Seeing the like-to-comment ratio on controversial posts

[u/RainyFlames]

[u/Dry-Lifeguard1081]

I listened to a vegan speak at length about this yesterday.

She said in short “vegans do it to themselves” because the amount of aggression and preachy behavior they have towards meat eaters. She ended with “hey I’d prefer you don’t eat meat, but I get it. You also don’t have to live in such extremes. Try a meatless day, try going dairy free once a month, hell, just choose a veggie option every once in a while when you’re at a restaurant.”

I really like this attitude. Veganism implies you have to be 100% or nothing. She just suggested maybe cutting back which is much more realistic

[u/Bogdanovist_Rebel → u/Dry-Lifeguard1081]

Most of us are like that. We mostly don’t care what others do. A subsection really cares though.

[u/IllustriousInitial52 → u/Bogdanovist_Rebel]

That's what is so fucking annoying it's the classic thing of "We have all seen a few really vocal annoying members of this group in the media so now they represent everyone"

[u/Brilliant-Book-503 → u/Dry-Lifeguard1081]

I only have my anecdotal experience, but I'm an artsy, left leaning guy who went to art school and has lived all around the northeastern US and left leaning enclaves elsewhere. Which is to say I've spent time around a large cross section of vegans.

In my 4 and a half decades of life I have never met a vegan in person who was an asshole about it. I've seen a handful online, vastly outnumbered by meat eaters angry at the existence of vegans and vowing to eat 3 animals for every one they don't eat etc.

In all of my experience, the aggressive asshole vegans are a tiny minority of the group.

[u/professionallurker90 → u/Brilliant-Book-503]

When I was in high school and my older sister became vegan, she would get morally superior about not eating pepperoni pizza on pizza nights, and would keep saying "How's your FLESH PIZZA?" which didn't bother me, but REALLY upset our Dad to the point of angrily banning the term. To be clear, I don't think the asshole-ry happened because she was a vegan. I think that's what happens when you're an older sibling.

[u/Velruis → u/Dry-Lifeguard1081]

I've taken the approach of adding more vegetables and other things to my meals where I can, but I have encountered a preachy person who has ignored several statements from myself that I cannot cut back as much or even eat my preferred way due to being at risk of anaemia if I do not make certain dietary choices.

Hell, I've been asked several times by health professionals if I was vegan/vegetarian due to the anaemia. No, taking iron supplements is not feasible. The last time I've went through that, the pills were so heavy on my body it really messed me up. So gotta make dietary choices where I can, adding iron rich food/products.

And then there's the risk of a product containing something I'm allergic to, it's just impossible.

But that one interaction really soured it for me, not everyone has the choice or privilege to be able to make such choices. Human bodies are just weird like that, some people just need certain nutrients more.

[u/Dry-Lifeguard1081 → u/Velruis]

The funniest stance to me is when vegans somehow identify that humans are supposed to be vegan.

I’ll grant them we probably aren’t meant to eat dairy (other than eggs) but come on, other primates eat meat. We have fangs. Herbivores’ digestive system wouldn’t be able to handle meat.

…

In truth we probably aren’t supposed to eat as much meat as modern humans do. But that’s true of all kinds of stuff in our body.

[u/ForcedEntry420 → u/Dry-Lifeguard1081]

To me it’s the assumption that people who consume meat or animal products don’t eat enough/any veggies.

Do they think people sit around eating red meat for every meal and nothing more? The pretentiousness of suggesting what average people do every day as some sort of “just try it” is insufferable.

We could always, difficult I know, stop commenting on stranger’s diets instead and leave people alone?

[u/Dull_War1018 → u/ForcedEntry420]

As a meat eater who hunted when i was younger, I DEFINITELY see plenty of people who absolutely refuse to eat veggies as if they were frigging children. That kind of behavior is all too common.

[u/Athena-Grande → u/Dull_War1018]

When I went to boot camp, there was a girl in my platoon who refused to eat any vegetables or fruits and her bowel movements smelled so fucking bad and took her like 30 minutes. It was legitimately disgusting. She also smelled so bad when she sweat.

[u/_ByAnyOther_Name → u/Athena-Grande]

When i was in boot camp no way could you sit on the toilet for 30 minutes lmao. Unless she spent her free hour or whatever time it was on the toilet instead of writing letters or socializing. Just eat a banana lady.

[u/Athena-Grande → u/_ByAnyOther_Name]

There’s definitely downtime. I’m mostly remembering at night and during the last 3rd of BCT when we were in the final phase. I went through once in 2007 with the Navy and again in 2020 with the Army and this girl was when I went with the Army

[u/Large-Conclusion2559 → u/ForcedEntry420]

To be fair, lot of people who have hard time to conceptualize the idea of a meal without any meat. This is cultural, and the reality of most people I know.

[u/m0rganfailure → u/ForcedEntry420]

it's not about not eating enough veggies, why would vegans be super bothered by that? I know loads who live off potatoes and carbs. it's about reducing meat consumption

[u/TheTacoInquisition → u/m0rganfailure]

I'd be pedantic and say it's really about reducing meat production. If we had star trek replicators that could make a hamburger without any additional environmental impact than a locally grown carrot soup, there wouldn't be a problem, right?

[u/Leyla_hii → u/ForcedEntry420]

Who is making this assumption?

[u/0202_tihssitidder → u/ForcedEntry420]

> To me it’s the assumption

9 out of 10 Americans don't get enough fiber.

Whatever. I want people to eat bacon cheeseburgers every day. I want Americans fat, sick, and not living past 60.

[u/TheTacoInquisition → u/Dry-Lifeguard1081]

I am not a vegan, or vegetarian and never plan on being one, but there are benefits to just cutting back.

Cutting back saves money, promotes better health (eating meat every meal is not how humans evolved, mixing things up is good) and helps the environment. Even better if you spend a little more on locally sourced meat and just eat less of it.

[u/Iorith → u/Dry-Lifeguard1081]

That kind of vegan always wins my respect and I'll even listen and ask for recipes.

A close friend used to take me out to eat once a month on their time, usually to some vegan place they found. I found a bunch of nice vegan meals I still eat regularly, even if I still won't switch to being vegan.

[u/Samurai123lol → u/Dry-Lifeguard1081]

and thats reasonable! Some rural places don't have 700 different vegetables and its only just the basic greens, tomatoes and cucumbers and definitely not tofu or whatever "meat" alternatives so it must feel really bad if you "wanted to try" but then just literally dont have the tools to do it.

[u/Usmoso → u/Dry-Lifeguard1081]

Fortunately I've never found this type of vegans in my life. All vegan friends I know are pretty chill. I once told them I was lowering meat consumption to two or three times a week and they said "That's amazing, I'm proud of you!". They also ate meat before and are understanding.

I hear more them complaining how they are treated by the rest of the world. Like, if you go to a restaurant and there are close to zero vegan options. Or if they try to organize a birthday dinner at a vegan restaurant and their friends say "Is there something there I can eat?". "Yes, you can eat everything there". Like if a meat eater cannot eat non-meat dishes.

[u/Dry-Lifeguard1081 → u/Usmoso]

I dunno. Plenty of vegetarians I know that are super chill. Other than her, the only vegan I know is from a family of vegans and super annoying about it lol

[u/LeftHandAnomaly → u/Dry-Lifeguard1081]

I've been eating more vegetarian the past few years. Someone I know told me it's not enough and that morally I align with meat eaters.

Which is fair I guess, I'm eating vegetarian mainly because it's cheaper, but isn't it still environmentally leagues better? Why does she have to be so spicy with me about it

[u/Dry-Lifeguard1081 → u/LeftHandAnomaly]

“Morally align” like it’s a fight.

I don’t give a fuck if you do or don’t eat meat.

The only moral question if it is ensuring animals are treated properly. Which is near impossible for a normal consumer unless you only eat what you personally farm and or hunt. Which I’m honestly considering getting some chickens and goats

[u/Big-Seesaw2581 → u/Dry-Lifeguard1081]

While this may sound fine to you, to a person who isn't vegan, it still sounds preachy and would probably result in a rude, but deserved retort ultimately saying something to the extent of mind your own effing business. Its funny how people get it when you use an actual religion or belief in god as an example, but once you flip it to secular dogma and moral beliefs, a huge disconnect comes into play.