Do you agree with Richard Dawkins?

[mediamogul]

I think the disconnect here is what you term "unneccessary suffering", honestly. Many people take a naive or polemicized view of what suffering is entailed in the process of livestock production (or why this or that practice is used).

We've all seen the documentaries where cameras are taken into shitty slaughterhouses. The viewer might be left with the notion that this is how it is done, or the only way that it can be done. This is entirely untrue. This is a problem of standards and enforcement, not morality or ethics. It may seem strange to stun an animal then bleed it out, but this is "necessary" to prevent spoilage of the meat.

Meat is a very important food source for us. It may seem "unnecessary" to you but this is likely due to your country of origin. Agricultural crops are not as reliable as livestock (except in capital intensive systems largely relegated to first world countries, and even then often on the backs of livestock operations in third world countries), common protein substitute crops are not suitable for production in all areas. This is letting aside the big hungry gap in any given climate beyond the subtropics (the tropics actually have a hungry gap in the warmest months, some parts of the subtropics do as well).

This is number three in the Trinity of arguments against the one I have presented for vegetarianism. This one is significant but less so than the objections you raised to the idea of sentience. It's simple: I have one lasting prejudice for humans. If it was shown that it was utterly necessary for animals to be killed, potentially even in a painful way, for humans to survive then I would say it is fine for the animals to be killed. Humans and animals are not on an absolutely even footing for me. If it was the apocalypse and I had to kill a dog to survive then I would. Not only would I, but I don't think I would feel bad about it. I would not kill another human to eat him and survive.

This is one of the main reasons why I am not an activist (also because they come across as a bunch of morons sometimes too). I recognize the fallibility of my own logic and human logic in general. I have my doubts. I choose to be vegetarian but do not make that same demand of others. It needs to be a freely chosen practice by those who decide to undertake it. The lifestyle has worked out great for me and I am in the best shape of my life. I will certain discuss and present my arguments if it comes up but otherwise you won't see me out there with a picket sign in front of a meat packing plant.