SlightlySt00pid
04-02-2007, 06:13 AM
Hey there folks. My name's Ben, I'm a 24 year old college student currently living in Anchorage, AK and attending UAA to pursue my Nurse Anesthetist Degree. Some of you have already had the pleasure of meeting my lovely wife a.k.a. Superwife (which I guess makes me Superhusband?), if not look her up and say hey, she's a really cool chick.
Anyway, I'll try not to get too sidetracked and stick to my experience converting to veganism. A few years back, I read a book called 'Fast Food Nation' by Eric Schlosser, which opened my eyes to the unethical practices of the fast food industry. After finishing the book, I began paying a little more attention to where my food came from, buying organic when possible while still believing in the whole "free range" hustle. I also made the decision to never set foot in another McDonald's ever again. At the time it was a small, but positive step in the right direction, one which would ultimately lead to my decision to turn to veganism.
About a month ago, I noticed that the book had been made into a fictional movie by the same name, and decided to check it out. The catalyst for my transition to veganism was actually the second to last scene of the movie, which was filmed inside of a mexican slaughterhouse. I was completely unprepared for what I was about to witness. The scene starts with a fithy, malnourished cow running down the ramp approaching the "kill floor", the look in it's eyes can only be described as an instinctive fear. Suddenly, the cow is zapped unconscious, has it's throat slit, and is stripped of it's skin in a matter of seconds. The part that made it hit home so hard was the whole time I'm thinking, what if that was my dog? (I have a year-old Chihuahua pup named Ruca) which is a pretty morbid thought, but relevant all the same. I started questioning the difference between animals we endearingly consider pets and the ones we raise for slaughter, and suddenly the thought of eating any food made of or by an animal made me sick to my stomach.
The next morning I told my wife "honey, I think I wanna turn vegan", which she casually responded with "okay, I'll turn vegan for you". That day we went to the supermarket and spent most of our time reading ingredient labels and stocking our newly "cruelty free" kitchen with vegan fare. Since then, I have been researching nonstop, looking for others who shared my convictions, mainly so I wouldn't feel like such an outsider (for as many hippies that call Alaska home, vegan resources are pretty limited). I came across the writing of Gary Francione and found that the ethics involved in the abolitionist movement coincided with my own reasons for turning to veganism, and feel organizations like Peta (who actually gave an award to a slaughterhouse for practicing "compassionate killing", if there is such a thing) detrimental to the AR movement.
Anyway, I look forward to hearing some of the experiences from the members of this forum, as well as sharing some of my own. :)
Anyway, I'll try not to get too sidetracked and stick to my experience converting to veganism. A few years back, I read a book called 'Fast Food Nation' by Eric Schlosser, which opened my eyes to the unethical practices of the fast food industry. After finishing the book, I began paying a little more attention to where my food came from, buying organic when possible while still believing in the whole "free range" hustle. I also made the decision to never set foot in another McDonald's ever again. At the time it was a small, but positive step in the right direction, one which would ultimately lead to my decision to turn to veganism.
About a month ago, I noticed that the book had been made into a fictional movie by the same name, and decided to check it out. The catalyst for my transition to veganism was actually the second to last scene of the movie, which was filmed inside of a mexican slaughterhouse. I was completely unprepared for what I was about to witness. The scene starts with a fithy, malnourished cow running down the ramp approaching the "kill floor", the look in it's eyes can only be described as an instinctive fear. Suddenly, the cow is zapped unconscious, has it's throat slit, and is stripped of it's skin in a matter of seconds. The part that made it hit home so hard was the whole time I'm thinking, what if that was my dog? (I have a year-old Chihuahua pup named Ruca) which is a pretty morbid thought, but relevant all the same. I started questioning the difference between animals we endearingly consider pets and the ones we raise for slaughter, and suddenly the thought of eating any food made of or by an animal made me sick to my stomach.
The next morning I told my wife "honey, I think I wanna turn vegan", which she casually responded with "okay, I'll turn vegan for you". That day we went to the supermarket and spent most of our time reading ingredient labels and stocking our newly "cruelty free" kitchen with vegan fare. Since then, I have been researching nonstop, looking for others who shared my convictions, mainly so I wouldn't feel like such an outsider (for as many hippies that call Alaska home, vegan resources are pretty limited). I came across the writing of Gary Francione and found that the ethics involved in the abolitionist movement coincided with my own reasons for turning to veganism, and feel organizations like Peta (who actually gave an award to a slaughterhouse for practicing "compassionate killing", if there is such a thing) detrimental to the AR movement.
Anyway, I look forward to hearing some of the experiences from the members of this forum, as well as sharing some of my own. :)