O.o what?

[fierceawakening]

Stuff like this here is why I can't take "anti-hierarchy" people seriously:
Apparently meat-eaters sense of taste is related to their desire to dominate or to support unequal power structures. They like the taste of power.

Meat-eaters prefer the taste of things they are told are meat, even when they aren't actually meat."[A] large group of people

Comments

[marnanel]

It doesn't seem surprising to me that someone who opposed hierarchy would get used to seeing it in many places, considering the amount of it in the world. (That's not to say that this isn't fucking crazy.)

[fierceawakening]

I still have no idea what "opposing hierarchy" is supposed to mean, though.

http://trinityva.livejournal.com/912512.html

My brain *hurts* every time I see it.

[morgan_dhu]

As you know, I'm what you might call anti-hierarchy

[fierceawakening]

I think with you and I -- apart from a couple things with which we agree to disagree -- we pretty much agree on things.

I just can't make "any rank ordering should derive from the bottom up" parse to "anti-hierarchy", because hierarchy MEANS "rank-ordering."

It's like using the word "feminist" to mean "person with a lot of personal power who nonetheless knows all women belong in the home" or something, and then saying "I'm anti-feminist."

Or like using "apple" to mean "banana" and going on about the potassium in apples.

It's just not what the word *means*.

(I also am not convinced every power structure *has* to arise from the bottom to be legitimate, though I do think that power dynamics that do derive thus can be less risky.)

[fierceawakening]

Yeah, exactly.

I had a look at the study itself, and it basically said that previous research had indicated that people associate meat consumption with power dynamics and grains with... I can't remember exactly what, but something more "fair." I'd have to look at what they cite (they gave numerous citations, so maybe this is well-established), but I do remember finding what the study actually said about meat carrying that sort of cultural meaning more convincing than this blog post, for whatever it's worth.

And yeah, I think the same thing about the social authority bit. Much more needs to be unpacked about what social authority means here, and what it means for people to value it, and (like you say) how that might influence participants' views of the researchers and the study itself.

[morgan_dhu]

Yeah, I'd have to say the association, if it exists, is likely a culturally induced one.

European and European-descended culture is full of paeans to blood-thirstiness, visions of nobles beasts "red in tooth and claw," and valiant heroes sitting down to a meal of burnt animal on a spit. We're also acculturated to associate power with physical force. So of course people who want what our culture calls power would tend to believe that they should be meat lovers.

It is interesting to note here that most of the time I prefer the taste of a well-seasoned meal of grains and veggies to the taste of meat. I do sometimes have cravings for hunks of roast beast, which I indulge in quite happily. Come to think of it, it's usually when I'm either very frustrated or very celebratory. ;-)

[fierceawakening]

I like vegetables and roast beast myself. Last night I was all over the veggies and not so much the beast, though it was also quite good.

Personally, I'm most fond of roast beast when I'm on my period. I think it's an iron thing.

And also personally, I've had periods in my life where I was close to ovolactovegetarian, and the few exceptions were things like eating soup made with chicken broth. There was a lot I liked about it, but I found that my hypoglycemia meant I craved protein almost all the time.

It's entirely possible that I was just DOIN IT RONG, but given the sheer amount of legumes and other protein-rich foods I was eating, I honestly think my body wanted beast back. I know some people would think I'm just lazy, but I care more about my blood sugar than their opinion. :)

[cheshire_bitten]

I bet that study had more to do with positive associations with the taste of meat, outside of power than it did with power, I think it is interesting and I know I have feed a lot of meat eaters well cooked veg food which they where shock at because "you made stuff taste good without meat"

rolls eyes, but that not the same as getting off on the power.

[amberlr]

The "anti-hierarchy" stuff drives me batty.

[fierceawakening]

Yeah, me too.