Twenty-seven million farmed animals are killed in the United States, according to Animal Place’s Web site. They are the most exploited animals with the least protection. These animals suffer from the day they are born.
Thursday Feb. 4, Dr. George Miller joined forces with Summer Hallaj, president and founder of P.E.A.C.E, to educate students about the benefits of being vegetarian or vegan, in the presentation “Stop Kidding Yourself- People Who Enjoy Killing Animals.”
Miller began the lecture by testing students’ stomachs with a video presentation produced by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
The film was a promotion of reasons why a person should become a vegetarian or vegan, and displayed horrific scenes of animals used in the meat industry being slaughtered.
Attendees watched as chickens had their beaks sliced off, and lame pigs were slammed into the ground.
Miller then segued into football star Michael Vick’s reported crimes of animal cruelty. He informed the listeners of Vick’s actions of dog fighting in addition to electrocuting, drowning and hanging dogs for fun. Miller tied this into the presentation by explaining that these acts were not much different than what was seen in the PETA video.
He then compared the outraged public’s reaction of Vick’s acts of animal cruelty towards dogs to the meat
eaters who turn their heads to animal slaughter. He stated that people who eat meat are just as guilty because they gain pleasure from eating meat; they keep the meat industry in business. Miller added, “If we eat meat, we are on the same ethical plane as Michael Vick.”
Miller believes that living in a violent society causes people to become desensitized towards the violence of the meat industry, and keeping them in business by eating the meat only assists with the violence. He explained that violence is something society has come to expect.
The violence in the meat industry is not Miller’s only argument against an omnivorous diet. “There are lots of reasons to become a vegetarian. I’ve been a vegetarian since 1994,” said Miller, who, as of Feb. 3, has taken the next step by deeming himself a vegan.
Miller also spoke about the health benefits of being a vegetarian. He, as well as the
student attendees, all agreed that once the body has rid itself of the meat already in its system, it will no longer want it and will sometimes even reject it.
Students attending the presentation consisted mostly of people who already considered themselves vegan, or were making the life choice to become a vegetarian, and not much debate was stirred up over either approach. All were in agreement that a diet free of meat products has made them feel healthier and happier on the inside.
In an attempt to encourage the life change for those who were in the first stages of becoming a vegetarian, Miller added, “The process takes awhile. It is hard to drive by those golden arches without going in, believe me I know that, but you get to the point where it doesn’t matter anymore.”
Vegetarianism or vegan lifestyles are hard transitions to make, but Miller and Hallaj truly believe that the choice of a meatless diet can better a person’s physical and mental health. They are available on campus for advice and support for anyone who wants to take the leap.
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