How do you feel about veganism?

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  • liftsalltheweights
    liftsalltheweights Posts: 73 Member
    edited March 2016
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    We do not need to eat animals in fact it is unhealthy
    Animals suffer in factories there are many documentries showing the horrors

    ^^ That right there is the reason I don't particularly care for vegans. It's that sanctimonious "I don't eat meat therefore I am way better than you" attitude. I have had to sever ties with many friends who had that attitude. You don't eat meat or wear fur or leather for whatever ethical reasons? That's awesome but please don't lecture me and tell me how awful I am because I choose to eat meat and wear leather/fur products.

    The person you're responding to isn't even a vegan though. That answer would be why you don't care for that particular person, a person who is an lacto-ovo vegetarian.

    I'm vegan and I've never said that to you or anyone else. Why wouldn't you care for me?

    Please point out where I said I wouldn't care for someone who DIDN'T make a sanctimonious I am holier than thou because I don't eat meat comment because I can't seem to find it. If you feel the need to lecture me on why my choice to eat meat is bad then yeah, I'm not going to particularly like you. If you respect my choice as I would respect yours then there's no reason why we can't get along.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I feel I have canine teeth for a reason ...


    mb35a7u02e0q.jpg

    And have you seen the massive canines on a mountain gorilla? Herbivores.

    If all you do for animals is not eat them, then you do really think you are doing much for them? How much impact do you think that actually has on factory farmed meats?

    It's the same thing you're doing for anyone when you're refraining from harming them. If I don't assault someone walking by me on the street, I haven't "done much" for them except not hurt them. But that doesn't mean it would therefore be okay for me to assault someone.

    Veganism isn't about doing a lot for someone else. It's about not harming someone unnecessarily. If a vegan chooses to do so, they can also take affirmative actions to help specific animals (donate money, volunteer at a sanctuary, rescue an animal, etc) just like a non-vegan who refrains from harming other humans can also take affirmative actions to do things for other humans.

  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    I feel I have canine teeth for a reason ...


    mb35a7u02e0q.jpg

    And have you seen the massive canines on a mountain gorilla? Herbivores.

    If all you do for animals is not eat them, then you do really think you are doing much for them? How much impact do you think that actually has on factory farmed meats?

    It's the same thing you're doing for anyone when you're refraining from harming them. If I don't assault someone walking by me on the street, I haven't "done much" for them except not hurt them. But that doesn't mean it would therefore be okay for me to assault someone.

    Veganism isn't about doing a lot for someone else. It's about not harming someone unnecessarily. If a vegan chooses to do so, they can also take affirmative actions to help specific animals (donate money, volunteer at a sanctuary, rescue an animal, etc) just like a non-vegan who refrains from harming other humans can also take affirmative actions to do things for other humans.

    Or a non-vegan can take affirmative actions to help specific animals or to work toward change in the food industry.

    My point is that not eating an animal doesn't necessarily mean you care about animals more than those that do.
  • TrickyDisco
    TrickyDisco Posts: 2,869 Member
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    If all you do for animals is not eat them, then you do really think you are doing much for them? How much impact do you think that actually has on factory farmed meats?

    As @janejellyroll says, there are plenty of other things vegans - or anyone really - can do to help animals and deciding not to eat them is as good a place to start as any. Also, if enough people stopped eating factory-farmed meat it would definitely have an impact.

  • noclady1995
    noclady1995 Posts: 452 Member
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    I tried it for about 6 months and I enjoyed the food I ate. However, I had a physical exam and found out I was pretty anemic and I was always super tired...even taking supplements. I went back to eating meat and my anemia resolved itself and wasn't tired anymore. It was a difficult lifestyle to maintain because my family didn't eat vegan and I was spending way more time in the kitchen and spending much more money than I really wanted. I think it's great to try though. I'm an advocate for trying different ways of eating to achieve health and fitness goals. There's more than one way to skin a cat. Now, if you're doing it for ethical reasons, that's a different cat. ;)
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    I'm cool with it. B)
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I feel I have canine teeth for a reason ...


    mb35a7u02e0q.jpg

    And have you seen the massive canines on a mountain gorilla? Herbivores.

    If all you do for animals is not eat them, then you do really think you are doing much for them? How much impact do you think that actually has on factory farmed meats?

    It's the same thing you're doing for anyone when you're refraining from harming them. If I don't assault someone walking by me on the street, I haven't "done much" for them except not hurt them. But that doesn't mean it would therefore be okay for me to assault someone.

    Veganism isn't about doing a lot for someone else. It's about not harming someone unnecessarily. If a vegan chooses to do so, they can also take affirmative actions to help specific animals (donate money, volunteer at a sanctuary, rescue an animal, etc) just like a non-vegan who refrains from harming other humans can also take affirmative actions to do things for other humans.

    Or a non-vegan can take affirmative actions to help specific animals or to work toward change in the food industry.

    My point is that not eating an animal doesn't necessarily mean you care about animals more than those that do.

    And the person who harms other people can take affirmative actions to help specific people or work towards change in how people are treated. This doesn't change the impact they've made on the people they've harmed. All of our lives are a balance of actions we take towards others.

    I would say the person who refrains from harming an animals cares about that animal more than the person who decides to harm that animal.

    I don't think this is a particularly "out there" conclusion.

    If you choose to harm others, it impacts them. This can be taken into account when making conclusions as to how much you care about them.

    The point isn't to call specific people out or do a "I care more" contest. The point is that the harm done to animals in agriculture is often swept under the rug, as if these animals matter less than other animals do.
  • HappyAnna2014
    HappyAnna2014 Posts: 214 Member
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    sndarling9 wrote: »
    I'm an eighteen year old girl who has been vegan for 2 months now. I love the lifestyle and will most likely be on it for the rest of my life. I don't feel deprived, my skin is clearer and I'm
    Losing weight. How do you feel about veganism?

    Good for you!!! I wish I was a vegan when I was your age. I didn't drop meat until my mid-40s. I feel so much better, and my doctor is amazed at how healthy I am. (My doctor whole-heartedly endorses a vegan diet.) Meat kind of grosses me out now, I guess because I'm not used to eating it. So, I don't even miss meat. And I have found a whole new group of foods to eat, for their nutritive value, and I don't feel deprived. I'm a tofu addict and a bean addict now. :smile:
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    sndarling9 wrote: »
    I'm an eighteen year old girl who has been vegan for 2 months now. I love the lifestyle and will most likely be on it for the rest of my life. I don't feel deprived, my skin is clearer and I'm
    Losing weight. How do you feel about veganism?

    neutral
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
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    I was vegan a long time ago for a few years and started eating meat again when I met my husband. I then fell into the trap of thinking I need to consume animal based products (meat, dairy, fish, eggs), because that's the American diet standard. Eat protein! After a lot of research on health & nutrition, various agencies and their lobbying practices, the CDC, the WHO, and diving deeper into how our food is killing us and "medicated America" and all of that, I decided to slowly transition back to veganism. I know that a person can achieve optimal nutrition and meet all requirements through plant based foods and I know that humans don't need animal based foods to survive and thrive. It has nothing much to do with the animals but more about my health and how I can avoid, heal and/or erase any health issues I may have the potential of facing in the future. I find that by eating a plant based diet my overall calories are much lower, I feel much better in terms of energy, inflammation or lack there-of, better sleep and just a general overall Zen like wellness and connection with the planet. Yeah... that most likely sounds corny but oh well. It's the truth for me. I think the vegetable should be the star of the dinner plate and everything else should be around that. Instead of ordering a chicken breast with rice and a veggie on the side. It should be ordering the vegetable with rice and a protein (or another vegetable) on the side :smile: I feel as if people can begin to heal themselves from the inside out if they start to replace animal based products with fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds....
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    If all you do for animals is not eat them, then you do really think you are doing much for them? How much impact do you think that actually has on factory farmed meats?

    As @janejellyroll says, there are plenty of other things vegans - or anyone really - can do to help animals and deciding not to eat them is as good a place to start as any. Also, if enough people stopped eating factory-farmed meat it would definitely have an impact.

    I quite agree. But, of course, one does not have to be vegan to stop eating factory farmed meat.
  • TrickyDisco
    TrickyDisco Posts: 2,869 Member
    edited March 2016
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    god forbid you question someone's actions

    If you ask a question, expect an answer.

    ETA: Might not be the answer you want.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I feel I have canine teeth for a reason ...


    mb35a7u02e0q.jpg

    And have you seen the massive canines on a mountain gorilla? Herbivores.

    If all you do for animals is not eat them, then you do really think you are doing much for them? How much impact do you think that actually has on factory farmed meats?

    god forbid you question someone's actions

    Given that many of the responses in this thread are "I'm okay with veganism as long as vegans never question my actions," it's odd that *this* is where you choose to drop this comment.
  • TrickyDisco
    TrickyDisco Posts: 2,869 Member
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    If all you do for animals is not eat them, then you do really think you are doing much for them? How much impact do you think that actually has on factory farmed meats?

    As @janejellyroll says, there are plenty of other things vegans - or anyone really - can do to help animals and deciding not to eat them is as good a place to start as any. Also, if enough people stopped eating factory-farmed meat it would definitely have an impact.

    I quite agree. But, of course, one does not have to be vegan to stop eating factory farmed meat.

    True, that's why I used the word 'people' and not the word 'vegans'.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    I feel I have canine teeth for a reason ...


    mb35a7u02e0q.jpg

    And have you seen the massive canines on a mountain gorilla? Herbivores.

    If all you do for animals is not eat them, then you do really think you are doing much for them? How much impact do you think that actually has on factory farmed meats?

    It's the same thing you're doing for anyone when you're refraining from harming them. If I don't assault someone walking by me on the street, I haven't "done much" for them except not hurt them. But that doesn't mean it would therefore be okay for me to assault someone.

    Veganism isn't about doing a lot for someone else. It's about not harming someone unnecessarily. If a vegan chooses to do so, they can also take affirmative actions to help specific animals (donate money, volunteer at a sanctuary, rescue an animal, etc) just like a non-vegan who refrains from harming other humans can also take affirmative actions to do things for other humans.

    Or a non-vegan can take affirmative actions to help specific animals or to work toward change in the food industry.

    My point is that not eating an animal doesn't necessarily mean you care about animals more than those that do.

    And the person who harms other people can take affirmative actions to help specific people or work towards change in how people are treated. This doesn't change the impact they've made on the people they've harmed. All of our lives are a balance of actions we take towards others.

    I would say the person who refrains from harming an animals cares about that animal more than the person who decides to harm that animal.

    I don't think this is a particularly "out there" conclusion.

    If you choose to harm others, it impacts them. This can be taken into account when making conclusions as to how much you care about them.

    The point isn't to call specific people out or do a "I care more" contest. The point is that the harm done to animals in agriculture is often swept under the rug, as if these animals matter less than other animals do.

    It sure sounds like a "I care more" contest. But I understand that it's nearly impossible to be an ethical vegan without sounding a bit sanctimonious. You can't really say you don't do something because it's unethical or immoral and expect not to come off as saying you are better than those that do it.

    But, I agree with your last sentence, which has little to do with being vegan or the point I was making.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited March 2016
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    I feel I have canine teeth for a reason ...


    mb35a7u02e0q.jpg

    And have you seen the massive canines on a mountain gorilla? Herbivores.

    If all you do for animals is not eat them, then you do really think you are doing much for them? How much impact do you think that actually has on factory farmed meats?

    It's the same thing you're doing for anyone when you're refraining from harming them. If I don't assault someone walking by me on the street, I haven't "done much" for them except not hurt them. But that doesn't mean it would therefore be okay for me to assault someone.

    Veganism isn't about doing a lot for someone else. It's about not harming someone unnecessarily. If a vegan chooses to do so, they can also take affirmative actions to help specific animals (donate money, volunteer at a sanctuary, rescue an animal, etc) just like a non-vegan who refrains from harming other humans can also take affirmative actions to do things for other humans.

    Or a non-vegan can take affirmative actions to help specific animals or to work toward change in the food industry.

    My point is that not eating an animal doesn't necessarily mean you care about animals more than those that do.

    And the person who harms other people can take affirmative actions to help specific people or work towards change in how people are treated. This doesn't change the impact they've made on the people they've harmed. All of our lives are a balance of actions we take towards others.

    I would say the person who refrains from harming an animals cares about that animal more than the person who decides to harm that animal.

    I don't think this is a particularly "out there" conclusion.

    If you choose to harm others, it impacts them. This can be taken into account when making conclusions as to how much you care about them.

    The point isn't to call specific people out or do a "I care more" contest. The point is that the harm done to animals in agriculture is often swept under the rug, as if these animals matter less than other animals do.

    It sure sounds like a "I care more" contest. But I understand that it's nearly impossible to be an ethical vegan without sounding a bit sanctimonious. You can't really say you don't do something because it's unethical or immoral and expect not to come off as saying you are better than those that do it.

    But, I agree with your last sentence, which has little to do with being vegan or the point I was making.

    How could I possibly know if I was "better" (if that is even a valid category) than someone else without knowing anything else about them? Maybe I don't eat animals, but they volunteer every weekend at a soup kitchen (which I don't)? Or maybe they have adopted six foster children or saved a stranger from a burning car (both of which I've never done). Or maybe they never gossip (which is one of my weaknesses). Maybe they never take a plastic bag at the grocery store even when they forget to bring their reusable bag. All of us are a collection of actions, the individuals that we help and the individuals that we harm. To look at a tiny portion of these and decide who is "better" is ridiculous.

    Am I better than someone exactly like me that *does* choose to harm animals unnecessarily? Yes, I think I am. That's the way ethical judgments works -- if we avoid an action for ethical reasons, we do it because we do think it is the better thing to do.

    But I have no way of knowing if I'm a better person than any random non-vegan. I don't spend any time wondering if I'm better than non-vegans. I would guess I'm better than some and worse than some. I'm better than a non-vegan version of myself. That's why I chose veganism. That's all I need to know.

    I don't think that makes me any more sanctimonious than anyone with an ethical position on how to treat others -- either animals or humans.

    I'm not sure how the position that the lives and suffering of animals in agriculture matter doesn't relate to veganism.

  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    edited March 2016
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    I feel I have canine teeth for a reason ...


    mb35a7u02e0q.jpg

    And have you seen the massive canines on a mountain gorilla? Herbivores.
    I've accidentally torn into my tongue on multiple occasions. So, I would say it's useful for learning from past mistakes.

  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    Nothing. I feel nothing about them.