Comments

1
Vegans make us feel bad because we all love animals but apparently not enough to not eat them. This creates cognitive dissonance.

I don't know what I just said but I think it's right.
2
The same reason that those of who drink too much make fun of Matt Davis.

Because of our vast insecurities because our mothers didn't love us enough and so we compensate by putting others down.
3
Those two pretty much sum it up.
4
Aside from that, my main trouble with vegans is the dogma issue. Things like "i must not enslave the bees" are hard to reconcile with "i own a cat" without at least a bit of intellectual dishonesty.
5
most vegans i've met in portland won't shut up about it, then stay out all night doing blow and e. i find that a tad contradictory. i mean how is cheese worse?
6
I am a carnivore. I am not down on vegans. I just feel better physically when I have meat in my diet. I wonder, why this post doesn't address carnivores being attacked by Vegans.
7
BOXXY: But I don't own the cat. The cat shows up when it wants food or affection, but doesn't give a damn about me otherwise. I'm some combination of a restaurant and a prostitute towards the cat, not its owner. (Although I'm a omnivore, so I don't have to justify that one in the first place.)
8
Well, because, morally we're on shaky ground.
9
Matthew: A vegan's companion animal (a dog, in this instance) runs away. Is it not an act of domination and negation of this animal's will to find the dog, and maybe fence the yard?
10
(that hypothetical should prolly have been directed at vegan pet owners, not matthew...)
11
Nothing says Portland like being a bit self-righteous while engaging in non-activities. I so don't drive. I totally would never be caught dead eating a steak. I don't wear clothes that aren't used or from the bins. and so on...
12
Maybe it's because morally, vegans are on shaky ground - they'd prefer an animal never be born at all than be born so it can be eaten.

Kiala - not all of us think animals deserve as many rights as humans. So not all carnivores are on shaky moral ground. Personally, I'm quite content with being at the top of the food tree, I've got no qualms about it.

Of course, the people who really are on shaky ground are the 'vegetarians' who think fish are vegetables.
13
A sad end to over fifty hours free of Pattie-posts.
14
"they'd prefer an animal never be born at all than be born so it can be eaten."

Stu, I don't see how this is shaky ground. How do you figure that there's some innate moral good to making things? Even if you don't figure in the "make ---> kill" part?
15
Sorry. I thought it was a given that killing things for no other reason than that they taste good was morally wrong in some way. I forgot myself for a moment.
16
This whole discussion hand wringing about criticism and social gaffes around vegans is ridiculous. Veganism is about ethics and actions, not feelings. If someone decides not to use animal product, the onus is on them to live up to those ideals, not for the whole entire to give them hug. Of course the whole sausage taunt thing is childish, but its moral significance doesn't add up to much beyond that.
17
Because vegans are dumb. Obviously.
18
I'm vegan because of my health, I don't give a shit about animals. I read & bought The China Study, cover to cover, made me switch to veganism.

I get a lot of shit for it, which is weird because I don't shove it in anyone's face; the only way people figure it out is if they see me snubbing non-vegan food. I really wish people would stop giving me shit, and vegans in general. They file them in the "nuts" category and automatically assume we're all animal-loving wackjobs. Of course by firing this post off at carnivores telling them to shut up, I've cast a stone myself, so uhhh... whatever.

I guess in summary, for lack of a better analogy, I just wish both sides would live and let live.
19
Word dougwastaken.
not everyone who eats vegan food is politically vegan. they two are different these days. a vegan diet doesn't make one vegan politically.

These days vegan has come to mean for a lot of people what vegetarian used to mean. Vegetarian now seems to automatically include cheese and egg even though that was ovo-lacto vegetarianism.

Someone who can't eat dairy can't eat food marked 'vegetarian' anymore without asking if their is milk in it.
This is outside the politics. Some of us just can't eat or drink moo juice, sadly. and to avoid it and still enjoy treats, vegan is our option for things like baked goods and creamy pasta dishes.

I am not vegan, but I eat vegan often. I don't eat a lot of meat for health reasons. I like it to much to give it up completely (mmm bacon), but I do think my body and the earth in general is better off without factory farms.

I think animals raised for food or companionship should be treated very well and eat the foods they were designed to eat.
There's my politics and they aren't vegan.

I respect the vegan philosophy but I am against militant anything so the attitude of some *individuals* can turn me off, but they can be militant vegans or Christians or whatever, it's the attitude of the individual not their philosophy or politics that can grate.

I relate it like this: christians get defensive when people deny god. Why is that? Especially when it's the norm to believe in god. Why if you are the majority would this threaten you? (replace christian with carnivore)
Humans, all the time. It threatens our tribe or something, the status quo, we don't like change and new or different things can be threatening.

And people who are into minority viewpoints, especially political ones, are indeed trying to bring about social change and so the militant in your face aspect is part of the gig and a phase of the change.

The fact that veganism is becoming a popular choice for non-political reasons and that we live in a city that has a small but strong cadre of vegan businesses is a sign that that vanguard of militant vegans making waves is working. How awesome!


vegan food is awesome. most of the vegan people (political and not) I know are also awesome and not preachy or judgmental or holier than thou.
same with the carniovores.
Stereotypes do us no favors, most of the time. but they affect how we perceive others regardless. Analise the bias and it should lessen over time. Usually it's a knee jerk reaction.

20
You know what sucks the most? Being married to a vegan, and all the while discreetly indulging in all things non-vegan but having sausage eating douches going, "It's sooooo gooood!" to you when you're vegan husband isn't even around and you thus lose your appetite for your own loaded sausage b/c bad company. It's makes one want to be vegan simply to annoy others.
21
I'm not aware of ever having been down on vegans in general or ever having deliberately attempted to taunt a vegan with meaty deliciousness. My only issue with the vegan thing is that there are times when I find it disappointing to find only vegan options available, but I imagine vegans must feel the same way when there are only non-vegan options available. My local cafe sells treats from the all-vegan Black Sheep Bakery. The muffins are fine, but IMO not as good as the better non-vegan muffins around, the problem being that better non-vegan muffins aren't around anywhere very close by. So, in my more churlish moods, I might resent vegans for imposing their just-okay muffins on me, even as I realize that it is the choice made by the cafe owner. But who says resentment is supposed to be logical?
22
I am not a vegan, but still get perturbed when people automatically assume that if a dish is vegan it is somehow less tasty. This is just not true! I suppose I just have vegan sympathies, and dislike people ignoring the truth. But I still can't quite give up on cheese...

I think the hostility can come from carnivores feeling threatened, that someone's vegan-ness is somehow a judgment on their carnivorous-ness. Which is sometimes the case, but certainly not always. This preconceived notion breeds hostility. But perhaps there would be less hostility if we all learned a little more about the other side. Carnivores should sample the scrumptious vegan cuisine that is out there and see just how delicious it can be. Just a thought.
23
Vegetarians are quite used to being mocked or insulted, even when we're not being "militant." It's pretty clear to me that omnivores often feel that the mere fact of someone else's plant-based diet shines a spotlight on their own dietary choices. Defensiveness ensues, and unkind words (albeit often "kiding" ones) are spoken. Even my own friends pull this on me with some regularity.

But what really galls me is when people say that plant-based diets are great, all the power to ya, but don't "impose" your beliefs on the rest of us. Certainly, some people are veg for health reasons only. But the vast majority of vegetarians, I think, have environmental or animal-rights concerns to some degree. Since when are activists of any stripe supposed to quietly practice their ideals and happily let others violate them?

When Michael Vick's dogfighting ring was exposed, nobody tried to argue, "if you're against dogfighting, that's great, but don't impose your beliefs on Michael Vick." Vegetarians aren't perfect by any means, but many of them have at least educated themselves on the reality of meat production and the massive suffering and pollution involved. Sometimes we feel we have to speak out about this stuff. It's understandable that a lot of people don't want to hear it, but no one can argue that vegetarians are out of line for raising inconvenient truths.

Please wait...

Comments are closed.

Commenting on this item is available only to members of the site. You can sign in here or create an account here.


Add a comment
Preview

By posting this comment, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.