Thoughts on veganism?

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Replies

  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    dbmata wrote: »
    Regarding the bees, there is a difference between having a mutually beneficial relationship where bees are pollinating and doing their thing and in the process it helps my veggies. That is a natural way things happen and isn't exploitation. Exploitation is when the bees do their work of building a hive... and then we come destroy it to take their honey. I'm not taking anything away from a bee who freely chooses to visit my peach tree.

    What if I build said hive, and they choose to inhabit it. It's my hive, why can I not charge rent, and in return, keep them in a safe, warm, and protected home?

    Sweet, delicious rent.
  • btlm2009
    btlm2009 Posts: 1 Member
    Ok meat eaters, I would like you to watch a DVD. It's called, Food, Inc. A Robert Kenner film. "You'll never look at dinner the same way again" Oh do me favor, have some McD's or Berger King while watching.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    btlm2009 wrote: »
    Ok meat eaters, I would like you to watch a DVD. It's called, Food, Inc. A Robert Kenner film. "You'll never look at dinner the same way again" Oh do me favor, have some McD's or Berger King while watching.


    I have seen it. The stupidest bunch of drivel I ever wasted time on.
  • Basilin
    Basilin Posts: 360 Member
    glevinso wrote: »

    I agree 100% that "atheism" is as much a religion as a theistic one is. You can see from my argument above why I think that way :)

    It doesn't help that there are now athiest churches. All the religion without the god. :trollface:

    I don't even think an argument needs to be made on that front anymore.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    Basilin wrote: »
    glevinso wrote: »

    I agree 100% that "atheism" is as much a religion as a theistic one is. You can see from my argument above why I think that way :)

    It doesn't help that there are now athiest churches. All the religion without the god. :trollface:

    I don't even think an argument needs to be made on that front anymore.

    This very topic spawned a 50+ page thread on another forum I frequent :D
  • Basilin
    Basilin Posts: 360 Member
    glevinso wrote: »
    Basilin wrote: »
    glevinso wrote: »

    I agree 100% that "atheism" is as much a religion as a theistic one is. You can see from my argument above why I think that way :)

    It doesn't help that there are now athiest churches. All the religion without the god. :trollface:

    I don't even think an argument needs to be made on that front anymore.

    This very topic spawned a 50+ page thread on another forum I frequent :D

    I don't doubt it. :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

  • Negative_X
    Negative_X Posts: 296 Member
    edited October 2014
    Tried it, wasn't for me... all tho after watching Earthlings I do agree things need to change on how we treat the animals we consume. But a meat eater I shall ultimately stay.

    To each their own tho, whatever floats your boat, who am I to judge?
  • I think veganism, like anything, works for some and not for others. I live behind the tofu curtain of the happy valley in Mass. So I drink raw milk, eat grass fed beef, and also whatever the hell else I want. My point is that good, whole, local food is accessible and I eat it and everything else (lots of food movements are extremely classists and unsustainable for poor folks or large families). I Love cheese far too much to be vegan too. I think factory farming, additives, GMO, added sugars, high fructose and a plethora of other things are creating a toxic overload in our systems (eco and body). I think if you are able to eat vegan while also paying attention to the foods you eat that are shipped and processed (lots of fake meats and tofu products are processed and full of preservatives and fillers, as much and more as other mainstream processed food) from all over the place (thus creating a huge strain on emissions, etc). I think most vegan lifestyles aren't sustainable because the vegans I know eat foods imported from all over the world. I eat mostly what's available and grown locally and is easy to farm or raise (so the dunkin' donuts that I eat IS NOT on that list) LOL. If you feel great and healthy keep doing THAT:)
  • I left a sentence incomplete...Der :# "I think if you are able to eat vegan while also paying attention to the foods you eat that are shipped and processed (lots of fake meats and tofu products are processed and full of preservatives and fillers, as much and more as other mainstream processed food) from all over the place (thus creating a huge strain on emissions, etc), then go for it.
  • Basilin
    Basilin Posts: 360 Member
    My point is that good, whole, local food is accessible and I eat it and everything else (lots of food movements are extremely classists and unsustainable for poor folks or large families).

    Nice for this to be acknowledged. The unhealthiest I've been diet-wise was when I was the poorest; and living among other poor people, you see how this happens.

    I was 16 years old and gained 30 lbs within six months when I was homeless because of a diet of all canned food, prison trays that were donated, instant everything, and whenever I got an extra dollar I'd spend it on a bag of candy (back when a bag of candy was a dollar) and binge on it. :disappointed: The best meal I had that I remember was when the Hard Rock Cafe did a sponsorship meal for Christmas and gave us breakfast. REAL eggs (not instant egg powder), sausage, fresh orange juice, O'Brien potatoes. I was in heaven.

    It's true... if you have the luxury of choosing all of your food and making those decisions without duress, you should be thankful for it. Luckily a lot of food programs for homeless people are emphasizing getting them fresh produce, and now here are vouchers even for farmer's markets, which is wonderful.
  • thelazydandelion
    thelazydandelion Posts: 58 Member
    glevinso wrote: »
    I also think calling it a religion is ridiculous and can't stand the it's not healthy argument. There is something unhealthy in every diet it's just that it's harder to be a vegan, you have to be really dedicated.


    How is it different from a religion? It has a set of rules that are defined by an arbitrary line in the sand as to what is considered "ethical". Every adherent seems to draw that line in a slightly different place based on whats convenient for the adherent. Saying it's harder to stick to than other "diets" is like saying your preferred religion is harder to stick to because it has more behavioral restrictions than that other religion.

    In fact, I would say all diets are "religions" because they tend not to have any basis in reality, only in belief.

    *by "diet" I mean the ones that say you cant eat X food for Y reason, not the "prevailing set of foods a particular culture eats"

    I didn't mean that is is hard to stick to, I just mean that it is hard being one as it's not catered for in the same way and you get a lot of *kitten* from people who assume you're an extreme vegan. As I keep saying, I love animals more than anything so don't want to eat them.

  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,302 Member
    I personally think that the non vegans are more hostile in this thread and people are needlessly getting on their high horses.

    So it's ok for there to be threads asking opinions about all sorts of things but veganism is a no no? I put it out there that I don't eat meat etc because I am in the minority so I'm seeking out others who share the same thoughts.

    I also think calling it a religion is ridiculous and can't stand the it's not healthy argument. There is something unhealthy in every diet it's just that it's harder to be a vegan, you have to be really dedicated.

    I agree with this - I'm not a vegan, not even a vegetarian - but as an observation, most of the hostility and mockery in this thread seems to me to be from the anti vegans, rather than from any militant vegans.

    I also don't get the sarcastic mocking of OP as following the first so called rule of veganism by having to tell everyone about it.
    Op was not aggressive to non vegans and just started a discussion point on, you know, a food and nutrition forum.

    If I started a thread about, say, eating chocolate, nobody would defensively accuse me of feeling superior or of being militant to non chocolate eaters :s
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    FayeandBo wrote: »
    Just for the record as well, going vegetarian cuts your carbon foot print in half.

    How so?
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    dbmata wrote: »
    FayeandBo wrote: »
    Just for the record as well, going vegetarian cuts your carbon foot print in half.

    You mean, "has the potential to cut your footprint in half."

    Some of the most amazing desserts I've ever had were raw vegan from this vegan cafe in SF. Dear god.

    I don't understand this answer. What do desserts have to do with carbon footprint?
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    glevinso wrote: »
    btlm2009 wrote: »
    Ok meat eaters, I would like you to watch a DVD. It's called, Food, Inc. A Robert Kenner film. "You'll never look at dinner the same way again" Oh do me favor, have some McD's or Berger King while watching.


    I have seen it. The stupidest bunch of drivel I ever wasted time on.

    Hes-right-you.jpg
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
    edited October 2014
    btlm2009 wrote: »
    Ok meat eaters, I would like you to watch a DVD. It's called, Food, Inc. A Robert Kenner film. "You'll never look at dinner the same way again" Oh do me favor, have some McD's or Berger King while watching.

    If I am ever in the mood to get pi$$ed off I will watch this. I caught part of it at someones house and I had to bite my tongue and walk away. Why do I want to watch a film that is edited specifically to be one sided?

  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    edited October 2014
    ksy1969 wrote: »
    btlm2009 wrote: »
    Ok meat eaters, I would like you to watch a DVD. It's called, Food, Inc. A Robert Kenner film. "You'll never look at dinner the same way again" Oh do me favor, have some McD's or Berger King while watching.

    If I am ever in the mood to get pi$$ed off I will watch this. I caught part of it at someones house and I had to bite my tongue and walk away. Why do I want to watch a film that is edited specifically to be one sided?

    Aren't most documentaries one-sided? I've seen it. I still eat meat.

    If you don't want to support factory farms such as those depicted in that film, there are other sources for meat.
  • michellemybelll
    michellemybelll Posts: 2,228 Member
    i think vegan-ism(??) is unnecessary.
  • thelazydandelion
    thelazydandelion Posts: 58 Member
    edited October 2014
    I've never seen the documentary you're all referring to.

    I just think it's a sad thing that it's Meat eaters Vs Non meat eaters, it's just another thing to show how intolerant people are of one another. Obviously I'm not including everybody in this.

    That's why I don't go down the route of saying I'm doing it for the greater good because I'm not, I'm being selfish really. Not eating animals makes ME happy. What a lot of vegans don't get is there are some people that don't care about animals so they can be as nutty as they like, it ain't going to make a damn bit of difference, you can't turn the whole world vegan, that's amazingly naive.

    I have seen some horrendous behavior from some vegans but then the same can be said for the meat eaters. I do like getting into these discussions tho, if they are intelligent and don't get rude and personal.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    I'm a flexitarian.
  • maphammonds
    maphammonds Posts: 362 Member
    This has probably been said here, but alas I don't have all day to read 7 pgs of comments - of the vegans (and even some of the vegetarians) I know, most have a hard time getting the nutrients the bodies needs that meat provides. Sure, you can pop a pill or drink a supplement, but many times there are other ingredients in those things that a body doesn't need. For me, the old adage rings true....everything in moderation.
  • dreamer12151
    dreamer12151 Posts: 1,031 Member
    I am not vegan. I don't think I could ever be, as dairy & cheese is kinda hard-wired into my DNA (proud born & raised Cheese-head here, with an English mum! lol)

    However, I recently decided to go all the way & became ova-lacto vegetarian. Hasn't been too hard on me, as I haven't eaten pork products in decades, red meat was basically ground beef like once, twice a month. Why did I do it? Simply because I don't like the taste of meat. Never have. Why make myself eat something I don't like?

    If it makes you happy, then do it. And define your own parameters. Just don't be militant or try to convert others to it. My sons are plenty happy being carnivores. They know not to "tease" me about my choice, and I don't take away their meat options.

    So now, like my 17 year old puts it, I'm a "total lesbian" with food! (don't like nuts, either...)
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Basilin wrote: »
    My point is that good, whole, local food is accessible and I eat it and everything else (lots of food movements are extremely classists and unsustainable for poor folks or large families).

    Nice for this to be acknowledged. The unhealthiest I've been diet-wise was when I was the poorest; and living among other poor people, you see how this happens.
    This is especially true in MA. When I lived in the Boston area you had Market Basket on one side, where sure... half of what was there "fell out of a van". The other side you had the "artisan" hipster hives where you could pay $15.99 a pound for beautiful berkshire pork that was hand raised and butchered/processed in the store by hand.

    It makes a great play to how homie and hipstery your food can be, because look, that pork chop came with an entire biography and gilded price tag. The reality is, for most people, they're at the Market Basket buying the best available and banking on the fact that the food there is cheap.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    dbmata wrote: »
    FayeandBo wrote: »
    Just for the record as well, going vegetarian cuts your carbon foot print in half.

    You mean, "has the potential to cut your footprint in half."

    Some of the most amazing desserts I've ever had were raw vegan from this vegan cafe in SF. Dear god.

    I don't understand this answer. What do desserts have to do with carbon footprint?

    Two discrete statements. >_<
    Let me know if I need to explain further.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    ...people who assume you're an extreme vegan. As I keep saying, I love animals more than anything so don't want to eat them.
    Is there any other kind of vegan?

    I love animals as well, that's why I personally kill as much of my meat as possible. I give them the gift of a swift, dignified end. Something they won't get in nature or a processing plant.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Aren't most documentaries one-sided?
    Good ones are not.
  • thelazydandelion
    thelazydandelion Posts: 58 Member
    edited October 2014
    dbmata wrote: »
    ...people who assume you're an extreme vegan. As I keep saying, I love animals more than anything so don't want to eat them.
    Is there any other kind of vegan?

    I love animals as well, that's why I personally kill as much of my meat as possible. I give them the gift of a swift, dignified end. Something they won't get in nature or a processing plant.

    Yes there is actually, some people do it because they hate the taste, some people do it to lose weight (bloody Beyonce and Jay Z) and I'm sure there are plenty other reasons but I don't think there is any point in listing them.

    I personally don't think killing anything is a gift.

    Something I keep forgetting to say is that I think what we eat is all just learned behavior most of the time, I ate meat and dairy because that was the norm and that's all I got so I had to re train my brain a bit. On a personal level, I loved cheese but I always felt bloated after it and I would often just automatically put cheese on things which actually ruined the lovely flavours of the food lol
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
    Humans are naturally omnivores. Everything else is just fashion.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    dbmata wrote: »
    Aren't most documentaries one-sided?
    Good ones are not.

    Being one-sided doesn't necessarily make a documentary bad.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
    dbmata wrote: »
    Aren't most documentaries one-sided?
    Good ones are not.

    Being one-sided doesn't necessarily make a documentary bad.

    I would argue that.