Here is an example:
I consider myself to be a "fair weather" vegetarian, meaning that I don't eat meat most of the time, but once in a blue moon I allow myself to "cheat" without feeling guilty. My mother really likes to go fishing, and my father likes to go hunting, and this is all fine by me. When my family goes out to the bay for a fishing trip, I just sit and watch, congratulating someone when they catch something. My father tells me that he'll be going on an elk-hunting trip soon. Even though I myself don't like the idea of killing an elk, I do hope that he has fun on the trip, and I asked him to mail me a patch of elk fur when he's done.
Getting back to those obnoxious people in the comics, there are a few things that I agree with them on:
* I think you shouldn't kill when it isn't necessary.
* I think most people would be healthier and live longer if they didn't eat meat in their average meal. By the way, I think soy tastes good if you know how to cook it. (Most people in the comics seemed to be eating it raw.) And, soy doesn't give me "the runs."
* I disapprove of the conditions at some of the farms, warehouses, and slaughter houses I hear about.
On the other hand, here is where I disagree with those people:
* I think killing is sometimes necessary, whether you're talking about self-defense, pest control, or even war.
* A person with a well-balanced omnivorous diet is healthier than a person with a careless vegetarian diet. Also, meat can provide nutrition that isn't easy to get in vegetables. (For instance, I take fish oil capsules to get my daily dose of Omega-3.)
* I don't believe that "meat is murder." Otherwise, wolves, dogs, and cats would be murderers.
So, my conclusion is: Be proud of what you believe, and stand up for it, but don't think ill of people who disagree with you, and even try to learn from them.
