do you know many vegans? i know online it's easy to find the extreme-annoying-vegan-militant types, but i know many vegans who are overwhelmingly not pretentious and have not chosen the diet to be trendy, you know? i really think it's one of those cases of the obnoxious minority causing problems for the smarter majority. a thoughtfully planned vegan diet may not be better than a diet that includes meat, but it can definitely be as nutritious.
The reality is that, a vegan diet does not sufficiently provide enough of the nutrients that a human being needs without supplementing it artificially with pills. Being that there is no GOOD nutritional reason to go to the extreme of being vegan (full lacto/ovo/meat prohibition) the stance is usually a moral one from genuine concerns like the inhumane treatment of animals in modern husbandry to ludicrous notions about how meat eating contributes to world famine. Simple vegetarianism I can understand, but going to the extreme of eschewing all animal products is typically founded on a moral principle that doesn't hold water any way you look at it, and that's the part that irks me.
sorry, i just realized that sounded a bit harsh. i guess i just get annoyed with people who get annoyed with vegans because i dunno, they're not doing anything wrong, they're not harming anyone (maybe themselves, but whatever, personal responsibility, etc). there are a lot of religious and political beliefs that i feel are lacking in basic logic, but because veganism is ultimately rooted in basic, good stuff (don't hurt the animals! the meat industry is fucked up!), it is at the very very bottom of political causes i would get irked by.
I don't mind harshness. I welcome being called on any opinion I present. The original entry is definitely harsh in tone.
Do I hate vegans? Of course not. I judge everyone on an individual basis. But I do think it's rather silly as a general concept. If poor treatment of animals is the issue, then why not support organic farmers rather than going to such an extreme? If you just don't like meat, or milk, or eggs, or whatever, fine by me... but don't make it some moral, political stance. :)
yeah, i agree with you - extremists in anything suck. but, vegans, especially, are not imposing anything on you :) quit looking at those videos on peta.com - you're asking to be irked! ;)
Even if the belief has no foundation in reality, little benefit and, further, can be dangerous to their health? What people choose to do with their bodies is ultimately their choice, but if I disagree with their belief, especially when it is one that is just wrong any way you look at it, why not knock them for it? When you're wrong, you're wrong. Just because it's packaged in progressiveness and largely practiced by privileged, erudite people doesn't give them a free pass for being beoneheaded.
If this was a discussion on some egghead with some half-cooked conspiracy theory about this or that, there would not be a single objection. Certainly he's entitled to his belief, even if it is wrong or has no foundation, but he's still a kook.
you seriously think it's wrong in any way you look at it? dude, when people aren't being murdered or tortured, when someone has made a choice that works best for them using knowledge and research they've done, there is always something sound there. anyway, that's my opinion.
When an entire generation of people are being systematically misinformed by an errant morality under the guise of progressiveness, yes I think that's wrong.
We're at a point where there are a lot of people who believe that meat is BAD for you, causes cancer, heart disease, etc. all of which has no scientific foundation. Further, meat has many essential things which we need and vegan diets are essentially deficient. Yes, people have a personal responsibility and it's their choice... but does this mean I have to abide a growing culture of untruth that people swallow hook line and sinker?
an entire generation? a growing culture of untruth? i believe you are exagerating just a little bit. there are many untruths that are being propagated in north america today, and seriously, i think that particular one is the least of our problems.
I think you're lending a little more importance than I intended, but I don't think I'm exaggerating at all. I'm not on a crusade to end vegan practice, I just wrote a blog entry wherein I stated an opinion. People as a general rule should be better informed in all things, and this is one thing in which there is a great deal of misinformation to be had. In the grand scheme of things, there is always something more important that we could talk about... I just chose this is my topic for this particular entry because it's what was on my mind. :)
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Do I hate vegans? Of course not. I judge everyone on an individual basis. But I do think it's rather silly as a general concept. If poor treatment of animals is the issue, then why not support organic farmers rather than going to such an extreme? If you just don't like meat, or milk, or eggs, or whatever, fine by me... but don't make it some moral, political stance. :)
Reply
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If this was a discussion on some egghead with some half-cooked conspiracy theory about this or that, there would not be a single objection. Certainly he's entitled to his belief, even if it is wrong or has no foundation, but he's still a kook.
Reply
Reply
We're at a point where there are a lot of people who believe that meat is BAD for you, causes cancer, heart disease, etc. all of which has no scientific foundation. Further, meat has many essential things which we need and vegan diets are essentially deficient. Yes, people have a personal responsibility and it's their choice... but does this mean I have to abide a growing culture of untruth that people swallow hook line and sinker?
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