Meat in Culture

We live in a western influenced world. One of the many influences that come with that is a large animal based diet. From dairy products to the flesh of an animal, the human population has gone through a rapid increase of consumed meat. Here in the United States of America we are one of the largest consumers of meat, if not the largest. In 2002 America had the second highest level of meat consumption right behind Denmark. Though this information is over a decade old it shows us the steady increase of meat in our diet. At some points it was dramatic, like how China doubled its consumption from the years 1990 to 2000. If you would like to see the consumption of meat per capita, you can find it here.

Meat in Different Religions
Eating meat can be looked at different from various religions. Like in Christianity, eating meat is pretty much just a normal occurrence. In Buddhism meat eating is not looked at negatively but Buddha advised his people not to eat meat. Religion highly influences what a person may or may not believe which leads to groups of people with very different sets of ideas. Just how mentioned earlier Christianity takes meat consumption lightly but in Judaism many scholars believe that God wanted man to be vegetarian. Also, in Islamic culture many people eat meat but of course they have regulations. In Islam it is forbidden to eat any pork, as well as blood, and animals that were not killed properly. To see more religions and their practices on meat eating you can find it here.

Opposition of Meat Consumption in the Media
There are many people that identify as either vegetarian of vegan. I'm sure most of you know family or friends who are vegan or vegetarian. Maybe for some of you organizations such as PETA may come to mind. PETA stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and I guess that is pretty self explanatory. On top of this there are many influential people and celebrities that are either vegan or vegetarian. One of these people include Albert Einstein who said that being vegetarian benefit people.

Being vegetarian is great for some one's health since the intake of fat would be greatly decreased. Other than Einstein there are a number of famous people that can be named. Not just people but bands as well like Rise Against, ACXDC, The Smiths, Gorilla Biscuits, and many more. Even in sports some people take part in this practice. Like in skateboarding there are notable vegans like Geoff Rowley, Ed Templeton, and Steve Berra. Celebrities that are vegan or vegetarian include Woody Harrelson, Ellen Degeneres, Anne Hathaway, Olivia Wilde, and the list goes on and on. List of famous people who happen to be vegan.