Do you put veganism first ?

[Gaspard]

Some right-wingers say intersectional vegans never prioritize animal activism. But is it true? Do most vegan conservatives really put veganism first ?

What about you?

Important: please vote in the poll before participating in the discussion.

 

[Lou]

I'm not sure but luckily there is little to no chance of that happening.

If you are an ethical vegan by definition you are in favor of animal rights. and I can't see how 'An outspoken ethical vegan" would not be supportive of "human rights", which include all my main concerns, women's rights (including the right to choose), the rights of minorities, equal pay, BLM, voting rights....
"An outspoken ethical vegan" would/should have strong feelings about violence. so he would not support gun owner's rights. And he would be against wars.
Of course, he would want to abolish factory farming.

I can see the argument that "An outspoken ethical vegan" might be pro-life. but to paraphrase Obama, no one is pro-abortion. we just want women to be allowed to make that decision. No one else has the right.

 

[Lou]

Harris/Booker 2024

 

[Brian W]

Presumably s/he's not going to suddenly and blindly force veganism onto everybody in which case, it's his/her politics that count. Mass veganism will have to come via another route.

 

[Gaspard]

Presumably s/he's not going to suddenly and blindly force veganism onto everybody in which case, it's his/her politics that count. Mass veganism will have to come via another route.

Please vote in the poll so we have statistics.

 

[Gaspard]

I'm not sure but luckily there is little to no chance of that happening.

If you are an ethical vegan by definition you are in favor of animal rights. and I can't see how 'An outspoken ethical vegan" would not be supportive of "human rights", which include all my main concerns, women's rights (including the right to choose), the rights of minorities, equal pay, BLM, voting rights....
"An outspoken ethical vegan" would/should have strong feelings about violence. so he would not support gun owner's rights. And he would be against wars.
Of course, he would want to abolish factory farming.

I can see the argument that "An outspoken ethical vegan" might be pro-life. but to paraphrase Obama, no one is pro-abortion. we just want women to be allowed to make that decision. No one else has the right.

Please vote in the poll so we have statistics.

 

[Sax]

I'd vote for the meat eater on my political side. The personal beliefs of a single politician on this one issue isn't enough.

 

[silva]

I can't see any benefit of putting an outspoken ethical vegan in power if they didn't share the same views on the myriad of other problems that need to be addressed. Especially when you leave the field so very open!
I still believe human rights take priority

 

[Zardyplants]

That's a bit of complex issue because there are so many factors to consider. Are they simply a meat eater raised from birth and are just ignorant like so many of us were or are they like Mike Pence and say things like "tHeY ArE CoMiNg fOr oUr sTeAkS!!!1!" What are their views on agriculture substitutes and how much they think the meat and dairy industry should get? Would they implement environmental and land use regulations that might slow or halt the expansion of animal agriculture? I could go on.

The reality is politics can be difficult to navigate and that wars are not won in a day. Even though we want the suffering to end right now, it will likely be a gradual change to a 100% vegan world. How fast that change happens depends on who we elect. Put someone in willing to entertain substitutes for plant-based food today, and tomorrow you can have some willing to consider 100% vegan.

Vote for the best outcome now, so you can vote for an even better one later.

 

[Brian W]

Please vote in the poll so we have statistics.

No. Votes will be publicly visible. I will not have my vote public without my reasons for it alongside.

 

[Gaspard]

No. Votes will be publicly visible. I will not have my vote public without my reasons for it alongside.

It's impossible to edit the poll now. However we could ask a moderator to make the results invisible. I'm verry willing to do that so we have your vote.

 

[Second Summer]

Hi @Gaspard and @Brian - I've changed the poll to hide who voted for what, as requested.

 

[Brian W]

Hi @Gaspard and @Brian - I've changed the poll to hide who voted for what, as requested.

Thank you.

 

[Second Summer]

I voted for the socialist meat-eater rather than the fascist vegan who would probably give veganism a bad rep.

 

[Second Summer]

I voted for the socialist meat-eater rather than the fascist vegan who would probably give veganism a bad rep.

Did I put veganism first? Yes, I put veganism first, not the supposed vegan. I voted for the socialist who will work for a fairer and kinder society that will eventually - not by top-down political change, but through bottom-up grass-roots/cultural change - extend that fairness and kindness to other species.

I didn't want to vote for the alt-right vegan who would imprison babies at the border and condone nazi rallies while chowing down on a greasy Impossible burger.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

I'd vote for a meat eater on my political side. Because having someone on my political side in charge would have serious tangible effects on many important issues.

However, having a vegan in charge would have little effect. The only way to become elected as a vegan is to dodge questions by saying "this is just my personal preference". You can't win on a vegan platform and even if you do you can't enact serious change.

At some point, in the future, this will change. At the moment there is a desperate need in my view to vote for left wing parties because they are so much better on many important issues including climate change, and the right wing has lost the plot and is dangerous.

However, one day, the right wing will hopefully go back to becoming moderately more sensible like it was a decade or so ago, and the left will no longer be the only option for science, truth and moral decency and justice like it is today.

And hopefully we will get on the right path to fix climate change, with a clear declining emissions trend globally.

At this time, I could imagine that there will no longer be such a desperate need to vote left wing, as there is today.

Then, at this time (I'm looking decades ahead), as attitudes on meat hopefully continue to change, we may start to see an opportunity to real reform or abolishing of factory farming, increasing the benefit of voting in vegans.

So eventually I could see myself changing my mind. Eventually not being vegetarian (or at least not being against factory farm abolition or reform) ought to become disqualifying for office (at least in the eyes of left wing educated people) in the same way that being racist, sexist or homophobic is (or ought to be) today.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

I don't think this issue from the poll is going to come up much though if you are left wing. If you are right wing vegan it's going to become a big issue since you won't have as many outspoken vegans to vote for on your side. I see meat eating as just another thing to add to the partisan divides....

Left wing people care about justice for the oppressed and are more open to change and looking beyond their immediate group, while right wing people are more focused on their tribe, freedom of choice, a smaller state, keeping current traditions and history, and resistance to change. The societal divide, a new culture war of left-wing veggies and right wing carnivores, will just come naturally.

And initial good reasons for difference of opinion get reinforced over time by tribalism, identity politics, or just who you hang out with...

If you are left wing you have more vegetarian friends, and so you tend to copy them...etc
If you are left wing you volunteer for an environmental group, where you get introduced to veganism...etc
Your left wing friends suggest going to a vegan restaurant for inclusivity, and so you just become vegetarian by default

I think eventually left wing people will speak out in favour of factory farming reform and then later abolishing it, and justice for animals, while right wing people will speak out in favour of human rights first over animal rights, freedom of choice in ethics and dinner plate rather than the state dictating to you.

So right wing vegetarians and vegans will be rare and left wing vegetarians and vegans will be common.

Of course I'm simplifying in that politics and ideology is more about "left wing" and "right wing" and not everything can be divided so neatly. But I think the point still stands even though the reality is and will be more complex.

 

[Gaspard]

I voted for the socialist meat-eater rather than the fascist vegan who would probably give veganism a bad rep.

I wrote "none is an extremist" to avoid this sort of answer.
The point is to know, if you are a socialist, if you would vote for a vegan conservative.

 

[Gaspard]

I think I may start a new poll. Becvause people didn't understand that "NONE IS AN EXTREMIST" was very important in the text. Obviously no one will vote for a vegan nazi.

 

[Gaspard]

Hi @Gaspard and @Brian - I've changed the poll to hide who voted for what, as requested.

OK thanks. Also maybe you could allow people to change their vote if they want to. Thanks.