Yes it is.
But if only the answer was that simple.
**TRIGGER WARNING**
please take note that my answer includes language, material or subject matter that some people may find upsetting or offensive.
- A particular action or choice is moral or right when it somehow promotes happiness, wellbeing or health AND/OR somehow minimises unnecessary harm or suffering; and
- A particular action or choice is immoral or wrong when it somehow diminishes happiness, wellbeing or health AND/OR promotes or causes unnecessary harm or suffering.
At the time of writing this answer, there are 16 other answers before me, each (astoundingly) with at least one of the top 10 lies we tell ourselves to justify the continued slavery, rape, kidnapping, torture and murder of animals for our mere sensory pleasure.
And, don’t be fooled, that’s all we kill animals for when we eat them, wear them or exploit them - sensory pleasure… nothing more.
And that’s what makes eating animals morally wrong.
Not that eating anything, in and of itself, is morally wrong. It’s not the act itself, but the context and the justification… and the cognitive dissonance we are forced to endure if we wish to continue down Status Quo Lane.
Given no other option (and here’s our opportunity to imagine that unlikely scenario where we have nothing else to eat but for some unlucky critters), it would not be immoral.
A case, I’m certain, could even be made in a survival situation to eat another human and not suffer morally for it. With enough mental acrobatics, you could morally defend eating your own mother, for fuck sakes.
Consider the context and ask yourself if YOU, living in a comfortable twenty-first century civilised society really need to eat animals… like really really? Do you reeeeaaaally? Be honest now.
Because you’re not living in a survival situation where you just ‘have to’ get your pound of flesh from another (non-human, of course) living, sentient being, lest you die of a protein or B-12 deficiency... or something (here’s your opportunity to concoct yet another bizarre excuse).
The same goes for self-defence situations…
But we’re not talking about any of that, are we?
We’re talking about paying companies to force trillions of sentient creatures, every year, into truly horrific conditions, make them go through a living hell most humans couldn’t even possibly imagine, before lining them up, slashing their throats and letting them choke to death on their own blood… for what? a 15-minute meal?!
And that’s what makes eating animals morally wrong.
When we could so easily choose something else on the menu.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s impossible to eliminate all suffering; our mere presence means that we will cause some degree of harm.
But the maximum amount of harm? Now that’s immoral.
look into the eyes of an animal you’re taking care of and ask yourself whether there is a person behind those eyes; someone capable of love, fear, happiness, frustration, excitement and suffering.
Think logically about the fact that there is nothing separating a pet from the pigs we send down into gas chambers to burn from the inside out; nothing significant enough that somehow removes the individual from its meat-capsule, simply because it belongs to another species.
And I get it, our inculcation runs deep and we are so far removed from the process, we don’t even think about what we’re contributing to until some sanctimonious vegan shoves the truth down our throats (before we shove a bacon and egg cheeseburger down ourselves, in response… so we can teach those infuriating vegans a bloody lesson!).
Like the starving children in Africa, we can’t really picture the anguish, so our morality stays intact, warm and snug behind a veil of ignorance.
There is one slight difference between the animals and the kids in Africa, however.
And, no, it’s not the ‘animals vs humans’ controversy, silly.
“How dare you compare humans to animals!?”
Okay, calm the fuck down!
You see, the difference is this: we are not actively paying someone to starve kids in Africa. There is not some kind of ‘starving kids marketplace’ where we pay people to starve kids for our benefit.
But we sure as hell are paying people to kill animals in the trillions… just for US, which, but for you and me, these companies would have NO incentive to do so! Yet, we keep paying, so guess what? They’ll keep killing. You see how that works? Simple, right?
THAT’S what makes eating animals morally wrong.
Because your justifications for perpetuating a holocaust are weak!
Because, as a moral agent, you are capable of comprehending morality…
Because you understand that being the reason behind another’s unnecessary pain and suffering - someone truly innocent; someone that would look up to you for a morsel of care and compassion if you were tasked to do the deed yourself - is a bad thing, is wrong, is cruel, wicked and demonic.
Because if you had to switch positions and the same reasons you give for consuming tortured flesh was given to you, you would reasonably conclude that these motherfuckers who claim to know better - who claim to be an intelligent, empathetic and evolved species - are just evil pieces of shit who care about nothing and no-one but themselves.
And that’s what makes eating animals morally wrong.
As you wash the blood off your hands, is it not just easier to convince yourself that there is no good reason to give a single flying fuck about this issue? Is it not just less painful for you to do what you’ve always done; to not have to upset your tragic existence further by thinking about the death on your plate? Is it not just simpler to ignore the pain and suffering you pay for when you buy anything that came from an animal?
Is it not just all about you?
…
And that is why it’s immoral for YOU to eat animals.
Thanks for reading.
But wait! Don’t go throwing that hissy fit in the comment section just yet.
There’s more!
For a limited time, you can get your hands on our ‘Top 10 Fallacious Arguments Non-Vegans Use to Sleep Better at Night’.
We’ve got such gems as:
And our personal favourites:
While stocks last. Terms & Conditions apply.