Hi Roger,
Thanks for clearing up your points, I do appreciate the dialog, and I have a few things to add. I swear I'm trying to wrap this up and get out of the way!
When I brought up how this topic ties in with the product you sell, I only meant that my views will keep me from buying a work printer as I won't be shooting film anymore. As for your transfer service, my family has many very old home movies that we might want to transfer to video, so depending on what they want to do with it, I'll still be a customer. I can draw the line at working with film that's already been shot; I just won't buy any more.
You said, "...NOT shooting film will do nothing to protect the cows you fret over..."
and "Thinking that cows will be saved if you don't shoot film is short sighted."
Overlooking your unnecessary "short sighted" comment, this is very useful to the conversation, because it shows that you've made an incorrect assumption about what I believe. I know full well that avoiding film won't save cows, and while it's a bit insulting of you to attribute that thinking to me, I won't take it personally. Partly because I know you to be a decent, well-meaning guy, and partly because of the very many misconceptions I'm confronted with, I know that there isn't enough information in circulation to dispel these common myths. I simply believe that it's wrong for me to benefit from the suffering of animals, and it doesn't matter to me that making film was not the direct cause of death. There are more complexities to the issue than we can or should try to cover in a film discussion, so I'll leave it at that. We disagree on this point, and that's OK. What's not OK is for you to say, "Chris should not feel guilty about shooting film." That is not your choice to make. We've both made our choices, we disagree, and that's OK.
You also said, "...the question at hand should not be framed as a "moral" issue since it isn't a moral issue at all and trying to make it one imposes the beliefs of Chris on everyone that wants to offer advice."
No, it is a moral question for ME; I'm only referring to the way I define morality FOR MYSELF. I never said or implied otherwise. I'm not suggesting that anyone change what they're doing, just talking about what I'm doing in an attempt to get information on the subject, which I now have, thank you very much for the replies. You're going on the offensive to defend against an attack that was never launched.
Here's a few of your points I'd like to comment on:
"D) Plastic is a product of the petroleum industry
and
E) Petroleum comes from fossil fuels
and
F) Fossil fuels come from billions of dead animals (many of which were vegetarians!)"
I don't know of a single vegan that cares about that connection. Speaking for myself, a large part of what I care about is the conditions of factory farms (anyone is free to research that on their own, this is not the place and I've already posted links). You're talking about animals that killed each other or died of natural causes, NOT animals that we kill for our own convenience.
There is of course the larger issue of environmental harm, and believe me, as soon as fuel cell cars are safe and available, I'll be in line to buy one. Same goes for car tires without animal by-products. There are instances where I don't have a choice, so I just do the best I can. One place I do have a choice is in buying shampoos and other cleaners that aren't petroleum based. As for plastics, I do what I can. My computer has much higher metal content than plastic, and rather than buying a whole new system to upgrade, I use my old case and other parts and upgrade the internal parts. That's also more cost effective. The plastic items I buy and use are long-term use items. I don't buy plastic cups, for example, or other throwaway items wherever possible. And while it's true that plastics harm the environment, it's as dangerous to us as animal life so I feel there's some balance there. Everyone has to draw his or her own lines, and where I draw mine is up to me and my conscience.
"1) Man is a carnivore by nature and a herbivore by choice"
and, "...forcing himself to be a vegetarian"
There is evidence that would tend to suggest otherwise. Have you ever compared our teeth with those of true carnivores? We have far less enamel and weaker jaws. Our "K-9" teeth are a pathetic joke compared to real meat eaters like those of lions and tigers. Our digestive system lacks the necessary acid level to fully break down animal fats. That is why Humans suffer so much heart disease due to our diets. We are certainly capable of surviving on meat, but we weren't designed from the ground up to live on it with complete success.
"Man HAS to eat but man doesn't HAVE to have a computer"
Man sure can eat meat, but doesn't have to. Read what the American Dietetic Association has to say about it *IF* you're interested:
http://www.eatright.com/adap1197.html
David M. Leugers: Thanks so much for using words like "hypocrisy" and "misguided" about me, I really enjoy your confrontational style of communication. OK, I actually don't enjoy it at all, and I find your tone insulting. I never implied that you are a religious nut, only that you weren't being very nice with your comments, and that they didn't seem to line up with any religion that I'm familiar with. Any religion you choose is your right and no concern of mine, but I'm well within my rights to complain if you're a jerk to me. Here are some religious and other quotes you might find interesting, but maybe not. I don't even know what your religion is. So, please take no offense, I'm simply showing that other people through history have similar ideas:
"...there is something so very dreadful, so satanic in tormenting those who have never harmed us, and who cannot defend themselves, who are utterly in our power, who have weapons neither of offence nor defense, that none but very hardened persons can endure the thought of it"
--Cardinal John Henry Newman
"Cruelty to animals is as if humans did not love God."
--Cardinal John Henry Newman
"You who are innocent, what have you done worthy of death?"
--Richard of Wyche Bishop of Chichester 1197-1253
"...To shut your mind, heart and imagination from the sufferings of others is to begin slowly, but inexorably, to die. Those Christians who close their minds and hearts to the cause of animal welfare, and the evils it seeks to combat, are ignoring the Fundamental spiritual teachings of Christ himself"
--John Baker, Bishop of Salisbury
"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."
--Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
OK, when we're done discussing how I live my life, I'll go back to post a film projector question, I promise.
