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The Aim of the Society

by Christine Garzia B.Psy (Hons)
Christine manages Public Relations for the Vegetarian Society of Malta.

First of all, I would like to welcome all vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike to this website. We hope that you will find the information contained in this site useful and interesting, and we do welcome your feedback. As the Vegetarian Society of Malta, our main aim is to educate and inform individuals on vegetarianism.

In so doing, we hope to eliminate the many preconceived notions and misconceptions surrounding the vegetarian lifestyle. The success of vegetarianism ultimately depends on the informed, conscientious consumer. If we do reduce demand - by eliminating or at least decreasing the amount of meat from our diet - and instead purchasing meat alternatives, we will succeed in reducing supply to a certain extent. The same argument can be used with regards to other animal products, such as leather and fur. Consumer boycott can cause changes in the market, even if on a small scale. Alternative markets are continually being created by demand for new, substitute products by consumers, like the soya products that have recently become staple products in every supermarket. Every individual counts towards such change and progress; ultimately the change has to start from within ourselves, before starting in society. Furthermore, the ripple effect should not be underestimated; a challenging and interesting conversation is sometimes enough to change someone's perception of the meat and dairy industry. It is also important to recognize that as individuals we can contribute to changing society, even if on a small scale, but that as a group of individuals working towards such ideals we can be even more successful in our aims.

This is what we seek to achieve as the Vegetarian Society of Malta: to bring together vegetarians from all walks of life and strive towards achieving our common goals. Our motives for becoming vegetarian may certainly differ, from being an ethical vegetarian to adopting vegetarianism for health reasons, but our common ideology should unite us towards educating others about the vegetarian way of life, thereby reducing so much animal suffering and also learning to live in a healthier manner. Thus, it is our hope that this website will increase communication between our members and most importantly serve as a source of support for vegetarians living in a non-vegetarian society.

On a personal note, one of my aims is to argue that it doesn't make sense to call ourselves "animal lovers" while eating cows and rabbits at the kitchen table. As a society we find animal cruelty disgusting and I sincerely wonder what people actually believe happens in a slaughter house. Some of the same people who argue and get upset at animal cruelty don't realize that when they eat meat, they are contributing to animal cruelty in a different manner; animal cruelty that translates into a miserable life for the animal concerned; a life which in the end we actually destroy. As Ruth Harrison wrote, "If one person is unkind to an animal it is considered to be cruelty, but where a lot of people are unkind to animals, especially in the name of commerce, the cruelty is condoned and, once large sums of money are at stake, will be defended to the last by otherwise intelligent people" (1964). It is my conviction that when eating meat, we steal a life that is not ours to take. We turn an animal into an object and treat it as such.

I believe that as humans living in a so called 'modern' age we have become so arrogant and disconnected from nature that we choose to ignore and deny that it is society that makes distinctions between different animals when such distinctions in fact do not exist. I sincerely hope that this website will be an eye opener to individuals who are not afraid to challenge the way things work in society and who are prepared to act on their beliefs. People should not be discouraged by individuals who believe that animals are 'objects' for human use only, and they should neither be discouraged by those who do not question animals' rights to live their own life.