Are vegans being honest...?

[Eugene]

Your posts are fabulous.

Thanks. It is nice to know that at least one person thinks so.

-Eugene

[Sevenseas]

Well, they don't believe it is a significant risk, otherwise they wouldn't be taking it. Just getting out of bed involves risk, and we always have to make a judgment call as to what level is appropriate.

Well, I'm sure meanie vegans don't think there's a significant risk of animal exploitation resulting from their behavior. Given their ignorance about turning people off, are they released from the responsibility you were attributing to them?

[Eugene]

Well, I'm sure meanie vegans don't think there's a significant risk of animal exploitation resulting from their behavior. Given their ignorance about turning people off, are they released from the responsibility you were attributing to them?

There is a difference between not knowing and not wanting to know. It's like the people who don't want to hear about what goes on inside slaughterhouses because it will make them upset, and they refuse to watch the videos because they are afraid that they won't be able to eat meat anymore.

Similarly, over periods of many years, others often try to warn the bad activists about the negative impression they are creating. They just don't want to hear about it, analogous to the example above.

Though, if someone had just found out about factory farming yesterday, and spontaneously decided to give up all meat, and insisted on shouting to everyone he met about the cruelty he had just learned about, I would not lump him into the same category. He genuinely doesn't yet know that this is not a productive way to go about it. He is simply a good and decent person who expects everyone else to be the same. He has yet to learn that in the real word, common decency is an extremely rare commodity.

-Eugene

[Sevenseas]

You don't seem to acknowledge a diversity of viewpoints. Sure, some people want to continue doing what they are doing (whatever it is) and refuse to hear any objections. But I also think people genuinely have divergent views on what kind of activism and advocacy is appropriate and works.

[Eugene]

You don't seem to acknowledge a diversity of viewpoints. Sure, some people want to continue doing what they are doing (whatever it is) and refuse to hear any objections. But I also think people genuinely have divergent views on what kind of activism and advocacy is appropriate and works.

It's not that.

I spend a lot of time agonizing over whether the way I approach AR advocacy is the right one. At times, I have been harshly criticized by other activists for some of my methods, and I have spent countless hours thinking about whether or not they are right -- even as I continue the approach they so vehemently object to.

By contrast, a lot of the people I would consider the "Bad Activists" don't seem to ever do any soul searching. They refuse to hear any criticism, let alone spend even one millisecond thinking about the possibility that they might be wrong.

-Eugene

[Pirate Huntress]

I mind a lot, though I try not to think about it too much. :/

[kagami]

I definitely mind, but I don't think I can do much apart from lead by action.. It's the omnis themselves who have to want to change before anything can happen..

That being said, I treated a bunch of omni friends to a vegan lunch today and they LOVED it and couldn't believe it was all vegan.. Haha~ I also had vegan cheesecake.. ;p

[Identity_thief]

I mind, and if someone asks me I'll say that.

It really irritates me that there's this huge stigma around saying "this is what I believe is wrong, so I believe it's wrong for you to do that too". If you're a christian, of course you want other people to be christian - because you want them to experience the love from God you do, and go to heaven, etc. If you believe abortion is wrong, of course you're going to try to stop people doing what, in your eyes, is murder.

I don't agree with either of those things, but I understand if other people do, they're going to believe either I should believe as they do, or they'll want me to. Beliefs should be consistant, if I thought eating meat/dairy/etc was okay - why wouldn't I be doing it!?

So, if someone asks, I say I believe eating meat is wrong, and I don't believe anyone else should eat meat either (unless there's a medical reason, or a few other rare exceptions). Ulimtatly I want to see a vegan world - of course I do - because I want other people to act morally, and to not cause harm to animals.

However, that doesn't mean I shove it down peoples throats. If people ask, I answer. I don't tell them they're evil murderers and shove my tofu down their throat - but I'm honest, and I explain, if they seem supprised, I discuss it with them.

[bethechange]

I don't like it when people eat animals and I'd rather they avoided animal products, but I like to be tolerant of the wishes of others. I don't preach, but I do try to encourage vegetarianism.

My girlfriend is omni. When she comes round she either eats vegan or vegetarian depending on the dish that I'm cooking. She avoids animal products because she knows that I don't like them, if she has anything like cheese or meat she'll go and brush her teeth rather than get annoyed that I don't like them. Of course, she doesn't mind this. I think she could quite easily be vegetarian, she just isn't too fussed.

Sometimes, I do get vocal and sharp though, especially if I think people are being cruel (rather than humane) to animals or if they challenge my beliefs (beliefs that I don't thrust in people's faces).

I try to gently convince people that being veg(etari)an isn't horrible and that you don't just eat tasteless muck. I don't do this by lecturing them, I do it by cooking dishes and by letting them enjoy them without any moralising.

[Reie]

I mind becaue if u think about it the human race isnt inteded to consume meat at such a large quanity, no other primates do this, and the consumption of fish is compelty unrelated to the primate digestation tract. humans are indeed omivores, which i refuse to be one anyway, but our consumption of non-human animals should be limited to insects like primates are.