C. James Strutz wrote:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>>James has acknowledged that vegans live in ignorance of the issue, that
>>much is already settled.

> No, I have not acknowledged that, and just because I suggested it doesn't
> mean that the matter is settled.

It depends on the individual. Those who have studied the
issue at all are aware of the negative effects of modern
agricultural methods across the board. Many consumers are
ignorant. Vegetarians and vegans tend to be more aware,
because they have first considered the effect of production on
animals and decided they did not want to participate in the
system which causes so much suffering and injustice toward food
animals and other animals used to produce products for human
use. From there, it is only a small step to considering the
effect of similar methods on animals in production of other
products. People who have stopped buying one kind of product
on ethical grounds are usually open to suggestions that they
should boycott other products on ethical grounds, and many
vegans and vegetarians do so. It works the other way, too:
people who have decided to buy only shade-grown coffee or
chocolate produced by humanely-treated workers or non-sweatshop
clothing can easily see the connection with not buying animal
products from factory-farmed or abused animals. People who
routinely buy products from Wal-Mart, produced by slave-labor in
China or the barrio in Los Angeles, and sold by badly-treated
employees, will usually buy factory-farmed meat as well.

The issue of treatment of animals is closely tied in with similar
issues of treatment of workers and the environment, as most vegans
and vegetarians are aware.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>