Please explain Veganism to me . . .

There is definitely a trend to stereotype vegans (and veggies) as majorly hypocritical, precious, PITA, affected numbskulls.

They’re the one’s with dreadlocks who always seem to be playing a guitar and singing at house parties/camping trips/festivals.

The rest of them are probably alright.

‘m trying to figure out if Junkyard is not on the forum tonight, or desperately trying not to get drawn in

I was the former I am not the later – though not very desperate as its not like we will be having a real conversation with facts and mutual respect

eat what you like and leave me alone to do the same

Phew, I was worried I’d scared you off 😳

schnor – Member
I was showing a vegan friend and her family around my bee hives the other week, and was showing them with an empty hive how the colony works, how I extract the honey, etc, and the vegan recoiled at a squished bee between the wooden layers.

Apparently it was the dead bee bit she objected to, rather than the ‘exploitation’ side of things. I asked if she’d eat honey if I could guarantee no bee was killed – which is pretty much impossible – she said yes.
How does she manage regarding the accumulated squished Lepidoptera on the front of her car?
And would a vegan ever consider having a Venus Flytrap or Pitcher Plant in the house?

And would a vegan ever consider having a Venus Flytrap or Pitcher Plant in the house?

Yeah, stupid vegans I bet they’d ban tigers or summinck, or pull out all the sharks teef innit?

You are a natural being in a natural world with that comes responsibilities one of which is not to exploit other creatures for your own pleasure or advantage .

Buohahahah, nature is cruel. Our “responsibility” goes unnoticed by a universe that is utterly indifferent to suffering. I didn’t choose to be put on this **** shithole..the universe shitted me out onto this chaotic planet, luckily I find the lunacy amusing. Natures not some mystical force that knows what’s best, it’s a set of loaded dice with some randomness thrown in at a quantum level.

Nature – “oooh look, that’s a nice planet, what wonderful interesting organisms reside on it…to bad I set a 100km wide asteroid on a collision course with it when I initiated the big bang…cuz determinism.”

Do you think nature gives a shit about the hundreds of thousands of sentient lives it snuffs out each day? The world is a **** nightmare if you look hard enough, a pretty one…but a ghoulish nightmare all the same. Also, tell me… exactly how are humans above nature? There is only self interest behind all of our actions, you don’t actually really…really care about that dead chicken…it just makes you feel better about yourself when you choose not to eat it.

Whether you choose to eat chicken or not will make jack shit of a difference in the grand scheme of things.

Nevermind the millions of animals killed by pesticides in the growing of vegetables, only they are invertebrates and not fluffy wuffy charismatic megafauna, so it’s fine to kill them and still be vegan, isn’t it?

+1, I laughed.

Vegans are pussies.
Jainism or GTFO.

vegan cakes tend to be well good, because they put a lot of effort into making them tasty.

My salted caramel and nectarine cake tends to be well good, because I put a lot of effort into it with scant regard for the presence or absence of animal products, and I’m a master baker.

At least I think that’s what my Mum said.

constantly fiddling with your cream horn?

Buohahahah, nature is cruel. Our “responsibility” goes unnoticed by a universe that is utterly indifferent to suffering….

Whilst I believe that is all true, most people still decide that it doesn’t give them a free reign to steal, murder and rape.
Instead we have a moral framework built on empathy, sympathy and a sense of fairness.

Many people choose to extend that to animals to some extent or other.

That seems like plenty of justification to me, if any were needed.

(Personally speaking I like meat too much to be vegetarian and I’m morally okay with animals dying to feed me. But I do avoid lamb though, because even though it is delicious I decided to draw the line at eating babies. Everyone has a limit)

But I do avoid lamb though, because even though it is delicious I decided to draw the line at eating babies. Everyone has a limit

I hope you don’t like bacon, or chicken nuggets. 😈

Most of the vegans i know have poor health/low energy and it’s usually a drama. Meat makes you strong! Call troll if you like, just being honest. I’m a firm believer that animals are here for our benefit, although I’d like to see them treated much better in the chain.

Ooh thanks for that nickjb. Looks like I’m fine to eat lamb after all.

Nevermind the millions of animals killed by pesticides in the growing of vegetables, only they are invertebrates and not fluffy wuffy charismatic megafauna, so it’s fine to kill them and still be vegan, isn’t it?

This is what I was referring to when I said we should all take more interest in where our food comes from.

A lot of massive generalisations on here, the vegan I know is unhealthy this and that… just like cyclists, car/van drivers etc. There are a few idiots which give us all a bad name!

My teenage daughter started following a vegan diet about 18 months ago. She ate loads but still got quite thin, and started getting problems with her skin and circulation, and her periods stopped. The doctor persuaded her to reintroduce some meat (locally bred, free range) and eggs/dairy into her diet and she is back to normal, and obviously not a vegan any more. Maybe something to keep an eye on if as she’s a similar age?

Our daughter is 17, she’s also lost a lot of weight since becoming vegan, in my opinion she just doesn’t eat enough of anything (her diet seems to be toast with jam on it). She had been weaning herself off meat for a while, then went vegan. My wife has made her vegan meals and bought her 3 types of milk to try, soya, almond and coconut all of which has gone mostly untouched. I’ve told her to get some of the mentioned supplements from H&B but she hasn’t as yet. It’s a worry I must admit. We also bought her a vegan cookbook which went into detail about all the essential food groups, vitamins, minerals etc you should eat and what foodstuffs you can get them from.

Whilst I believe that is all true, most people still decide that it doesn’t give them a free reign to steal, murder and rape.
Instead we have a moral framework built on empathy, sympathy and a sense of fairness.

A system which is entirely built on self interest – your brain makes you feel bad about raping and pillaging because such actions are likely going affect you materially at some point, a world that allowed such behaviour wouldn’t necessairily benefit onself. That’s why humans cooperate.

It’s not because there is actually any such thing as good or evil though, there is just aberrant behaviour.

Our daughter is 17, she’s also lost a lot of weight since becoming vegan starving herself except for bread and jam

ftfy

your brain makes you feel bad about raping and pillaging because such actions are likely going affect you materially at some point, a world that allowed such behaviour wouldn’t necessairily benefit onself. That’s why humans cooperate.

hmmmm, early genus of the species Homo (like Erectus that managed to survive 2 million years) probably didn’t have the brain mutation that caused “conciousness” and thus didn’t feel “bad”, still managed to co-operate however, as do troops of Baboon and Chimpanzee today. I don’t think there’s much evidence for co-operation as a result of selfishness. (as opposed to self interest)

your brain makes you feel bad about raping and pillaging because such actions are likely going affect you materially at some point, a world that allowed such behaviour wouldn’t necessairily benefit onself. That’s why humans cooperate.

If you really believe that you are naturally devoid of compassion and empathy – that the only thing to stop you raping people is because it would be bad for you in the long run (not the victim, who assumedly is a mote of random dust in your uncaring universe?) – then I wholly recommend that your selfish self has a word with your self. 😕

Most of the vegans i know have poor health/low energy and it’s usually a drama. Meat makes you strong! Call troll if you like, just being honest. I’m a firm believer that animals are here for our benefit, although I’d like to see them treated much better in the chain.

Threads like these make me think that whilst all vegans are weak and pathetic a diet rich in meat makes you a thick bastard 🙄

As for the daughter – you are right people who eat poorly are susceptible to getting ill. Eating loads, as the obesity epidemic shows, and eating well are not the same thing.

I like to hang out in Mc donalds , Greggs and kebab shops to lok at all the fantastic specimens of vitality and health who gorge on meat
I have to confess i sometimes get a little bit of wood watching their wobbly carcaasses consume carcasess

As for hypocrisy many meat eaters wont eat testicles or eat rats or kill the animals themselves. Its almost as if you can call any human a hypocrite

I alos dont understand why meat eaters GAS what I eat or want to berate me for it I thought that ws my job in stereotypetrack world

Always the same trolly bollocks and the same BS “points”

Eat what you want I really dont care and leave me alone to do the same

I have chosen to be a vegan over the last 2 months and I presume I will continue as I dont find it hard at all to get the nutrition I need.

My main reasons were.

1. I have never ever looked at my diet or worried about it. Im fit as hell and do loads of riding, cardio and train hard in Ju jitsu to. However I used to fuel my body with absolute garbage. Haribo, chocolate every night and not enough greens and fruit. So i thought, Im 32 now. If i look after my body even more by fueling it right then I will hopefully reap the benefits later on.

2. to actually gain weight for ju jitsu. I’ve always been trim and a bit of extra weight wouldn’t do any harm when fighting. It sounds strange but by actually taking an interest in what i eat it has made a small difference and will do more so when i join a gym at the end of the month.

3. I have never reacted well to dairy products . always having a blocked nose and eczema. when I have cut dairy it has cleared up . The little research I have done seems to suggest that we are the only animal that regularly drinks another’s milk. I’ve never been bothered about cheese. But chocolate has been a hard one to not have.

Results so far after 2 months.

Loads of energy. No feeling lethargic after eating. Power is up. Smashing up hills even more with tonnes of energy for the downhills.
Weight has gonne up 0.5kg. So pretty descent. I have been taking protein ( plant based ) supplements to top up levels after training. Skin is really good. And sinus problems have disappeared.

I think being vegan is generally a good thing however you do have to concentrate on getting the right balance. I eat about 10 -12 fruit portions a day currently! Which cant be bad.

On a different not here is a little edit from surrey hills I made on sunday. To show you how badly vegans ride!

naturally devoid of compassion and empathy

I think you misunderstand his point. Compassion and empathy are personality traits which are absent in many species, so you have to analyse why most of us have them.

It is always a bit theoretical when looking at aspects of personality and society through an evolutionary perspective. But a degree of compassion and empathy must, in our case at least, confer an evolutionary advantage, probably by encouraging cooperation and producing a safer environment for the raising of young.

The animal does not need to be conscious of the advantage for it to exist.

Just because you understand that there is an underlying biological and evolutionary explanation for many human ‘choices’, doesn’t make you a sociopath.

As far as veganism goes, it’s the ultimate expression of a heightened sense of compassion. Whether this trait is an evolutionary advantage is another matter – individual humans are slightly insulated from the evolutionary consequences of many of these kind of choices.

I don’t have a problem with others eating meat as long as they are realistic about where it comes from. Would you be prepared to slaughter a cow/pig and deal with the carcass etc?

i dont have a problem with vegetarianism as long as they are realistic about the impact of agribusiness and other non-food activities on the world. would you generate your own electricity and manufacture your own consumerable goods, drill for your own oil and process it in an ethical non-harmful way etc?

props to you if you opt out of all the modern inventions that impact our environment but the fact you are posting on the internet means you are complicit in raping the earth.

See it is true that eating meat makes you stupid

Just think what Einstein could have achieved if he went vegetarian earlier than the last few years of his life.

Where’s my Vegan bingo card 😉

As for hypocrisy many meat eaters wont eat testicles or eat rats or kill the animals themselves. Its almost as if you can call any human a hypocrite

Personally I would eat most things (I wouldn’t choose to eat insects and probably some other stuff – curious to know what bollox taste like though and the only thing putting me off rats is a perceived hygiene issue), and would kill and prepare animals for eating myself (I have skinned rabbits and cooked and eaten fish I’ve caught). Maybe that makes me less of a hypocrite than some, but then I wouldn’t like to claim I’m not at all – we are all at it. I’m not sure it makes me a better person.

I have to admit that as an omnivore I mainly find this thread amusing to see the bollox spouted by other omnivores though.

Where’s my Vegan bingo card

Fair point but they started it 😉

Its a pointless debate some folk want to eat meat some dont
Some of those [either side]are healthy some are not
Some of those get annoyed by the diet of the other lot and some dont
I really dont see why other folk care what other folk eat

Did she supplement propely with B12? Deficiency in that vitamin can cause skin pigmentation changes iirc, although some vegans muppets claim it’s unnecessary and a conspiracy.

No of course not. Her diet could provide her with everything that she needed (apart from the bits she needed) and anyone who suggested otherwise was to be sent memes telling them why.

Everyone should, and hopefully can, eat what they want. However, if your diet (whatever it is) is potentially causing you to have medical symptoms then it’s vital that a sensible discussion is had about this. Specifically with people on a vegan diet this seems to be more of a challenging concept than others. Beliefs > logic in many situations and this causes the friction with the non believers/converted.

I really dont see why other folk care what other folk eat

but seeing as eating is a daily activity why would it not be under the same scrutiny as what car you park outside your business or what you use to brew coffee with?

I alos dont understand why meat eaters GAS what I eat or want to berate me for it

I don’t either. Everybody should eat what they want, it’s nobody else’s business.

Most of the vegans i know have poor health/low energy and it’s usually a drama. Meat makes you strong! Call troll if you like, just being honest. I’m a firm believer that animals are here for our benefit, although I’d like to see them treated much better in the chain.

My two daughters are both vegan. They’re both in all the sports teams at school and are in the top sets in every subject. Why any parent would want to handicap their kids by making them eat meat is beyond me. Call troll if you like but I’m just being honest.

i only have three points to raise here:

1. dark green leafy veg tends to be a much better dietary source of iron than red meat anyway.

2. there’s barely any (if any at all) GMO soya used to make milks available in the UK these days, but most other vegans i know use other milk subsitutes anyway (almond or coconut usually).

3. i’m regretting reading this thread.

There’s a sort of strange moral nihilism gets into these threads.

Vegan – I don’t eat meat
Ominvore – BUT FARMING VEGETABLES INVOLVES THE SLAUGHTER OF SEVERAL DEFENCELESS INSECTS, YOU TERRIBLE HYPOCRITE!!!! PEOPLE LIKE YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!!
Vegan – on balance, I think it’s probably less bad…
OMNINVORE – THE UNIVERSE IS A HEARTLESS PLACE, FULL OF MAYHEM!!! THERE ARE NO MORAL ABSOLUTES, JUST THE IMINENT HEAT DEATH OF THE UNIVERSE, AND THEN AN INFINITY OF DARKNESS AND COLD!!!! DO YOU THINK YOUR PETTY VEGANISM WILL STOP THE HEAT DEATH OF THE UNIVERSE??? DO YOU??? WELL THEN….

It’s just….odd. 😕

(IANAV)

Not just individuals (but then to look at evolution from the POV of individuals is to massively miss the point), but as a species evolution is now wildly distorted because the traits which tend to improve the chances of surviving to child rearing age in other species no longer have the same effect in humans. Not only that, but other completely different traits tend to result in higher numbers of children in some parts of the population than others.

If anything veganism is likely not to be an evolutionary advantage, because whatever people might say about it being straightforward to have a healthy vegan diet, there certainly appears to be a correlation (if not causation) in young women between choosing a vegan diet and having an unhealthy weight – which is known to adversely affect fertility. Of course evolution is vastly more complex than that, so there might equally be other effects which more than balance that out.

though it does provide us with some amusing anecdotes – I totally understand why you probably don’t find the one I posted at the start as amusing as the rest of us did, but I’m sure if you’d been on the outside looking in you’d have appreciated the humour of the incomprehension of the restaurant staff!

Most of the vegans i know have poor health/low energy and it’s usually a drama. Meat makes you strong! Call troll if you like, just being honest.

How many vegans do you know, out of interest? Is it a number greater than “one”?

3. i’m regretting reading this thread.

I know what you mean, but they’re a good reminder of the depths of idiocy and ignorance which humans are capable of.

Specifically with people on a vegan diet this seems to be more of a challenging concept than others. Beliefs > logic in many situations and this causes the friction with the non believers/converted.

It really is not the preserve of one diet or the other to be either healthy or not be eating crap. Its ludicrous to suggest otherwise.
Some meat eaters are unhealthy and they are not all pictures of vitality and the same is true of vegans. I am fairly sure its not vegans fueling the obesity and diabetes epidemic

Neither diet is healthy per se as it depends what you want to eat within that diet.

FWIW B12 is stored in your body for years so they failed to get enough when eating meat if that was the cause

The first 1.8 pages of this thread were a genuinely good read.
I read them last night and decided I’d post in the morning, but half of me thought that the thread would have descended by then.

Ah well.

Personally, I started researching veggie/vegan in the early 90s because I didn’t want to be a part of factory farming. First it was battery hens, then I learnt a lot of things that didn’t sit right with me.
Things that I wouldn’t do, given the choice.

Also – the more I researched, the more I came to the conclusion that physically, we didn’t need meat or dairy.

So since then I’ve done my best to be ‘vegan’. That’s what it’s about for me – just doing my best to avoid things that I wouldn’t do myself, or things that I think are harmful to the environments that I cherish.

Sometimes I’m strong. Sometimes I’m weak. Sometimes I’m informed, other times not.

I’ve never been remotely bothered about ‘cross contamination’ on things like BBQs, or fish fryers,etc because it doesn’t effect the things I care about.

I have a family member who keeps chickens. I happily eat their eggs as I see nothing wrong with how they are treated or how they live. Same with a friend who keeps bees for honey.

Also – if people make an effort to provide food for me, and something isn’t quite vegan, that’s fine too. I’ll eat it and be grateful.

As far as health goes, I don’t do anything in particular apart from make sure I eat a large variety of foods. I wasn’t very good at this as a student, but am now 🙂

I think the hardest part is mental. Feeling like you are up against the ‘way of the world’. As MrSmith says above – there is only so much you can do without being very isolated.

One thing is for sure though – compared to 23 years ago, it’s a lot easier to eat out than it was!