Jordan+Opinion+Writing

 toc7 September 2009

Vegetarians
 Should I become a vegetarian? Is it cruel to eat animals? Is it right to stop eating meat? This is what a lot of people ask themselves every day. Should we all become vegetarians? Eating meat can’t be that bad, can it? What is a vegetarian? A vegetarian is someone who eats no meat and eats vegetables. Should we all become vegetarians? I personally think that we shouldn’t.

My first point to support this is the fact that eating meat isn’t as bad as it sounds. Meat like beef and lamb give you the iron you need to keep up with day to day life. If you think killing animals is wrong it is just part of nature and the food chain. Because we, as humans are at the top of the food chain and I think that we can have the advantage of eating them since we had enough knowledge to kill them.

My second point is that a piece broccoli only has 0.55 milligrams of iron but a piece of steak has 8.2 mg. On average a boy between the age of 11 and 18 needs to have 11.2mg of iron a day. For girls it’s 14.2mg a day. Plus there is not much variety being a vegetarian because cafes and super markets have to make and stock vegetarian food separately from the rest. If you are a vegan (no honey, meat, fish, dairy, birds or eggs) you have got even less variety than before because most things have got something you don’t eat in them (imagine not being able to eat cake!).

On the other hand if you love animals and you do not want to harm them, being a vegetarian might be an option you enjoy. The reason why is because a lot of farms are very cruel to their animals (e.g. battery chickens) and even if they are brought up nicely how can they kill something that they loved?

When you go to buy food you can save money by not buying meat. Meat can also make you very sick if not cooked properly and you can save money on not cooking meat with either gas or electric bills. Meat is also hard to keep because you can’t keep it with any other food in the fridge. Meat is something you get by either going to the butcher or razing your own animals. Raising your own animals will cost a lot of money, time and effort but almost anyone can grow there own vegetables. Weather it is a hanging basket or an orchid. Seeds are also only cost a couple of dollars and you can get them at supermarkets and farmers markets.

In conclusion I think that being a vegetarian has its pros and cons but I think that eating meat is still a good option .It can give you the right amount of protein and iron you need in your day to day life. But even better is a mix of good foods like dairy and bread as well as meat and vegetables. So no I don’t think we should all become vegetarians. Like the bumper sticker says I LOVE ANIMALS .THEY TASTE DELICIOUS.

Vegetarians-Reflections
I think that I could of done better by actually looking and thinking what I could do to improve it. I also think I could have listened to Mrs Crows advice to improve it.

Smacking law
Smacking is a way people discipline there children but it can scar them emotionally and physically some times for life. Would you hit an adult like that? Sue Bradford from the Green party was the first person to introduce the smacking law in 2007. I think it is wrong to assault your children like they are some sort of beast.  I think it is wrong to inflict pain on those you love and are dear to you. Smacking someone is bad enough but smacking some one who can’t fight back is even worse. Imagine if you were a kid that had just accidently smashed you mums vase and before you know it some one is smacking you as hard as they can. It would be hard to cope let alone when you are a child. If you were a child would you vote for smacking if you were the one getting hurt? If some one smacked you right now you would go screaming assault to the police but if you smacked your kids you wouldn’t think any less of it The Waikato Times poll showed 70% of Waikato residents planned to vote in the referendum, with that rising as high at 78% within Hamilton. People were asked: "Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?" Just 8% said yes. One news say that in New Zealand 75% of us are horrified at the thought of smacking coming back, 20% are for smacking and 5% are unsure. When a child dose some thing little like talk back to you and you smack them what will you do when they do some thing big like smash a car window on purpose? There have been reports of parents beating there children with riding crops, bits of wood, hose pipe, leather belts and bamboo. It is shameful that people want to have the smacking law back. Personally I don’t see what’s wrong with time out or going to bed early. I admit that smacking your children is an effective way of disciplining your children but it can leave them unpleasant memories of home. In my opinion, smacking is a cruel punishment and should be banned for ever. I think that if people knew how much it hurt they might stop and think about it.