am still working this out and would like to hear your motivations. Until the wizards at General Mills come up with a better bar-b-que sauce delivery system, a little meat will do me fine.
You bring up some good points Jake. A big reason for this whole experiment is to take a deeper look at some of these issues. I certainly don't think I have all the answers and I don't think that I'll become a vegetarian. But, I do want to become a more aware carnivore. Also, I want to get more of my calories from veggies and fruit - so, I figure if I have a whole month where I don't eat meat it will force me to diversify.
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