I didn't even realize the last thread went past 5,000 posts. Wow, that seemed to go fast. Continue the discussion here!
Really? It seems to be working out okay for a LOT of people, dude.The only alternative would be to not eat chicken, and I don't consider that a rational or logical option.
Madness!
Of course, because in their illogical and irrational heads, they are always logical and rational
i get the new england thing ALL THE TIME about seafood. no. i don't like it. i never liked it. i used to cry when my dad would try to make me eat it when i was a kid. not all bostonians eat seafood!Since I moved to LA, I don't get nearly as many stupid quotes--either because people are more educated out here or it's just more common to meet a veg*n.
I still get weird interactions, the LA version is just a little different. Instead of telling someone I'm a vegetarian and they respond "Well, that's dumb. You need meat," it's usually educated questions and genuine concern that I'm not just eating Kraft Mac and Cheese all day, every day.
However, recently I was out to dinner with a friend and their parent. The parents were buying us food, which was very nice, but as it does, my diet came up. I am going to take some creative liberties with the exchange, but it basically went something like this.
Parent: So you don't eat any meat at all? What about seafood?
Me: I never really ate seafood even before going vegetarian, except chowder. I don't really like it.
Parent: But you're from New England!
Me: Yeah, I know. I'm weird, I guess.
Parent: Well, my philosophy is that I always try everything at least twice. Just something to think about.
My response would've been, "I made some delicious veg*an food. You should try some. Twice."Originally Posted by microbrien
Since I moved to LA, I don't get nearly as many stupid quotes--either because people are more educated out here or it's just more common to meet a veg*n.
I still get weird interactions, the LA version is just a little different. Instead of telling someone I'm a vegetarian and they respond "Well, that's dumb. You need meat," it's usually educated questions and genuine concern that I'm not just eating Kraft Mac and Cheese all day, every day.
However, recently I was out to dinner with a friend and their parent. The parents were buying us food, which was very nice, but as it does, my diet came up. I am going to take some creative liberties with the exchange, but it basically went something like this.
Parent: So you don't eat any meat at all? What about seafood?
Me: I never really ate seafood even before going vegetarian, except chowder. I don't really like it.
Parent: But you're from New England!
Me: Yeah, I know. I'm weird, I guess.
Parent: Well, my philosophy is that I always try everything at least twice. Just something to think about.
Really, everything? Like monkey brains? Fetus stew? Road kill?Originally Posted by microbrien
Since I moved to LA, I don't get nearly as many stupid quotes--either because people are more educated out here or it's just more common to meet a veg*n.
I still get weird interactions, the LA version is just a little different. Instead of telling someone I'm a vegetarian and they respond "Well, that's dumb. You need meat," it's usually educated questions and genuine concern that I'm not just eating Kraft Mac and Cheese all day, every day.
However, recently I was out to dinner with a friend and their parent. The parents were buying us food, which was very nice, but as it does, my diet came up. I am going to take some creative liberties with the exchange, but it basically went something like this.
Parent: So you don't eat any meat at all? What about seafood?
Me: I never really ate seafood even before going vegetarian, except chowder. I don't really like it.
Parent: But you're from New England!
Me: Yeah, I know. I'm weird, I guess.
Parent: Well, my philosophy is that I always try everything at least twice. Just something to think about.
I just don't even......I find it wasteful and ungrateful to not eat the animals who were raised for that purpose. I'm all for better treatment of food animals, but their purpose is to provide food and other resources. That's the way it's always been.
I totally understand you. That's how I see it as well. It doesn't seem to click with this guy though. He responded back to my note apologizing, telling me he was just joking, that he always is, and that he even agrees with veganism (yet he's too much of a lazy a$$ to go vegan) but he SHOULD HAVE KNOWN I don't take animal rights jokes lightly. Talk about pouring salt into someone else's wound....disgusting. Why would you joke about anyone's suffering or oppression? I responded back to him saying that he even if he has no f*cking idea what it's like being oppressed, the least he can do is not be a d*ck and show some empathy for others' suffering.Originally Posted by Rotoshave
The whole "animals like to be eaten" sentiment just makes me sick. Its right there with the "Africans and other non-white people need to be civilized" argument of racism and the "women need to be put in their place, shown how a real man loves/ she was asking for it" argument of sexism and rape. This kind of talk convinces me that speciesism as a form of oppression is intimately related to human forms of oppression.
That's hardly an apology at all! And his "jokes" were nothing but, they were a vicious psychological defense mechanism against perceived criticism on your part, critcism you tried at all costs to avoid. It's like people making racist joke and then saying "but I have a black friend!" Obviously if he agreed with veganism he would not denigrate it so.Originally Posted by 4everaspirit
I totally understand you. That's how I see it as well. It doesn't seem to click with this guy though. He responded back to my note apologizing, telling me he was just joking, that he always is, and that he even agrees with veganism (yet he's too much of a lazy a$$ to go vegan) but he SHOULD HAVE KNOWN I don't take animal rights jokes lightly. Talk about pouring salt into someone else's wound....disgusting. Why would you joke about anyone's suffering or oppression? I responded back to him saying that he even if he has no f*cking idea what it's like being oppressed, the least he can do is not be a d*ck and show some empathy for others' suffering.
Until he gives me a better "apology" than what he gave me, I won't be talking to him anymore.
Hence why I'm not talking to him.......he's such a hypocrite and he doesn't even realize the words that come out of his mouth are so disgusting and make me think that if he lived in a society where rape and the oppression of woman was more prevalent, "more socially acceptable", like eating animals is, he would be participating in that.Originally Posted by Rotoshave
That's hardly an apology at all! And his "jokes" were nothing but, they were a vicious psychological defense mechanism against perceived criticism on your part, critcism you tried at all costs to avoid. It's like people making racist joke and then saying "but I have a black friend!" Obviously if he agreed with veganism he would not denigrate it so.
Perhaps it was the domestication of animals that started it all. Domestication first started in Mesopotamia and it is interesting to see that Mesopotamia was also where patriarchy, slavery, and imperialism were invented as well. Some of the same techniques, like castration, fettering, hobbling and branding have also been used in slavery and isn't patriarchy all about controlling the sexuality of women, like breeder would control the sexual lives of the animals under his subjugation by gelding males and establishing pedigrees? I just wish more people that were against racism and sexism would realize that both of these human oppressions rely on the foundation of the much more pervasive speciesism. It seems clear to me that man first learned to dominate animals, then used the same techniques to dominate women, slaves and non-whites.
Anyways that was just me thinking aloud. I am glad you are standing up for yourself. When it comes to comments likes these I'm a bit like you. I don't like to make a fuss, I don't like getting into heated arguments with people. So I just let it slide most of the time. Sometimes I think that strategy just makes them bolder. They think "oh he ain't gonna say anything back, he'll just take it like the woman he is" (excuse the sexist expression, but this, I feel, is their reasoning). I can almost read this line of thought in people's faces at times and it frustrates me that I'm not more assertive but hey, I am who I am and I hope just eating differently then they do will be a light on the hill that will one day get them to think and someday maybe even lead to a revelation.
+1Originally Posted by Rotoshave
I remember reading somewhere that before the agricultural revolution religions were more based on the life-giving power of women and there were a lot of goddess religions. Societies also tended to be matriarchal With the advent of agriculture and empires like Sumer, Akkadia and Babylon, male-centered religions became popular with the male god killing the monstrous female god and creating the world from her, like the story of Marduk and Tiamat. Needless to say I think it would be nice to go back to the old ways. Not that we have to change religion or something but, whatever religion you are (or not), we should find someway to celebrate the feminine. The current world we live in has been created entirely from masculine values... and look where thats got us. War, slavery, slaughterhouses, empires, genocide, you name it.
Yeah I hear you. That sucks what that guy said to you when leafletting... I don't know what I would have said back. I think some people are just "raised" to be apathetic and not care about anyone but themselves. Or maybe they feel powerless so they are just going with the flow of that...kind of like "learned" helplessness that I feel a lot of people have got ingrained in their systems by those in power as a way to keep the masses under control against revolt.Originally Posted by Erratus
I hate jokes like that too. Well, it is more the complete disregard they feel towards an animal's life. I would feel a lot better about those kinds of jokes if they came from a veg*n since I would know that they meant only as a joke, and in all honesty did in fact value an animal's life. Not that I hear a whole lot of veg*ns making jokes like that, but the concept stands that they would only mean it in jest. When an omnivore makes those kinds of jokes it will flare my temper like nothing else in the world because they mean it to a large extent. If they honestly valued an animal's life, they would pay to end them for something as frivolous as wanting something that tastes yummy. I was leafleting and I was saying something along the lines of "help animals". Someone called back "Help them taste better I hope". It really disturbs me how they just simply don't care. It almost makes me seem like I am the crazy one sometimes. Crazy or no, I could never again live with myself if I started eating meat again. I like to believe that if we took these people on a field trip to a slaughter house they would change their tone. Maybe just for a day, but they would at least stop laughing at the horrible suffering if they had to look the victims in their eyes.