We have all grown up in a culture where eating the by product of rape and flesh of other animals is the norm. Continuously the meat and dairy industry have thrived from the ignorance of human beings, specifically collecting over $1 trillion in profits. Although eating meat and dairy in poor economic climates can be understandable, as vegan resources are scarce, the continuous indulgence of atrocities by first world countries is alarming.

1. Research your own mouth

Human beings are not carnivores, nor omnivores, however we have adapted to eating both diets. Bitch and moan all you want about your pitiful excuses for canine teeth, you are still an herbivore. Our meat has become comfortably available, making the action of eating the dead body far easier, as it would be impossible to eat a continuous diet of meat naturally (with your mouth and hands, no machine processes).

Dr. Richard Leakey, a renowned anthropologist, summarizes, “You can’t tear flesh by hand, you can’t tear hide by hand. Our anterior teeth are not suited for tearing flesh or hide. We don’t have large canine teeth, and we wouldn’t have been able to deal with food sources that require those large canines.”

Still trying to use the canine argument?

Let's take a look at our relatives, gorillas, who are solely herbivores. Gorillas also have canines, although far larger than ours, and yet they do not consume meat. Even camels have canines, also herbivores. Merely having canines is not solely a reflection of diet. From our mouths, we must move to our stomach where we contain far weaker acid than that of a carnivore, as their acid is strong (they consume animals whole or in large pieces, their acid is so strong to break down these pieces).

“[M]ammalian carnivores and omnivores share a number of physical attributes that make them well suited for killing and tearing apart their prey. They have a wide mouth opening, relative to head size; a simple jaw joint that operates as a stable hinge for effective slicing but which is ill-suited to side-to-side motion; and dagger-like teeth spaced apart to avoid trapping stringy debris. They also have sharp claws. (2) The mammalian carnivores and omnivores additionally have huge stomachs that enable gorging, an important capacity in animals who tend to average only about one kill per week. (3) These animals also have a very low gastric pH (which means their stomachs are very acidic), enabling the breakdown of highly concentrated protein as well as the killing of dangerous bacteria that typically colonize decaying flesh. (4)

2. Recognize you are likely a speciesist

Speciesism is “the practice of treating members of one species as morally more important than members of other species”

As we engage unnecessarily with the meat and dairy industry (yes, that cheeseburger is unnecessary) our disregard for other life is prevalent. Only through speciesism can the heinous industries flourish, as human beings, especially in first world countries, view other animals as lacking in moral value. We are consistently concerned solely for only our well being as humans and even that has been shown to be limited to white human males. Recognizing your own ignorance and prejudice towards other animals can give insight into your unfortunate pleasure from eating, wearing, and washing in their bodies. Bodies, mind you, that are composed of the same material as us, simply in a different form.

Pure speciesism carries the idea of human superiority to the extreme of saying that the most trivial human wish is more important that the vital needs of other species... for example a pure speciesist would argue that it's ok for animals to be cruelly treated and killed to provide fur decorations for human beings to wear.

Now, let me just state simply that I myself am a hypocrite. Although I have recently become a vegan, I engaged in eating dairy and occasional flesh prior to this article, even with the knowledge of how wrong the actions were. I even have a leather jacket I got as a Christmas present, yes I wear a jacket composed of another animal's skin, I understand how disgusting this is. (However, I sit there like many of you and think, but it's such a cute jacket!). I am not claiming to be Mother Teresa, but rather am solely presenting logic. I understand how easy it is to feel detached from the animal and focus solely on the delicious-ness of it's wings. Regardless of our own pleasure we must recognize the unnecessary suffering the animals undergo due to our speciesism, because without speciesism, the dairy and meat industry could in no way be sustainable. People would not support the industries blindly as reality of our equivalence to other animals would be clear, vocal, and overwhelming.

3. Understand you (those in first world countries) have no excuse

We genuinely have no excuse besides "mmm cheesy bacon fries" towards eating meat. In first world countries, we are not forcefully deficient in nutrients and live rather lavishly. (You are actually unhealthier if you consume dairy and meat). If an individual has the means to consume without causing suffering to another animal, we must do so. Without the necessity of eating meat, there is absolutely no excuse besides our own pleasure and greed. No longer must we wear their skin for warmth. No longer must we consume their flesh for nutrients. No longer must we kill them.

4. Appreciate the Earth

Appreciating all that the Earth gives to sustain us means appreciating the organism itself who feeds us and allows us to live, mother Earth. Appreciating our Earth means not contributing to global warming through our ever-increasing 18% green house gas emission coming solely from livestock. Appreciating the Earth and it's creatures means consuming in a more sustainable ethical way for the well being of not only ourselves, but the enviornment and animals around us.

The highest total of livestock-related greenhouse-gas emissions comes from the developing world, which accounts for 75% of the global emissions from cattle and other ruminants and 56% of the global emissions from poultry and pigs.

5. Listen to their screams for help and stop eating their flesh