I'm not going to respond to the rest of your post because others in this thread have covered what I think, but this part in particular stuck out to me as equivocation. My issues: 1. The English language doesn't use anything; only its speakers do (although I'll admit this issue is somewhat pedantic; #2 is really what bothers me) 2. We don't use you for people and it for animals; those aren't the same kinds of pronouns. If anything, we use you/you (when talking to people and animals, respectively) or he/she and it (when talking about people and animals). But a lot of times, people don't even make that distinction: they talk to their animals using "you", and talk about their animals using s/he (depending on the animal's gender). Yes, I understand that's generally only true of domesticated animals (i.e. pets), but I imagine someone talking to livestock would still use you, and perhaps even s/he. Anyway, that's my piece. Hope you understand, I (and from what I can tell, most meat-eaters in this thread) don't have any issue with you being a vegan; I just don't find your arguments particularly convincing.Ever noticed how the English language uses you for people and it for animals? Human supremacy or anthropocentrism is embedded in our very language.
Thanks for the correction galen. You are right, s/he is the equivalent of it not you. I have corrected my original post. Honestly I have no illusions about convincing anyone regarding animal rights. Nor should you take my arguments as all there is to animal rights. I'm one person being true to the experiences that shaped me. Becoming vegan is a dramatic life decision and not an easy one to stick with socially. It took a long chain of events and a lot of introspection for me to appreciate all life and want to respect it above all. So I don't expect anyone to change their views based on someone else's views. But I do hope this gives people a different perspective and hopefully compel someone to do more research and watch a few documentaries on the subject. However, if this thread makes people to stop and question for a minute why they do what they do, that's enough accomplishment for me. Of course I'd want everyone to stop hurting animals but ultimately if you're ok with eating them, that's your own call. I just hope you don't come to regret, like I do, some of the things I did back when I was an omnivore. Guilt can be another powerful type of suffering.I just don't find your arguments particularly convincing.