So, this happened over on IFLS. A vegan read the title of an article (which was about a particular plants defense mechanism against insects), and went off on a tirade about veganism being disrespected. Elyse Andrew responded pithily. And this screencap was posted by ANOTHER vegan, who was getting up in high dudgeon about it. Predictably, the comment thread was full of mocking and angry responses. And, to be honest, I think a good deal of the vitriol in the thread was unwarranted. That said, veganism is NOT the moral slam-dunk that its proponents claim. There are major issues of class involved, for instance, as well as a great deal of colonialist thinking, and not incidentally, a lot of straight-up pseudoscience. For instance, how are you going to tell people who live on less than a thousandth of your income that they should abandon their traditional foods in order to suit YOUR beliefs? Especially when those people live in an environment unfamiliar to you, have nutritional needs that may not match yours, and, oh yeah, have been eating the same things (more or less) for hundreds if not thousands of years? And what of people who, for reasons of disability or disease, cant avoid animal-based foods? Ketogenic diets to prevent seizures, for instance, or anemia that can only be treated with hematic iron intake, or any number of other conditions...these exist. Vegans I have spoken to on the subject generally respond dismissively. I mean, sure, theres no arguing that how we raise meat in America is problematic, and has hugely damaging environmental impacts. But I dont think forswearing all meat products forevermore and always is the only solution to that problem.
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 05:03:05 +0000
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