We do. My husband is an animal right's lawyer - specializing in elephants and suing circuses! - so yeah, we pretty much toe the ethical line there. I will admit to sneaking McDonald's French Fries (and feeling like a hypocrite the whole time) but we really don't eat animal products unless we have a reasonable understanding of how the animal has been treated. My husband is far stricter about this than I am but I do believe in the work he does and try to be supportive of him.
Is there some reason you can't have the fries either, or is it just the general idea of buying anything from McDonald's and giving them your money.
It is just the idea of giving McDonald's more money. Same reason people won't eat at Chick-fil-a (I mean, different reason for boycotting but its a boycott, not anything about the fries specifically). But I will eat meat if I know the source. My little brother hunts and I will eat turkeys he has shot, even though that's anthetical to the PETA crowd, because the turkeys lived a good life and I do believe that humans are meant to eat meat. But I can't see the justification for torturing animals the way McD's does, other than profit, so I try to avoid supporting that.
Wow, you must think you're some kind of profiler or something. Yeah, you got me pegged
The only two posts I've seen you contribute substantively in were this one and the farmers one from CEP, in which you nonchalantly dismissed everyone's viewpoint, said you were "just offering a differing opinion," and then said you weren't going to argue and weren't coming back to the post.
Lol @ circus chick. This is not going to end well for you.
Guess jokes on you if you think I care "how it ends". If enjoying the circus makes me an asshole parent, a) people really need to redefine their definitions of asshole parenting, and trust me, I've seen it and b)ill wave my "asshole flag" and eat my popcorn and peanuts too
Except you aren't waving your "asshole flag", you're covering it up with "well MY brand of circus doesn't do that". If you're going to be an asshole, at least be honest about it. You know they abuse animals and you don't give a fuck because your popcorn, peanuts and entertainment are more important and worth it to you for an elephant to be beaten and abused.
Wait, are we saying that McDonald's is unacceptable because they don't treat their chickens right?
Do you vet all restaurants' sources of meat before eating there or something?
I'm off track on where this thread has gone, but I'm WTF-facing that this is a hard thing to do. I guess if you eat out at a new place all the time. I don't, but when I do, I gravitate toward farm-to-table, organic joints. It's not that hard.
I'm guessing that if you gravitate toward "farm-to-table" joints, then no, it's not hard to do. But I'm WTFing that you seem to think THAT is easy for everyone.
I'm WTFing that someone thought it was unbelievable that anyone could possibly do it. I didn't say every family in America can find those places within three blocks of their home.
Would you let your children go to a party at a circus?
What about at the home of a racist?
A home where you knew drugs were used?
It's a continuum, right? Where some of us think McDonald's is pretty bad, and others think it is an overreaction to criticize it. But there is no real question that there are some values so abhorent we would not expose our children to them even if the child were too young to understand what was actually happening. I'm guessing most people draw the line at racism. I draw it at animal abuse. But there is a line, right?
No, no, and depends on what drugs.
Animal rights issues are so hard for me because I still eat meat from the grocery store, and I know where it comes from, but I try not to eat fast food for my health. We buy farm raised beef and pork whenever possible, but there are times we drive thru at McD's. I've been working on it though.
Obviously, animal rights are a bigger deal for me than for most people. It's my husband's profession. His whole social circle is focused on ethical treatment of animals, we are one of the very few couples that aren't vegan but it is just part of our lives to only eat animal products if we know the source. But it's like any profession . . . A realtor probably can't visit a friend without valuing their house, etc. For us, though, the treatment of animals is a really big deal. Animal maltreatment isn't in the same league as racism or homophobia, of course, but I would let my child in a house where people smoked weed or even occasionally used harder drugs before I'd let them contribute to an industry that contributes to maltreatment of animals.
But, like I said, I would not send my child to a party at chickfila either.
So Elle honest question. Will you allow your child ever purchase anything from the school cafeteria? Because chances are their chicken nuggets or hamburgers are coming from the same place as McD's, Chikfla etc.
Even if someone made their kids take their lunch and little joey wanted to purchase milk or ice cream. Is that still contributing to an industry that mistreats animals.
I am not being snarky, I ask because I do not know some of this works.
So Elle honest question. Will you allow your child ever purchase anything from the school cafeteria? Because chances are their chicken nuggets or hamburgers are coming from the same place as McD's, Chikfla etc.
Even if someone made their kids take their lunch and little joey wanted to purchase milk or ice cream. Is that still contributing to an industry that mistreats animals.
I am not being snarky, I ask because I do not know some of this works.
I know you asked Elle, but I will answer, too.
For me, it depends. Sodexo is contracted for many school lunch programs, and they fuck over people as well as animals. They're also crooked, bribe-taking creeps.
There are, however, schools that don't get their food this way. In California, where Elle lives, it's increasingly likely somebody is paying attention to the cafeteria food.
Post by chairbreaker on Apr 11, 2013 22:08:46 GMT -5
So late to this but I feel Elle needs more people on her side. I don't go to any fast food Or chain restaurants because of the meat sourcing issue. My kid is surviving childhood just fine.
That being said, the kids party thing is a real grey area. At a recent playdate a dad showed up with McDonald's for all of the kids. I cringed, but I'm not an asshole so I let my kid eat what all of his friends were eating.
We are very fortunate that our elementary school is a charter school in our closed community. It's 2 blocks from my house, my husband can bring food to our child. That said, I also believe in teaching children to sack up and be polite, so if they go to a school that serves food we would not serve at home I hope the child would be deferential to her school and eat the food (if there's no other option). To me, there is a difference between a mandatory activity, during which you are polite and do what you are told, and a discretionary activity. I choose not to participate in discretionary activities that are harmful to animals. If there are mandatory activities that's different. But I don't think it's a real issue in our neighborhood or the schools our children will attend.
We are very fortunate that our elementary school is a charter school in our closed community. It's 2 blocks from my house, my husband can bring food to our child. That said, I also believe in teaching children to sack up and be polite, so if they go to a school that serves food we would not serve at home I hope the child would be deferential to her school and eat the food (if there's no other option). To me, there is a difference between a mandatory activity, during which you are polite and do what you are told, and a discretionary activity. I choose not to participate in discretionary activities that are harmful to animals. If there are mandatory activities that's different. But I don't think it's a real issue in our neighborhood or the schools our children will attend.
Would you let your children go to a party at a circus?
What about at the home of a racist?
A home where you knew drugs were used?
It's a continuum, right? Where some of us think McDonald's is pretty bad, and others think it is an overreaction to criticize it. But there is no real question that there are some values so abhorent we would not expose our children to them even if the child were too young to understand what was actually happening. I'm guessing most people draw the line at racism. I draw it at animal abuse. But there is a line, right?
I took my kids to circuses. I took my kids to my dad's house, and he was a racist. I never took my kids to a house where I knew drugs were being used. I took my kids to Mcdonalds frequently. And other fast food restaurants.
This explains why they are such a menace to society.
So late to this but I feel Elle needs more people on her side. I don't go to any fast food Or chain restaurants because of the meat sourcing issue. My kid is surviving childhood just fine.
That being said, the kids party thing is a real grey area. At a recent playdate a dad showed up with McDonald's for all of the kids. I cringed, but I'm not an asshole so I let my kid eat what all of his friends were eating.
I know I am beating a dead horse here, but I want to clarify that it's not that I am against Elle on this issue. While it's not my hill to die on, I do worry about where my food comes from in general, and I eat more vegetarian meals than not. I understand where she is coming from on the issues. My grey area, if you even can call it that since I don't even have a kid, is the idea of not letting my kid go to his friend's party just because it's at McDonalds. It's heartbreaking to me that there might be some kid out there that wants to have this party, and none of his friends will come because their parents are all against it. To me, that sucks.
See, that's why parents should not hold partiers at politically contentious locations. To be clear, I do not actually think McDonalds is a politically controversial location. I think a small percentage of the population, which happens to include me, objects to its treatment of animals. That said, there are places like CFA and the circus where even larger numbers object, and there, yeah, you are sort of a jackass for holding a party unless you know your audience and your audience hates The Gays and loves them some CFA (in which case you are still a jackass).
I'm WTFing that someone thought it was unbelievable that anyone could possibly do it. I didn't say every family in America can find those places within three blocks of their home.
Who exactly thought it was unbelievable, because it sure as hell wasn't me. I asked because I was curious about how she makes sure every restaurant she eats at is ethical with their meat sourcing, specifically chain restaurants or, say, a new place picked out by friends she wasn't able to vet prior to going.
I can't speak for the others, but in our case, we don't eat meat unless we know the origins. That means primarily eat a vegetarian diet when eating at restuarants because if they don't specify where it came from/how it was raised, it's pretty safe to assume it wasn't according to our preferred standards.
I took my daughter to the circus a couple of years ago, I was appaled at the way the animals were treated. And they kept stuffing those poor clowns in a tiny car! We will NEVER go back to the circus. I eat what I want. I also live in Colorado, drugs everywhere.