To the editor,
I found Christopher Gibbons’ tirade against meat in Thursday’s edition of The Daily quite amusing until I realized he was completely serious.
I think most people would agree that eating a turkey sandwich for lunch and having tacos for dinner is not a “disgusting addiction” as he called it.
Christopher claims the demand for meat will soon become unsustainable because I will eat 25 percent more meat (50 pounds) in 2015 than I did last year. So what?
Meat is not a necessity like oil or water, and I’m pretty sure we will never run out of cows, pigs and chickens. It’s like saying 5,000 Skittles a day for everyone in America is unsustainable.
The columnist’s conclusion states that, “we need to get back to our roots, and … understand that meat was, and still is, a luxury.”
Get back to our roots? Hunter civilizations are presumed to have lived (and lived off meat) as far back as 2 million years ago, and meat is a central part of several of our national holidays.
I agree with the opinion that some people eat way too much meat, but to imply that by having a meat-based protein with most meals is a “disgusting addiction,” is absolutely ridiculous.
And to further imply that be eating meat I am aiding in the destruction of the environment because cows fart, is also ridiculous.
My suggestion is that if you are worried about corn-fed beef and cow flatulence, then take a note from the Chick-Fil-A cow and “Eat Mor Chikin.”
Kyle Bertholf
OU Alumnus
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dio 2 years, 8 months ago
Well, dear OU Daily censor, thank you for your work. I will have to point out, again, the crass ignorance of Kyle in matters related to factory farming (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_...)... or not, since Flips88 and JJanowiak did a good job.
dio 2 years, 8 months ago
Kyle, you know who is "disgustingly" ridiculous? YOU. YOU should have read about the environmental impact of factory farming instead of writing to the OU Daily to crack jokes on cow flatulence. It is not about "some" people eating too much, it is about the meat consumption at the national scale. And no, there was not seven billion hunters two million years ago. At least check out a wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_...) or something before putting your foot in your mouth.
Flips88 2 years, 8 months ago
"Meat is not a necessity like oil or water, and I’m pretty sure we will never run out of cows, pigs and chickens."
Yes, but the earth, believe it or not, remains finite and you may want to take note that cattle grazing is a huge cause of deforestation in countries in South America and other areas, and here's the surprise, less rain forests in the world actually bring about an environmental impact on mankind.
JJanowiak 2 years, 8 months ago
And would you look at that... a quick peek at Kyle's public facebook reveals that he is almost perfectly pedestrian in every way - no serious books, all comedy central, masculine, "conservative" waste. What a surprise! Maybe cracking a book besides John Grisham every once in a while would help dispel that cloud of ignorance laying over him thicker than the flies on Pigpen.
JJanowiak 2 years, 8 months ago
It's impressive that Kyle Bertholf managed to get a university degree while still being staggeringly ignorant about history, nutrition, and agribusiness. His letter is the rant of a small child throwing a temper tantrum when he's told there are limits to his excess. This man truly lives in a bubble so misguided and ill-informed to be pitiful instead of frustrating.