Humans Are Herbivores Not Carnivores (Response)

Post date: Nov 20, 2017 4:1:19 PM

Published 11/17/17

By Nolan Brown

An article ran in CXII.4 on Oct. 20 in the Opinions section of The Chatterbox, titled Humans are Herbivores. Many things in this article are false.

The article makes a weak attempt at creating feelings for a dead squirrel. The only empathy I feel for a roadkill squirrel is the fact that I do not enjoy pain, and I wish that it did not die in a painful manner. However, most things die violently; such is nature, so I do not care very much about dead squirrels. Although I have no desire to personally slaughter a cow, just the fact that I want to eat many kinds of meat is proof enough that I am an omnivore. I do not care about cuteness. That is cultural. I will down a rabbit with gusto.

The claim that biologists and anthropologists believe that people are herbivores is false. As anyone who has been to school and paid attention through the sixth grade will attest that we are omnivores, according to science. We may have smaller canines than carnivores, but we still have them. I tear meat, even tough, overcooked meat, not even to mention juicy, tender, raw meat, proficiently. We also have incisors, or “cutter” teeth. Incisors and canines (meat-eating teeth) account for 12 of our 20 teeth, while molars, used for grinding plants, account for the other eight. Feel with your tongue; I am not lying. Although our jaw moves from side-to-side, it also moves up and down. I personally do not chew side-to-side like a horse; I chew up and down, like a normal person.

Although we have longer digestive systems than carnivores, we also do not have four stomachs, like a cow and other similar herbivores. Furthermore, we actually have quite strong stomach acid compared to herbivores. Also, the reason for ailments such as heart disease and colon cancer is not the consumption of meat, it is the overconsumption of certain meats, sugars and oils. Although the overconsumption of meat is one cause of Type 2 Diabetes, there are many other causes, such as obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and overall bad diet. Most of people’s health issues come from overconsumption of unhealthy food in general. While this does include red meat, it also includes a myriad of other culinary delights.

However, even as a meat-eater, I acknowledge that vegetarianism is healthier overall than omnivorism, at least as it is practiced today. I also acknowledge that vegetarianism is more efficient and better for the earth.

But the arguments that our ancestors only ate meat out of necessity and that the eating of meat is unnatural to humans is wrong. Hunter-gatherers ate more plants than meats because it was easier and more efficient. They also did plenty of hunting, not just in times of necessity. Further, if meat-eating really was only a stopgap measure, then after the development of farming and an indefinite plant surplus, we would not have continued to eat plenty of meat. Meat as a stopgap measure also explains neither our bodies’ desire to eat meat nor its ability to do so.

Even websites such as veganbiologist.com and the Vegetarian Resource Group (vrg.org) agree that you are wrong. I understand that vegetarianism is your preferred diet, and I understand that it is environmentally preferable, but do not foist your world view on us by creating falsehoods.

The views shared in the Opinions section of The Chatterbox are those of their authors and may not represent the views of the publication as a whole.