I found Erin Oliveri’s recent All Hail (“Meat-lovers far from inferior,” Oct. 25) both lacking introspection and disturbingly naive. With just a small amount of research, Oliveri would have discovered that honey bees are currently dying off at extraordinary rates, due to a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

This presents a problem not only for honey sales, but also for growers of all sorts of produce who rely on the bees for pollination. No one knows for sure the exact cause(s) of CCD, but possibilities range from malnutrition to genetically modified crops.

The author also highlights the importance of meat in her diet without giving any thought to the source. The simple fact is that most animals used for meat today are kept under atrocious, industrialized conditions. Any amount of prior research would have led to this conclusion.

As for lamenting the lack of representation of meat-eaters, a simple tally of the local restaurants that offer meat compared to those that don’t, would’ve forced the author to conclude that there is no underrepresentation of choices for those who choose to eat meat.

If the author feels threatened by vegetarianism, it is only because we are trying to force a deeper recognition of serious structural problems in our society’s food sources. It is unfortunate that the author missed such an opportunity to examine what most take for granted.

– Jonathan Harrington is a junior sociology major.