• @Stovetop@lemmy.world
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    1573 months ago

    I like and admire vegans.

    I probably should be vegan because I am lucky enough to have the economic privilege to support that kind of lifestyle.

    But, as with many other communities centered around lifestyle topics, I would never want to participate in a vegan community. Lifestyle communities always become insular and echo-chambery, so you become a pariah if you don’t properly adhere to 100% of the community consensus behaviors.

    Not just vegans, but you see it happen with fitness communities, diy/home decor, a lot of hobbies, etc.

    • mathemachristian[he]
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      273 months ago

      Abstaining from animal murder and torture is admirable and something I should do OTOH some internet commenters are mean about it

      I wonder why they would be mean…

        • @cheddar@programming.dev
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          453 months ago

          That’s not the goal. They attack people because that makes them feel better. Animals? Who cares. Definitely not them.

        • mathemachristian[he]
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          3 months ago

          If your belief lives or dies because of some internet comment it won’t last anyway.

          Edit: as in, what sustains it is the actual moral implications of a non-vegan lifestyle. I was convinced to go vegan by internet comments like this.

          • @prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works
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            493 months ago

            See here’s what’s really really funny, people over and over again say “man if the vegan people who were trying to convince me could just not be gigantic assholes about it then maybe it would be easier to join their community”

            And then you come along and are a gigantic asshole about it and prove the entire point.

            Super solid representation, 5/7, perfection.

            • mathemachristian[he]
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              143 months ago

              If you need people to be nice to you to convince you, you care more about appearances than the argument. If people being rude stops you from acting on something you actually believe in you won’t last a month as a vegan.

              Going vegan means changing your habits, giving up a lot of your treats with nothing in return. You will be the weird one at christmas that needs “special” catering, people have to choose restaurants based on your habits and you will be the butt of a lot of jokes simply because you care about animals not being enslaved. If you need people to be nice to you, and applaud you and make you feel all warm and fuzzy to keep that going you won’t last.

              The first lesson every vegan needs to learn is: there are no rewards and no one will compliment you. You are doing this out of your own conviction and not for anyone else.

              • @benignintervention@lemmy.world
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                403 months ago

                This is precisely the circlejerking mentioned in the meme. Whether true or not, the community presents itself as unwelcoming and self-aggrandizing. These are not traits that easily convince people to listen to the cause.

                • mathemachristian[he]
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                  53 months ago

                  There’s nothing to listen to, either you believe animal ag is horrendous and unethical and act on it or you don’t. That’s it. No pretty pleases are going to convince someone they have to give up their beloved steak and cheese for nothing in return.

            • @mods_mum@lemmy.today
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              143 months ago

              Having a reasonable discussion with these people is like trying to play a game of chess with a pigeon. They’ll topple all the pieces, shit on the board and claim victory.

              • mathemachristian[he]
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                3 months ago

                Gonna copy large chunks of my last comment because no ones there to stop me.

                This isn’t a debate like how should we reduce plastic accumulation or the carcinogenic properties of red meat. Not supporting slavery and murder should be the norm, not something that needs to be argued for at length. Being vegan is not doing something good, but not being vegan is doing something evil. This is our position. If someone can’t accept that what their doing is evil but needs to be asked nicely not to kill the screaming orphan who never got to meet his mom because we wanted to steal her milk then they won’t accept that it is an actual real evil that is taking place. It will remain a theoretical. But there really is a room where these orphans are brought to be murdered. A person murdering them. And a mother who screamed bitterly over losing their newborn. It is a real evil and being polite about it masks the horror taking place not to mention is completely insincere since we aren’t interested in debating or in weighing pros and cons. It’s a horrific injustice and we will talk about it as such. There is an evil inherent to not being vegan. Fuck the non-vegans.

          • ObliviousEnlightenment
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            63 months ago

            If belligerent internet comments actually convinced you to change your diet in such an inconvenient manner for no reward but moral superiority, you are not like the people you’re trying to convince. Abusers and cults love bomb because its more effective on a random sample of people

            • mathemachristian[he]
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              3 months ago

              If one believes that the mother losing her newborn cries about it for days and that this is happening on an industrial scale that person will be very indignant about such a horrific injustice. That’s what convinced me, this is a real injustice and not being angry about it would be insincere

              • ObliviousEnlightenment
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                23 months ago

                Convincing people to be ethical past the point of inconvenience requires insincerity, yes. The average person is a horrible human being

        • @davepleasebehave@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          I was going to stop torturing animals, but some mean vegan said some words that hurt my feelings.

          So now I’m going to eat two burgers!

          chortle!

            • @Beaver@lemmy.ca
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              23 months ago

              Stalin only cares for himself.

              By holding meat eaters accountable for the crimes of eating the flesh of others we prevent the deaths of other animals.

      • @mogoh@lemmy.ml
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        273 months ago

        @Stovetop did not say nor implied that he/she is not vegan, because of the community.

        • mathemachristian[he]
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          133 months ago

          I probably should be vegan … But … I would never want to participate in a vegan community.

          Seems pretty clear to me.

          • Skua
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            323 months ago

            You can take part in something without taking part in the community about that thing, though. I play guitar a lot, but I don’t frequent any guitar-based communities

            • mathemachristian[he]
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              83 months ago

              I’m fully aware, but “I’m not going vegan because they’re so annoying” is a pretty common excuse.

              • @PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca
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                203 months ago

                Take the L dude.

                Not only is that clearly not the reason in this case, of what you say is true (and I believe it considering your behavior) that’s a pretty damning indictment about your collective personalities.

                Youre blaming OTHERS for leaving your cause because YOU’RE impossible to put up with. Pathetic. The literal definition of that meme where the dude puts the stick into his bike spokes and then cries about it.

                If you hate non-vegans so much then stop talking to them. Simple as.

                • mathemachristian[he]
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                  53 months ago

                  Im saying if someone stops being vegan because of what people say they dont actually hold the moral conviction that torture, rape and murder of any animal is wrong. I’m not crying about others leavinge “the cause” Im angry at the smugness and how readily people will accept any excuse in order to keep the literal orphan crushing machine going.

          • @Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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            203 months ago

            Then you need to go back to school for reading comprehension, because being a vegan and participating in a community about veganism are not the same thing, not even remotely close.

              • @Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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                203 months ago

                Only because you’re inferring a lot from a couple comments. You don’t know why they aren’t vegan (which could be for any number of reasons), the only thing you know, and are basing your entire assumptions on, is that they don’t want to hang out in spaces full of insufferable vegans.

    • @ngwoo@lemmy.world
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      243 months ago

      so you become a pariah if you don’t properly adhere to 100% of the community consensus behaviors.

      You don’t pocket mulch?!

    • @ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml
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      3 months ago

      Just don’t interact with communities you dislike. It’s a pretty bad excuse to blame other people for your decisions.

  • @pjwestin@lemmy.world
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    1003 months ago

    I mean, leaving .world is a pretty fair response. That community is full of insufferable idiots, but an admin overrode their moderating decisions, and then the admin team made up rules to retroactively justify their decision. That’s pretty egregious.

      • @pjwestin@lemmy.world
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        663 months ago

        Yeah, to be clear, you should not feed your cat a Vegan diet. Cats are obligate carnivores. Synthetic Taurine has made vegan catfood somewhat more viable, but cats don’t just need Taurine from prey. They need several vitamins, amino acids, and fatty acids from animal protein to survive. Beyond that, their digestive tract isn’t very efficient at digesting plant matter, so even if these foods have the nutritional value they need, they might not be absorbing it. Also, a lot of these products seem to be made from grains and other carb heavy products, and cats need a very low carb, high protein diet. If you want to completely divest from the meat industry, you simply shouldn’t own a cat.

        That being said, Vegan catfood products are on the market, so whether or not they are good for cats, they have been approved by several regulating bodies. You can claim that they’re unsafe (I certainly do), but having an admin nuke a comment section for claiming otherwise is a huge overreaction. It would be like going into a vape community and banning accounts that claimed vaping is safer than smoking; it probably isn’t, but I don’t need admins deciding who gets to have discourse about that.

        Finally, I’m also not a fan of dead cats, but if you’re dumb enough to take veterinary advice from an internet vegan group, you’re probably too dumb to keep a cat alive anyway.

        • @Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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          263 months ago

          Vegan catfood products are on the market, so whether or not they are good for cats, they have been approved by several regulating bodies

          Yeah, that’s not how it works. Especially in countries with extreme regulatory capture like the US.

          Unless a product has text that says in a very specifically worded way that it’s been tested and approved by a relevant regulatory body, it hasn’t.

          The fact that something hasn’t been taken off the market YET does not necessarily mean that it’s been approved. Especially not when you’re dealing with politically volatile stuff that could lead to lengthy public lawsuits sapping the resources of the already chronically underfunded and understaffed agencies.

          If it’s vegan food for obligate carnivores, it MIGHT technically be “safe” (as in won’t be outright lethal), but for the reasons you yourself mentioned, it’s likely to significantly decrease the animal’s enjoyment of life at best and more likely to be downright torturous.

          It would be like going into a vape community and banning accounts that claimed vaping is safer than smoking

          Except for the fact that those accounts would be absolutely right and have reams of scientific evidence from the world’s foremost experts in related fields to back up their claims. Unlike the people abusing cats in the name of not abusing animals.

          it probably isn’t

          It is. It’s not even anywhere near the next city over from the neighborhood of close.

          but I don’t need admins deciding who gets to have discourse about that

          Except limiting the spread of dangerous misinformation, such as common myths that are keeping smokers away from one of if not THE most effective smoking cessation tool, is a big part of what admins are FOR.

          if you’re dumb enough to take veterinary advice from an internet vegan group, you’re probably too dumb to keep a cat alive anyway

          Yeah…that’s not a valid argument either. A lot of vegans avoid getting a cat because they’re too overzealous in their veganism to even want carnivorous animals to eat meat.

          The Venn diagram of people vegan enough to love carnivores but refuse to give them meat and people who would trust a vegan online echo chamber more than competent veterinarians is a circle within a bigger circle.

          • @pjwestin@lemmy.world
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            83 months ago

            Well, various vegan catfoods have been approved for use in not only the U.S. but also the E.U., but your point about regulatory capture is fair. Unfortunately, it’s undercut by your support for vaping, a nicotine product brought to market with an insane lack of oversight. Ironically, most of what you’re complaining about with the cat food is exactly what makes vaping so dangerous. We don’t have as much research or long-term studies on the effects of vaping to say it’s as dangerous as smoking, but we know that they contain propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, which are toxic to cells, aldehydes, which are associated with lung disease and heart disease, acrolein, which can cause COPD, asthma and lung cancer, as well as various heavy metals. I’m pretty sure that a lot more people will die of vaping than cats will die of veganism. That being said, I don’t think people who support vaping should be removed from lemmy for using a product that’s probably unsafe, and and it’s not the job of admins or moderators to stop people from taking bad health advice from strangers on the internet.

            • AWildMimicAppears
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              73 months ago

              In the UK the NHS is advocating for vaping as a way to stop smoking, and it works. Also, i don’t know where you get your information about VG and PG (especially regarding their toxicity), but i am more than sure that your information is outdated/obsolete by now.

              A large part of your cells walls are made out of vegetable glycerin. The LD50 for rats is about 12g/kg body weight (mice 8g/kg) when ingested (so about 1kg for a 100kg human), and the seen adverse effects when inhaling were minimal and only visible in hourlong exposures at the highest tested concentration.

              Propylene Glycol has an even higher LD50 in rodents (20 GRAMS/kg b.w.) and is in use in every theatre in the world for fog and smoke effects (in HUGE volumes in contrast to vaping - i vape a lot and am somwhere between 5-10ml VG/PG 1:1 per day) for ages now, and there would have been found a correlation between stage workers and lung cancer by now. It’s widely used in the agricultural sector as a feed additive in pretty large quantities too.

              you get acrolein when the e-cigarette overheats. modern devices should not even really do this anymore. The heavy metals are a hypothesis i heard in the beginning and for which i haven’t seen any source in the last 5 years. At least if you aren’t overheating your NI80 coils on purpose to a dull red glow. all my homies use SS316 for smooth automatic temperature control :-)

              I’m with you regarding the aroma additives (which i assume you meant as source for aldehydes); not many of those have been tested regarding inhalation (except for aromatherapy probably), and they might prove to be detrimental. i also believe that if i had kept my pack or two a day hobby for much longer, it would have had a real chance of killing me. i am also advocating that this stuff should be 18+ - by that age the whole “peer pressure” thing that led to me starting smoking with 14 should be mostly over.

              in the end, the most important part is: i choose to use e-cigarettes since it’s harm reduction in comparison to smoking (and nothing else worked for me), and i know that it would be healthier not to do it. cats don’t have much choice regarding their food, especially when combined with an religiously motivated owner.

        • socsa
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          73 months ago

          I feel like nobody is approaching this from a consent aspect either. If someone offers their cat an array of cat food options and makes an actual honest attempt to determine a long term preference and the cat legitimately prefers the vegan cat food, then that’s way less problematic than saying “you will eat this weird food or you will starve.”

          The forced veganism thing just feels a lot like saying “studies show that a human can technically survive on roaches and rat feces as long as they get a vitamin C supplement.”

        • AWildMimicAppears
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          43 months ago

          I just wanted to add: the reason why most carnivores go for the digestive tract first when eating their prey is that they eat the predigested plant matter with the entrails, making those nutrients much more readily available to them.

          It’s a shame; i’m sure there are vegans feeding their cats this way, and when those animals lose muscle mass quickly, the first thing that gets really damaged by that are their kidneys - and this does normally only get noticed shortly before the cat is going to die. And it’s an ugly death. I’ve had a young cat which had nearly dead kidneys when we got her, and it’s pure torture for them - we tried everything we could, but there’s not much to be done after they show symptoms. That one “study” that other poster is throwing around with the owner-reported feedback regarding the health of their cats has actual negative worth.

      • @WarlockLawyer@lemmy.world
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        183 months ago

        What if we raise them in a factory farm and eat them instead? Don’t worry though. We will force feed them a carnivore diet in their tiny cages

        • @Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
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          183 months ago

          Bruh. This is why I don’t like folks from vegan communities. So full of misinformation and vitriol regarding farming practices. Dead, malnourished and diseased cattle are worthless to a farmer, so they intentionally don’t keep them in conditions like these crazies describe.

          That said I am trying to cut down on my meat consumption because meat production is more climate intensive than vegetables, and my diet is not as vegetable-heavy as it should be. But you folks make it so hard to feel good about making positive changes like that

          • @SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            They literally do though? Have you ever seen a chicken farm? Or a mink farm? Or dozens of different examples of factory farming?

            A few dead animals don’t matter if you can fit in 20x the amount of chickens in the same space

            • @Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
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              43 months ago

              Not a mink farm but I’ve been to cow, goat, sheep, pig and chicken farms. You know what you get with 20x the herd in the same space? 200x the disease risk and 20x the loss when you have to cull the entire herd because the USDA started investigating why your cattle tested positive for [insert nastiness here]. Sick cattle are a great way to lose the farm that’s been in the family for generations. Healthy cattle are how you give your kids the option to choose to continue farming

    • @unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de
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      If thats true then everyone should probably start leaving .world. If they cant even behave themselves with something as simple as veganism, then you cant trust them to not powertrip with actually controversial political issues.

      • @pjwestin@lemmy.world
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        193 months ago

        Maybe, but this seems like a problem that’s bigger than a single instance. A few months back someone came with some pretty good receipts showing .ml admins going after people for having some very fair and moderate criticisms of China. Seems like most instances either have power tripping mods or are too small to have much activity.

      • @alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml
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        53 months ago

        you cant trust them to not powertrip with actually controversial political issues.

        I mean they “preemptively defederated hexbear as a last resort” for fear they might discuss politics, so that ship has sailed.

    • Todd Bonzalez
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      3 months ago
      1. Adding animal abuse to their TOS was a good move. I’m surprised it wasn’t already there.
      2. Encouraging people to feed a cat a vegan diet is a call to abuse a cat through deliberate malnourishment.
      3. Mods on c/vegan were directly calling for animal abuse, and censoring anyone countering them.

      I stand with the admins on this. Zero sympathy for animal abusers.

      leaving .world is a pretty fair response

      Okay, .world account…

      • @pjwestin@lemmy.world
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        73 months ago
        1. Agreed, except when it’s being done to retroactively justify your actions.
        2. I think it’s a very bad idea to feed a cat a Vegan diet, but there are vegan products being sold on the market, and if you want to feed your cat one of these products, you should discuss them with a vet or other qualified professional. Regular dry food contains way more carbohydrates than cats are meant to have in their diet, which can lead to obesity and diabetes in cats. Are people who feed their cats dry food animal abusers? Should the Lemmy admins start policing the use of dry food?
        3. The mods of c/vegan were trying to assert their ability to moderate their own sub as they saw fit in the face of a massive overreach from the admin. I think they’re the most insufferable community I’ve seen on this instance, but they should have the right to moderate their own community.

        And yes, I’m on .world, but very little of my identity is tired up in my lemmy instance, and I’m certainly not going to bat for the .world admins when they do something crazy.

        • socsa
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          63 months ago

          So you are cool if we just feed prisoners vitamin fortified gruel since they can technically survive on it?

          • @Not_mikey@slrpnk.net
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            63 months ago

            I mean a lot of people are feeding there cats cheap dry kibble that has almost no resemblance to the meat it was rendered from. If your argument is that it’s abuse if you aren’t feeding your cat what it wants then there’s a lot of cat abusers out there.

            • socsa
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              53 months ago

              I will happily argue that this is a form of animal abuse. People buying cheap Wal Mart kibble are shitty.

          • @Beaver@lemmy.ca
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            3 months ago

            I mean we do already with nutraloaf. But lets stay on the topic at hand.

            So vegan diets are just “salads, bugs, grass and gruel” whenever it suits your argument for the moment.

            • socsa
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              33 months ago

              I absolutely abhor the idea of nutraloaf. It’s the same modernist bullshit which got us eugenics.

              If you actually give your cat a real option and they choose the vegan food, that is fine with me.

              • @Beaver@lemmy.ca
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                43 months ago

                There are many plant-based recipes that are tasty out there, cats would enjoy the vegan food if its made right.

                Its their nature in the wild to choose meat because its what sustained them for so long in the past.

  • @PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca
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    953 months ago

    Isn’t this something that the fediverse was explicitly designed to support?
    We’re making fun of them for making use of one of the foundational features of the platform?

    If they don’t like it there, they can move again. And again. Or host their own instance.

    Idk what this creepy vicarious butthurt is about, or why it has become so popular.

    • Todd Bonzalez
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      143 months ago

      Yes, this is a feature of the fediverse, and we’re celebrating it here.

      When shitty toxic communities create issues for the wider Lemmyverse, instance admins can lay down some ultimatums.

      On the toxic community’s instance, the instance’s admins can demand that the toxic community correct their behavior, or the community and its offending users will get banned.

      On other instances, offending communities can be blocked, and if users are regularly misbehaving, instance admins can pressure each other to enforce basic community conduct, or face defederation.

      Once a community is given an ultimatum, they can either change their behavior to meet the expectations of the wider Lemmyverse, or they can find an instance that will allow their behavior.

      If they choose to migrate to another instance, it will likely be a more extremist instance with poor moderation that has been significantly defederated. They have to exist within that narrow network of fringe instances now, giving them significantly less reach to harass or spread disinfo or whatever got them booted from the last place they called home.

      And us users play a central role here. When we see communities doing harm, whether they are endorsing fascism, or pedophilia, or animal abuse, we need to stay “not here you don’t” and demand that action be taken.

      When those communities end up migrating to some fringe instance full of dipshits, we need to applaud the mods and admins that sent them there, and let them know that their hard work was appreciated.

      Federation works. Every fringe community in exile is proof of that. This is all one big community effort, so we can’t stay silent about what’s happening and expect that it all gets taken care of behind the scenes.

      • Corgana
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        63 months ago

        If they choose to migrate to another instance, it will likely be a more extremist instance with poor moderation that has been significantly defederated.

        In theory this is how it should work, but in practice the toxic people tend to move to general purpose more laissez-faire places like .world or .ml, which makes de-federating and cutting off 30% of all users a difficult decision for anyone trying to have a community.

        The answer is less centralization, but that can’t be forced. beehaw.org (for example) made the decision to cut off .world and they are better for it. But they are a large-ish instance in their own right.

        • @Rekorse@sh.itjust.works
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          93 months ago

          So if you dont agree with someone they are an extremist, got it.

          You are aware vegan cats exist right? Like its already a thing, and its being studied.

          https://news.uoguelph.ca/2021/03/u-of-g-researchers-first-to-study-health-effects-of-vegan-diets-on-cats/

          Y’all are so confidently wrong about stuff its crazy, and then y’all pat yourselves in the back for all grouping up and agreeing together.

          Just because a lot of people are on one side of a position does not make it the right position, you must be aware there is more to think about right?

          • Corgana
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            43 months ago

            I didn’t say extremist I said toxic but really anyone who’s poorly socialized will go where they’re allowed, which in Lemmy terms means general catch-all instances with loose moderation like .world and .ml.

      • @Rekorse@sh.itjust.works
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        43 months ago

        One study estimated 1% of cat owners feed their cat a vegan diet. Why do you think that might be? Are they all extremist animal abusers? Or is it possible you had an assumption that turned out to be wrong and now don’t know how to reconcile?

    • @finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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      93 months ago

      Sure you can ally yourself with the CCP and that might be totally legal (if they collect any personal data and send it overseas to China then that would be breaking the law but it’s unlikely) but that doesn’t mean it isn’t frowned upon.

        • @finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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          53 months ago

          I have opinions on a lot of things that don’t effect me at all. Palestinian genocide, Uighurs in sweatshops, child labor laws in other states, homeless people being harassed, the socioeconomic shift of Hong Kong losing independent legal rights.

          I can respect their freedom to ally themselves to people who wish them direct harm, but I also have the freedom to express my disappointment in them.

    • @HRDS_654@lemmy.world
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      33 months ago

      Yes and no. The theory is that each instance is supposed to be more specialized, kind of like the old BBS that used to be rampant on the internet. If you are moving to an instance just because people disagree with you instead to have more discussion over a specific topic that is not really in line with the purpose of the fediverse.

        • @ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml
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          3 months ago

          Of all the delicious meats to be obsessed about, redditbros went and picked one of the least appealing ones and decided to make it their entire personality 💀

          • @polarbearulove@lemmy.world
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            83 months ago

            For real. I’ve been vegetarian for a few years now and of all the things I kind of miss, not once has bacon been even a slight craving. A good kebab on the other hand…

        • Maple Engineer
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          73 months ago

          The vast majority of people love bacon and bacon memes and jokes are part of the mainstream culture. Do you accommodate non-vegans? Why do you expect them to accommodate you?

          • enkers
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            Do you accommodate non-vegans?

            That’s because they don’t consider non-veganism a morally acceptable option.

            As a thought experiment, pick any action that you would personally find morally repugnant and ask yourself if you should accommodate people who do that action.

            • Maple Engineer
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              53 months ago

              Precisely. They make the same mistake that all extremists make. They believe that they are morally superior which justifies anything they say or do to anyone they see as inferior. The problem is that the rest of the world does not agree with them so they are reviled for their antisocial behaviour then constantly whine about how the people they harangue treat them badly.

              • enkers
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                113 months ago

                Just because the rest of the world doesn’t agree with them doesn’t mean they’re wrong, though. Societal norms progress with splinter groups that are willing to put their convictions above group conformity. The process is always unpleasant.

                • Maple Engineer
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                  33 months ago

                  Yup, that’s exactly the mistake that extremists make. There is a great quote from a judgement out of a court in the UK. Let me find it…

                  “But the plain fact is that each of you has some time ago crossed the line from concerned campaigner to fanatic. You have appointed yourselves as the sole arbiters of what should be done about climate change, bound neither by the principles of democracy nor the rule of law.

                  “And your fanaticism makes you entirely heedless of the rights of your fellow citizens. You have taken it upon yourselves to decide that your fellow citizens must suffer disruption and harm, and how much disruption and harm they must suffer, simply so that you may parade your views.”

                  This really sums it up. Sometimes fanatics are right. Often, they are wrong. Their ability to self-absolve their abhorent antisocial behavior is why so many people so violently hate them and it’s the reason that many vegans feel like they are being painted with the same brush. They’ve appointed themselves holy crusaders who will bully, harass, and intimidate anyone who doesn’t agree with them.

            • Maple Engineer
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              3 months ago

              Have your considered simply minding your own business? No one wants you to serve them anything. The simply want you to keep your false sense of moral superiority and sanctimonious comments to yourself. It’s really quite simple.

              • @Beaver@lemmy.ca
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                53 months ago

                I’m not going to mind my own business when people are misrepresenting my community and spreading slander about it.

                • Maple Engineer
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                  43 months ago

                  What exactly do you think I’m misrepresenting? Have you heard of the Antler Kitchen and Bar in Toronto and the months of threats, harassment, and abuse that was hurled at the owner and patrons in attempt to bully them into not eating meat?

      • @HonoraryMancunian@lemmy.world
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        93 months ago

        I wish that was true (and I’m not even vegan) but there are many outspoken anti-vegans. But then again they’re the types who will always find an out group to denigrate (in before someone oh-so-cleverly points out I’m doing the same to them).

        • Maple Engineer
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          33 months ago

          I think that you will find that these anti-vegans are reacting to the behaviour of the extremist.

            • Maple Engineer
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              33 months ago

              That, unfortunately, is how it goes. If the only vegans that most people deal with are the obnoxious assholes then they assume that every vegan is an obnoxious asshole.

      • @Beaver@lemmy.ca
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        43 months ago

        Nah, as a vegan most people act pretty hateful towards us even when we don’t bring up the topic.

        • Maple Engineer
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          33 months ago

          Most people only ever hear anything from the extremists so you get painted with the same brush. I have friends who are vegans who are amazing people. I go out of my way to accommodate them. You are getting hate because of a very small group of fanatics who believe that they are absolutely morally superior and that that absolute moral superiority justified doing and saying anything to anyone who doesn’t agree with them in an attempt to shame, harass, and intimidate them into doing what they are told.

    • @Warl0k3@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      They’re easy to hate - They’re weird, eat funny foods, care about things nobody else does (who cares about chickens) and my god is there a subset of them that are the most truly obnoxious human beings (a statement that is, conveniently, true of every single group of humans). They’re basically furries for the non-internet crowd. Nobody ever interacts with them to know it, so they get defined by the strawmen people create of them.

      Edit: It’s possible my explanation of why vegans are disliked has touched a nerve. To clarify; I don’t think this, hell I eat vegan meals most of the time, but these are the qualities given to the Strawman Vegan that everyone onlines seems to love to hate. (I also quite like furries.)

      • @Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
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        423 months ago

        The cause has been tainted by the extremists, to the point where even some vegans are being pushed away from the movement.

        Of course, the ones that are on a niche media platform, in a community dedicated to veganism, are likely to be the nutter ones.

        • @Monstrosity@lemm.ee
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          123 months ago

          Yikes. You know, vegans are targeted by the extremely wealthy & powerful meat & dairy industries who spend untold fortunes making the vegan lifestyle look as unappealing and “crazy” as possible?

          I mean, I’m sure you’re galaxy brain is impervious to propaganda and everything, I’m just saying, you’re painting with an awfully broad brush.

            • @WarlockLawyer@lemmy.world
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              43 months ago

              Or its tracing the money and influence of different lobbies in America. Just look at the original gerrymandered food pyramid made to accommodate the dairy industry. Or lawsuits against plant based alternatives.

        • @Warl0k3@lemmy.world
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          53 months ago

          I think the cause has been tainted by the rampant propagandizing and demonization across all forms of media that the movement has been subjected to. You’re doing it now, even - what the hell even is an “extremist vegan”?

          • Maple Engineer
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            63 months ago

            Extreme vegans are the people who stand outside restaurants, grocery stores, butcher shops, etc. and yell at people just trying to go about their lives calling them carnists, corpose munchers, blood mouths, animal torturers, and talk about murdering animals (murder is the killing of one human by another) or eating cadavers (a cadaver is a dead human body.) They don’t simply go about their lives living their best vegan life but harass and harangue people. They do the same thing online.

          • @Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
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            3 months ago

            You should read the post the vegan@lemmy.world mods made in response to the admin actions. Phrases like “carnist Lemmy admin”, as if that’s the reason they didn’t like the idea of starving a cat.

            There was also a comment saying Vegan should be a protected belief, like other religions.

            It’s not a conspiracy by the meat and dairy industry.

            A carnist lemmy world instance admin has stepped in and meatsplained to the mods

            It’s difficult to take people like this seriously.

      • Lad
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        223 months ago

        who cares about chickens

        Most people. Anyone who isn’t a psychopath cares to some extent about animals, vegan or non-vegan

        • @ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml
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          3 months ago

          I think it’s funny how quickly the outspoken anti-vegan types deliver the “I actually think it’s ok to torture animals” completely unprompted

          • Maple Engineer
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            53 months ago

            Can you find me a sample of someone saying, “I actually thing it’s ok to torture animals”? I’d be intersted to see that if it’s actually happening. Or, are you creating a straw man?

              • Maple Engineer
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                43 months ago

                Can you link me to the place where it says these words?

                “I actually think it’s ok to torture animals”

        • Maple Engineer
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          73 months ago

          I hate chickens. They’re loud, obnoxious, and they kill and eat each other. That doesn’t mean that I’m going to abuse them. I take good care of my chickens despite the fact that they’re assholes.

    • @Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
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      53 months ago

      The community of non-vegans is a lot bigger than that of the vegans. So vegans do something that gets a reaction, you are much more likely to hear that reaction than the original thing.

  • @Katzastrophe@feddit.org
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    723 months ago

    My biggest gripe with vegan communities is that a lot of them have an “All or Nothing” mentality, going fully vegan is a luxury not everyone can afford, and yet I find mainly malice when trying to talk about reducing ones own reliance on meat and other animal products in online communities.

    And veganism, if taken to the “no suffering of sentient beings” full extreme, forbids buying things (not just food) produced by slavery. And those things, especially electronics and clothes, are not financially viable for most to be bought without any slavery involved in any step whatsoever.

  • @Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
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    673 months ago

    Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

    I had a look at the community yesterday, every post bar one was about vegan cat food for the last week. They’re not taking this well at all.

    • @RecluseRamble@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      353 months ago

      I just had a look myself after your comment and cannot confirm your claim at all. There are, understandably, quite a few posts about this debacle and the future of their sub but more than half is stuff related to veganism not related to cats.

    • @Emmie@lemmings.world
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      3 months ago

      Cats can thrive on vegan diets perfectly well. Mine is still with me since like 4 years and didn’t eat a single animal protein in that time…

      It’s called being a responsible human and minimizing suffering.

  • @Jimbo@yiffit.net
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    633 months ago

    Yeah I respect vegans, and applaud them for their life choices. I’m not in a position to, or willing at this point to become a vegan, but I looked at their community… Mostly insults when referring to any meat eater. Yeah, I respect them a fair bit less now.

      • ObliviousEnlightenment
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        53 months ago

        We really dont though. It is simply not realistic to fight for an ethic that requires the overwhelming majority to be hyperrational in their ethics. Human nature tends toward cruelty, and Ive yet to see a vegan have recourse for that.

        Setting aside the whole plants feel pain too bit

        • @Beaver@lemmy.ca
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          93 months ago

          People are cruel often because of the systems they’re raised in. I could show you many instances where kindness is punished in order to maintain the status quo of hierarchical systems. Humans can be much more ethical if we chose to be.

          Plant react to stimuli however they do not have the nervous system to process pain like the way cows and pigs do.

          • ObliviousEnlightenment
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            3 months ago

            And yet people default to those systems and have since the agricultural revolution.

            As for plant stimuli, who are you to say that doesn’t constitute pain? They sure communicate it to those around them, cut grass smell and all that. Does an ant not feel pain because it mostly just responds to and sends out pheromones? Bit of a “my red is your blue” argument you’re making.

            • @Beaver@lemmy.ca
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              53 months ago

              By eating plant-based you reduce the amount of plants that are grown for human consumption since you skip the farm animals completely “if you’re so concerned about plants feeling pain”

              You wouldn’t kick a person and justify that logic saying “but plants feel pain every time you walk on grass”

    • @Beaver@lemmy.ca
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      33 months ago

      If that was true there wouldn’t be so many posts and comments about the situation.

  • socsa
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    363 months ago

    “We taught a lion to eat Tofu”

    I mean what a fucking mountain to die on. Bravo to all involved this has been quite entertaining.

    • enkers
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      I suspect the mountain to die was the admin actions removing moderators. Vegan cat food is pretty rarely discussed amongst actual vegans. It just happens to appear to be a “wedge issue” that kind of looks like a gotcha if you squint, thus it’s beloved by anti-vegan trolls.

      • @Not_mikey@slrpnk.net
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        133 months ago

        It’s the trans women in sports of veganism, it’s such a small part of the issue and no one in the group will usually bring it up. But people who are against them will use it to discredit and divide them even though they don’t really care about the underlying issues they claim to be for: women’s sports, cat nutrition and the way larger problems with them.

    • @Beaver@lemmy.ca
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      113 months ago

      Do not misrepresent the facts.

      It was about a plant based-diet for cats that contains taurine and b12.

      • socsa
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        3 months ago

        It’s a Futurama reference. Like the meme.

        You are taking this too seriously. I would suggest getting off the internet for a bit.

    • @Leate_Wonceslace@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      173 months ago

      The part that bothers me is that the most toxic members of the community tend to be boosted. Although I can agree that vegans are right about most things, I would argue that there’s lots of things vegans are wrong about, like arguing that cultivated meat is inviable/immoral/etc. Maybe what bothers you most is that you view your own lifestyle as immoral, but not everyone agrees with you, and you shouldn’t presume to speak for everyone.

      • enkers
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        Speaking from experience, I really resented all the “toxic vegans” I experienced while I was becoming vegan, but looking back I’m quite thankful for them. The reason they seemed so toxic was because they kept highlighting my own moral inconsistencies. This raised cognitive dissonance which felt like a personal attack. It’s an unpleasant experience.

        Of course there were also a lot of “good vegans” I’m thankful of as well who would patiently answer any of my questions, and this is the approach I try and take myself (although sometimes I don’t succeed, I’m sure).

      • @Beaver@lemmy.ca
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        63 months ago

        The “toxic members” are probably the most outspoken ones just like how the feminists are viewed as extremists.

  • @Fizz@lemmy.nz
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    253 months ago

    I am enjoying watching vegans battle everyone. Most people are not prepared for a conversation on veganism. Vegans have been refining these arguments for a decade now and can present clear sharp moral stances with a counter to everything you have to say. They also have the easier side to argue.

    Im not a vegan but I’m not talking shit to a vegan for fear of getting dragged into a veganism debate.

    • @Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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      Most people are not prepared for interested in a conversation on veganism.

      Vegans have been refining these arguments preaching at people who didn’t ask for a decade now

      and can present clear sharp moral stances with a counter to everything you as a gleefully evil animal abuser no matter what you have to say.

      They also have the easier side to argue.

      That part is arguably true. Which is all the more reason for evangelical vegans NOT to have to behave like they’re missionaries educating savages every time they manage to trick a non-vegan into engaging with them.

      Dietary choices, religions, and dietary choices treated as if they were a religion are like penises: it’s fine that you have them and it’s super that you enjoy them, but you are not allowed to try to force them on me without my consent.

      • Jo Miran
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        193 months ago

        I follow a plant based diet and agree with just about everything you wrote. I find that hardcore vegans can act like religious zealots yelling at little nine year old girls on the street for wearing a rainbow colored t-shirt.

    • @Foni@lemm.ee
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      143 months ago

      Even flat-earthers have refined their arguments over the years, which doesn’t make them any less stupid. I have zero moral problems with my meat consumption and I’ll debate it with anyone.

      • @Fizz@lemmy.nz
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        163 months ago

        Flat earth is not at all comparable to Veganism. Vegans don’t need to make up anything to justify their side. They simply care for animals and therefore they don’t eat them.

        I’m not vegan so I’m not taking you up on that debate.

        • @Beaver@lemmy.ca
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          Yup, vegans have science and studies to back up their claims while some meateaters have tradition and false equivalences to back up theirs.

    • Maple Engineer
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      No one hates vegans. Almost everyone hates vegan extremists. No one cares what you eat. You want to eat brown slop and claim its the best thing ever fill your boots. You want a vegan pet, get a rabbit. Just don’t try to shame everyone else into doing what you want and don’t feed a carnivore a vegan diet and no one will say anything.

      • @Beaver@lemmy.ca
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        33 months ago

        There are so many dishes you can make with plants and yet you choose the term “slop”

        • Maple Engineer
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          43 months ago

          I’ve seen some of the pictures that have been posted in c/vegan. Some of them were literally brown slop. My family eats a number of vegetarian and vegan dishes along with those that contain meat. I don’t care what anyone wants to eat, even if it is brown slop.

          • @Beaver@lemmy.ca
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            3 months ago

            You’re choosing the worst looking examples of plant-based foods to suit your claim, any soup could be considered slop.

            You can make salads, tacos, burgers, bread, desserts all with plants.

            • Maple Engineer
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              33 months ago

              Yes, I’m definitely picking the worst examples to illustrate my point just as someone else used the word, “murder” (the killing of one human being by another) four times when referring to non-humans.

              I haven’t seen any posts come up in All where I said, “That looks really good. I would eat that.” I remember several photos of puddles of lumpy goo where I thought, “Ew”.

              I’ve eaten plenty of vegetarian and vegan meals that I thought were delicious. I have no problem with vegetarians or vegans. I have a real problem with extremists no matter how they mistakenly believe that they are absolutely superior.

    • @hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      133 months ago

      Yeah. I do agree with vegans in that humans should transition to a diet that’s more sustainable and removes the animal suffering from the equation - and I do put in some effort to reduce my use of animal based products but: god damnit some people of that community are some seriously insufferable people to converse with

      • @slaacaa@lemmy.world
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        Exactly. There are ethical, environmental and health reasons to decrease humanity’s meat consumption. But screaming slurs with religous zealousy burning in your eyes will not win over the majority of the population. If you push people, they push back. Especially on morals, which is the least efficient argument to have a plant based diet - yet it’s the one some vegans like to push the most, as it makes them feel better about themselves.

        I know exactly what vegans know, about eg. dairy industry and the rape of cows. Seen many sickening documentaries, and I believe that in a 100 years we will look back on exploiting/killing animals for dairy/meat as we do now on slavery.

        Still, I eat meat.

        Much less meat than I did years ago, but I have no intention to fully stop, as the alternatives are not yet practical, affordable, or tasty enough for me. If a lot of people decreased their meat consumption, our planet would be much better - how about we take that first step together, instead of insulting each other?

    • @Kroxx@lemm.ee
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      83 months ago

      Vegans have been refining these arguments for a decade now and can present clear sharp moral stances with a counter to everything you have to say

      Lol they fuck they can, they couldn’t even properly present and defend their own sources.

      https://lemm.ee/comment/14432604