The other threat to children

[Guest guest]

All the news about child abuse in the Church has started me thinking; (a

dangerous turn of affairs). While the world examines child abuse by

priests, which affects relatively few children, it ignores a greater daily

threat to millions of kids world-wide. Of course, I'm talking about the

child abuse inherent in feeding kids a meat-centered, fast-food diet.

 

I wonder if emphasizing the ill effects that meat has on kids would be an

effective way of encouraging the growth of vegetarianism. After all, most

people don't care about animals, or even their own health, based on what

they eat. But everyone worries about his or her kids. Perhaps a major

advertising campaign by a coalition of national animal rights and veggie

groups centered on the child abuse inherent in a fast-food, meat based diet

would be more effective than current outreach efforts.

 

Before I suggest this to some of the larger national organizations, I'd like

to get some feedback from members of this list. If you have any opinions or

suggestions, please send them to the list so that folks can comment on each

other's ideas.

 

Thanks for your consideration. And remember: even the largest elephant

starts out as the tiniest embryo. The future is ours!

 

[My first attempt to send this had not posted over an hour later so I'm

sending this again. Sorry if you got two e-mails.]

[Guest guest]

Thanks to those of you who gave me much needed feedback on the subject of

linking child abuse with feeding fast food and other animal products (not

just dairy) to children.

 

I just got off the phone with long-time Bay Area animal activist Doll

Stanley, who now runs Project Hope in Granada, Mississippi. She agreed with

many of the comments raised by those who saw the campaign as possibly

creating a backlash. But she also thinks that linkage of the issues is a

good idea if it's done the right way.

 

Doll made three suggestions:

 

1. The campaign should be sponsored by the Physician's Committee for

Responsible Medicine (PCRM) to give it credibility. Funds should be

contributed by other animal and veggie groups but they should not be named

to avoid giving ammunition to opponents.

 

2. She agrees with Jack Norris that the focus should be on the voluminous

evidence that now exists linking the eating of animal products with

childhood medical problems and general poor health. To be effective, the

campaign should avoid scare or shock tactics.

 

3. The campaign should be focused on women and mothers by placing ads and

articles in magazines that appeal to women and mothers.

 

Before I take this idea any farther, I'd like to hear from any of you who

have ideas or concerns about this approach, especially those of you who have

already expressed opinions critical of the idea.

 

Thanks again for your kind replies.

 

The future is ours!

[Guest guest]

On 4/24/02 4:10 PM, " Tony Martin " <veggiedude wrote:

 

> I don't know if anyone brought this up, but the last book by Doctor Spock

> would be very useful ammo. He said kids should not drink milk and was

> absolutely against eating meat, which I think he called a bad habit.

 

Here¹s a followup... I have a CNN link about it here:

 

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9806/20/dr.spock/

 

 

³This note was written on Mac OS X, a UNIX based vegan OS.²

 

 

tony