Even people who eat meat rarely want to acknowledge the fact that their delicious meal was once a walking, breathing animal (or swimming, or crawling, etc.) This attitude is more prevalent in richer countries (IMO), people seem to go to great lengths to avoid this fact.
I have to admit that I was present at the butchering of many an animal, and happily partook of the meat afterwards (my grandparents had a farm). I am not disgusted by this idea; that is not the reason why I don't eat meat. The exception is the suckling pigs we Dominicans are so fond of photographing. It doesn't tickle my yummy bone; all it says to me is 'carcass'.
An attitude that seems to be growing among more affluent countries (especially Europe) is that 'we care for the animal, but we don't want to know what you did to it'.
This article explains it better:
Quote:
The IGD research was sponsored by Freedom Food, a food labeling scheme aimed at improving animal welfare standards which has been set up by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The report noted that many consumers felt guilt about eating meat and were reluctant to explore welfare issues.
"As consumers deliberately reject information on animal welfare due to the emotional response it provokes, it will be difficult to raise awareness of the issue, particularly at the point of purchase," the report said.
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All this squeamishness strikes me a bit of hypocrisy. The same people that berate people of other cultures for eating animals they find objectionable have no problem eating cows, which in some other cultures is thought of as barbaric.
So what do you think?