[StrongHeartsWin]

CoffeeSaint, I am working on addressing the points you brought up. A few more posts after this one and I should have addressed most of what you wanted an answer for.

Quote by: CoffeeSaint If the issue with eating meat is a health issue, and you are trying to improve the health of others, surely there are other issues that should be at least as important: global warming, for instance, which threatens the long term health of all humanity, or alcohol abuse; perhaps,

Environmentalists are specialized in being able to handle the global warming problem. I wouldn`t expect an environmentalist to fight the animal rights debate battle, so why should animal rightists interested in vegetarianism be expected to fight the environmental debate issues? Likewise, why should those interested in providing care and assistance through aid to those starving in Africa be chided into providing care and aid to those in the U.S.? Just because one cares to specialize in a certain area does not meantheir arguments for those areas are discounted because they did not try to cover all points related to that issue in all areas, does it?

I would suggest that trying to do everything for all parties will eventually end up resulting in being able to do nothing for all parties. Specialization let`s recourses to support those with particular skills and passions that can best be harnessed by focusing on specific interests. Wouldn`t you agree to that?

I have neve said that one issue involving suffering or threatening health through environmental damage is more important than another. They are just different and each needing to be addressed by as many people who are attracted to the call for help in alleviating those problems.

If a person is deeply interested in the plight of animals and his/hers passion causes them to act on the issue strongly and productively, wouldn`t it be a drag on them (i.e. recourses) to expect them to do work in another field that does not ignite passion within them? Surely, telling someone who cares about animal abuse in circuses to work on alcholism problems in the instead will result in less productivity on that issue if the person is not deeply passionate about that. Let passions lead people to their interests of work without telling them they are working on less important issues from another`s subjective view or areas of interest they deem to be at least or more important.

...if you want to stick to dietary issues, you should address American obesity, a problem that is not caused simply by eating meat, though meat eating may compound it.

I have addressed obesity in relation to flesh consumption. You can find it I think in the "Vegetarianism" thread. Though, there is more to be said on it than I did. But again, that comes down to interests and specialization. I would expect a vegetarian who is one due to health reasons to put that argument to the fore more than the moral reasons. I think our new member SpideySpirit is more into the health aspects of vegetarianism -- though that is not to say he isn`t concerned about the moral issues. He most surely is.

But, I don`t mind putting forth health issues on vegetarianism. I will. I guess I just haven`t gotten around to more of that because there has not been a shortage of rebuttles on points focusing on "Might makes right, flesh consumption is natural, etc" -- those which usually are dealt with in regards to the moral argument.

You might reach more people, and improve the health of more people, by speaking to an issue that they are already aware of and recognize as problematic.

It is hard to say which reaches most, "health, morals, or environmental." I will not guess. Before when I have debated the issue of either of those, I have always found it funny that when I focus on one, a reply will come forth saying I would reach more people if I focused on the other. And that includes focusing on "health" to have another poster say that "morals" would be a stronger message for themselves for they find it rude to target such a personal thing as food which could be an assault on their culture.

Either way, CoffeeSaint, you can appreciate the "catch22" situation of debate on those 3 issues concerning vegetarianism, can`t you? No matter which I focus on I will be criticise for not focusing on the other or told in a suggestion I should focus on the other.

I choose to focus on all -- but all those cards are played over time. It just takes time to get to them. But, I will. In due time. In due time.