Veganism

As the title of the thread suggests, this post is about Veganism. I would like to know what your thoughts on it are. Do you think there are good arguments for/against veganism?
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
When you make a thread, it's best to try and write a compelling first post. Just asking people to weigh in on a topic isn't enough. So in this case, let me return the question: what do YOU think about veganism? What led you to make this thread? Tell us more.
 
When you make a thread, it's best to try and write a compelling first post. Just asking people to weigh in on a topic isn't enough. So in this case, let me return the question: what do YOU think about veganism? What led you to make this thread? Tell us more.
Well many different thought patterns and arguments led me to create this post. Recently I've viewed a lot of videos where you can see pigs for example are like dogs, smart, playful, they have distinct personalities, all this is further calling out our hypocrisy by consuming one but not the other. The more I research the subject of Veganism the more convinced I am that eating meat is just a choice for dopamine. The only argument against Veganism that I personally have is that some(maybe even I) have bodies that would not work with a different diet and its true that a lot of people have this same issue so what are they to do? Obviously they have to eat meat. But I don't know. Is there anything that can act like an alternative to those people?
 
I'm not bothered if someone is vegan, I am only bothered if they attempt to shame me by pointing out some sort of discrepancy in my morals by consuming meat. Basically every living thing is conscious in varying degrees, I don't see consuming meat as any different from consuming a plant. Just because I can't relate to a plant the way I do, say, a chicken makes no difference to me - I am ending a life and consuming its flesh to keep myself alive. That being said, the humane treatment of animals who are raised to be slaughtered is important to me. While they're alive they should at least be happy and given a painless death.
 
I'm not bothered if someone is vegan, I am only bothered if they attempt to shame me by pointing out some sort of discrepancy in my morals by consuming meat. Basically every living thing is conscious in varying degrees, I don't see consuming meat as any different from consuming a plant. Just because I can't relate to a plant the way I do, say, a chicken makes no difference to me - I am ending a life and consuming its flesh to keep myself alive. That being said, the humane treatment of animals who are raised to be slaughtered is important to me. While they're alive they should at least be happy and given a painless death.
I avoid everything but chicken anyway, because every other meat smells and tastes bad for me, but I mean...I think theres a big difference between plants and animals no offense not to mention we feed the animals plants
 
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If our ancestors were vegan, we wouldn't be here having this conversation, which says a lot about this issue.

That said, people are free to live however they want as long as they don't hurt others, so veganism doesn't bother me either. It is annoying when vegans shame others for eating meat, as @Ysbryd said above, but whatever, there will always be people pissed off at one thing or another you do.

What does outrage me, however, is when vegans force their pets to have a vegan diet too, like a person I know who only feeds her dog vegan food. It's cruel and inhumane. You can eat whatever you want, but don't force animals to eat things they weren't made to eat.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
If our ancestors were vegan, we wouldn't be here having this conversation, which says a lot about this issue.
Hunters and gatherers could sustainably have foraged forever within their tiny corner of the planet and there’d be no concerns. But we expanded, and we’re everywhere now. That planetary dominance carries a responsibility to ensure that our species’ massive footprint doesn’t irrevocably disrupt the ecosystem.

But I get it, meat is tasty. I can understand and respect the ethos of a vegan diet and still be swayed by the absolute perfection of a filet mignon. However that decadence carries a cost. And I do think that a generation or two from now we’re not going to be looked on favorably. Because what we’re doing with animals and the ecosystem through the global industrialization of animal meats is pretty irresponsible.
 
Hunters and gatherers could sustainably forage forever within their tiny corner of the planet and there’d be no concerns. But we’re everywhere now. And that planetary dominance carries a responsibility to ensure that our species’ massive footprint doesn’t irrevocably disrupt the ecosystem. But I get it, meat is tasty.

Of course. That's another issue all on its own; consuming resources beyond what is necessary. I just meant that vegans wouldn't be here being morally outraged about meat consumption if our ancestors worried about such things too, which sounds to me like a good argument against the supposed "immorality" of meat consumption.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Of course. That's another issue all on its own; consuming resources beyond what is necessary. I just meant that vegans wouldn't be here being morally outraged about meat consumption if our ancestors worried about such things too, which sounds to me like a good argument against the supposed "immorality" of meat consumption.
Whether they’re making a stand for sustainability or against cruelty, I just don’t really see what the problem is here. I see validity in both of those stances.
 
The only compunction I have against veganism is its sustainability health-wise for the human body.

My health is not something I am willing to offer in exchange for a clear conscience :ganishka:

To be honest though, I haven't really researched the long term effects of a vegan diet.

Anyway, as much as I enjoy meat, I could imagine a world where I'm meat free if the circumstances compelled me to be.
 
Whether they’re making a stand for sustainability or against cruelty, I just don’t really see what the problem is here. I see validity in both of those stances.

They are valid stances. But I'm criticizing the idea that consuming meat is immoral in and of itself, an idea that is put forward by many of the vegans I have encountered. Not everyone is reasonable enough to restrict their concerns to sustainability and against cruelty, unfortunately.
 
I avoid everything but chicken anyway, because every other meat smells and tastes bad for me, but I mean...I think theres a big difference between plants and animals no offense not to mention we feed the animals plants
For sure there's a big difference, but I don't value one form of life over the other because it is more similar to me. Animals eat plants, plants eat plants, animals eat animals, sometimes plants eat animals; they're just different forms of life all trying to keep themselves alive. I think veganism can sometimes have tunnel vision in that sense - for example, mushrooms are casually grouped into veganism despite not being a plant at all. They're much more similar to animals than a plant, so why do they get to be included? Is it because on a superficial level they seem more similar to plants than ourselves? And if that is the case, what is it about being able to relate to a form of life that makes it so special to us that we can't eat it?
 
Eggs are sometimes considered a vegetarian.I actually think eating eggs is much crueler than eating meat. Killing an animal is just a kill, while eating eggs makes the hens suffer from laying eggs and having their children taken away.In fact, some chicken sausage is also very cruel, the production of meat sausage machine, at one end of the entrance is the chattering chicken, the other end is packaged chicken sausage.
I don't eat a bite of meat before puberty.But I'm not a vegetarian.Partly because I need meat for nutrition, and partly because my animals are not better off if I don't eat meat.As long as they weren't tortured to death, I could eat them.
There's a book called Eating Animals.Maybe it'll help you open up a little bit.
 
Eggs are sometimes considered a vegetarian.I actually think eating eggs is much crueler than eating meat. Killing an animal is just a kill, while eating eggs makes the hens suffer from laying eggs and having their children taken away.In fact, some chicken sausage is also very cruel, the production of meat sausage machine, at one end of the entrance is the chattering chicken, the other end is packaged chicken sausage.
I don't eat a bite of meat before puberty.But I'm not a vegetarian.Partly because I need meat for nutrition, and partly because my animals are not better off if I don't eat meat.As long as they weren't tortured to death, I could eat them.
There's a book called Eating Animals.Maybe it'll help you open up a little bit.
Aren't most eggs sold commercially unfertilized? These eggs were never going to hatch. And iirc, even fertilized eggs won't hatch either unless they are incubated.
 

BiQ_

" ... "
I used to be a rather strictly vegan at some point for few years but I loosened up to milk and egg products, admittedly out of laziness and self-indulgence. I never got really rid of my yearning for cheese, for example.

Also, I have two kids these days and they eat meat products, as my wife does too. I sometimes even prepare that for them and some part of me laughs inwardly at my former self as I'm mixing minced meat for homemade meatballs. :shrug:

Sometimes people have asked me why my kids are not vegetarians and it's a funny question. I don't subscribe to the idea we (wife and me) wouldn't have the "right" to set their diet -- we also don't let them eat candy everyday etc. -- but the reason I'm not even discussing about having them eat only vegetarian diet is simply laziness, again. I know perfectly well it's possible to prepare fully nutritional vegan diet, also for small children, but it is more work I'm just not interested into doing. My own nutrition as an adult who makes his own decisions is, well, my own responsibility and therefore I'm allowed to sometimes be a bit lax on that front - but having full-rounded and healthy nutrition for my kids is ... well, different question. We are responsible for making sure their nutritional needs are met by the food we give them and I'm just too lazy to introduce this angle there.

In general, I think people should at least severly cut down the amount of meat they consume for environmental reasons. But as I consume milk products quite much the reality is that I can't really point much fingers... when it comes to environmental impact it's really mostly about the cows anyways.
 
Holy shit this thread is popping! I thank you all for your responses its been very intriguing reading them all. As Walter said, we as a species fucked up royally when it comes to how we produce meat, its causing a lot of damage. I don't think I'll become a full-fledged vegan but I might go Vegetarian, I really like pigs man, I think they're better than dogs, but cats overrule both of em, cats are the best tbh :shrug: off topic I know, anyway, I won't judge others for their choices, I only judge religious folks
 

puella

Berserk forever
I think I was born to be a vegetarian or a pescatarian since I love vegetables and I don't like meat all that much. However, my body is such that there are many vegetables I just can't digest well, including all types of beans. So while I love vegetables, meat or seafood is essential for my diet. Because I'm underweight, my doctor especially recommended red meat.

So I've forced myself to eat meat regulary but it's pretty hard to eat something when you don't want to.
Nuts are nutritional and they can replace meat to some extent, but I'm allergic to them, so it's not an option for me. :judo:

Given all of that, I think being vegan is not allowed for everybody. It's only an option for healthy people who don't have allergic or digestive problems. Anyway, in my case I just try to avoid animal products if possible, and when I eat meat, I make efforts not to waste any of it. When lab-grown meat gets commercialized, I'll definitely switch to it.
 
I think I was born to be a vegetarian or a pescatarian since I love vegetables and I don't like meat all that much. However, my body is such that there are many vegetables I just can't digest well, including all types of beans. So while I love vegetables, meat or seafood is essential for my diet. Because I'm underweight, my doctor especially recommended red meat.

So I've forced myself to eat meat regulary but it's pretty hard to eat something when you don't want to.
Nuts are nutritional and they can replace meat to some extent, but I'm allergic to them, so it's not an option for me. :judo:

Given all of that, I think being vegan is not allowed for everybody. It's only an option for healthy people who don't have allergic or digestive problems. Anyway, in my case I just try to avoid animal products if possible, and when I eat meat, I make efforts not to waste any of it. When lab-grown meat gets commercialized, I'll definitely switch to it.
Yeah tbh thats my strongest counter and since I have not tried a strictly vegan diet I'm not sure whether I have this problem but I do have other digestive problems so it would be probable
 

Dark Emperor

Dweller of the Lotus Moon
I think veganism can sometimes have tunnel vision in that sense - for example, mushrooms are casually grouped into veganism despite not being a plant at all. They're much more similar to animals than a plant, so why do they get to be included? Is it because on a superficial level they seem more similar to plants than ourselves? And if that is the case, what is it about being able to relate to a form of life that makes it so special to us that we can't eat it?

Eggs are sometimes considered a vegetarian.
This either reflects on the (poor) education these so called vegans and vegetarians have, or It's their way of coping that their "ethical" diet isn't sustainable in the long term as they are missing out on some important nutrients. As for me, I will continue to eat meat and will not feel bad for the animal that died to end up on my plate. If people wanna be vegan, all the power to them, but leave they should leave their pets out of it.
 
This either reflects on the (poor) education these so called vegans and vegetarians have, or It's their way of coping that their "ethical" diet isn't sustainable in the long term as they are missing out on some important nutrients. As for me, I will continue to eat meat and will not feel bad for the animal that died to end up on my plate. If people wanna be vegan, all the power to them, but leave they should leave their pets out of it.
Yes. I don't have a cat but it seems that cats can only eat meat.Human beings should not arbitrarily change the way of life that other species depend on for their own selfish desires.

Aren't most eggs sold commercially unfertilized? These eggs were never going to hatch. And iirc, even fertilized eggs won't hatch either unless they are incubated.
Most of them are eggs.I'm not a vegetarian. In fact, I really like fried chicken. I am also against cruel cruelty to animals.
Although I eat eggs, every time I see old hens that have been eliminated from the farm, I still feel a little sad.
Rather than being a vegetarian, I think doing something good for the environment would assuage my guilt.
 
Veganism is a bit far for me in terms of diet, considering I don't really eat a lot to begin with. However, I have considerd becoming a vegetarian for a while, with the possible exception of fish.

At the end of the day, it's your own choice, if you think becoming a vegan gives you purpose, without affecting your health or personality too much, I'd say go for it.
 

Parkus

Keep pushing no matter what
As most of you have said I am also not bothered by vegans unless they try to do something I won't like, people can do what they think suits them best. Although I'm also a bit bothered on how some animals are killed and as @Ysbryd mentioned they should be given a quick and painless death, they feel everything so it's best to provide them a peaceful death.
 
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