3. The Cancer Argument against meat-eating
Those who eat flesh are far more likely to contract cancer than those following a vegetarian diet.
The risk of contracting breast cancer is 3.8 times greater for women who eat meat daily compared to less than once a week; 2.8 times greater for women who eat eggs daily compared to once a week; and 3.25 greater for women who eat butter and cheese 2 to 4 times a week as compared to once a week.
The risk of fatal ovarian cancer is three times greater for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week as compared with less than once a week.
The risk of fatal prostate cancer is 3.6 times greater for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily as compared with sparingly or not at all.
I'm so fucking tired of vegan acquaintances bringing this shit up... All of the studies that link meat/dairy/etc. consumption to cancer include processed deli meats, hotdogs, certain cheeses and so on which use chemical preservatives. It's the nitrites in many of these preservatives which can act as carcinogens. No study that I've seen has tested the connection of cancer to grass-fed, unprocessed livestock. A study that spans (surprise) all forms of all the things that vegans are against is not only suspiciously directed towards one conclusion, but will clearly fail to isolate the source of the problem.
What I'm saying here is that there is some obvious selection bias going on there.
The "vegans will fix world hunger/everything/war/unhappiness" point of view strikes me as extremely short-sighted, as in probably 90% of the world it's impossible to be vegan and be well-fed. Additionally, it runs counter to zillions of local traditions in zillions of places. It is also not economically viable for a significant portion of even the US population. Imposing vegan ideals on the whole world, even theoretically, is both ignorant and colonialistic.
This is the kind of self-righteous bullshit, although on a smaller scale, that has caused hundreds of wars.
To be a vegan is an imposition on the people around you, on the friends and family you love. To rant about how you're fucking saving the world through it makes it even less pleasant for us/them to tolerate your perma-teenaged bullshit.
