I was attacked...

[Rosco917]

Like many, I skim through youtube to get ideas on Vegan dishes. I learn much easier from the visual. I leave comments about a subject that I enjoy or a negative comment about something I don't quite agree with.

Well... a few days ago I received a response from a comment I left months ago. It was from a young man that had an irrational hate for Vegans. He called me a baby killer, Christ-hating, a socialist. He went to tell me that if we ever met he would "get me."

I responded to him. I told him to not take for granted that every Vegan is a progressive. And to please learn that actual sentences have capital letters, run-on sentences are difficult to comprehend and if I were him...I'd invest in a spell checker. He didn't respond back.

What bothers me most, is why does a diet have to be associated with the Left or the Right. Why do ideologies come into play at all? We have individuals out there that will actually hate and possibly hurt a person because of dietary choices. IMO this is one of the biggest hurdles we face as Vegans or Vegetarians...Ideological hate!

 

[Lou]

Ha!! If ideological hate is your biggest obstacle you are in very good shape.

IMHO the only times vegan experience any kind of hate is online. Which is super easy to deal with. Ignore it or Turn off the computer.

Even here in this forum sometimes a troll gets in. but I doubt they hate us. They just want to have some fun and think we are easy marks.

IRL, usually the worst we vegans have to deal is confusion or a sort of defensive/aggressiveness.

But it is no surprise that vegans would associate or be associated with the left. Veganism is all about compassion. IMHO the progressive left is way more about compassion. Extending health care is compassionate. Improving education is compassionate. Vegans are pro-animal rights. Democrats are pro-Civil rights, women's rights, voter rights, patient rights. etc.

In an example right out of the headlines is that the Democrats in the House just passed an " Anti Hate resolution" . All the Democrats voted for it. But not all the Republicans.

 

[TofuRobot]

We threaten people's existence as they know it and it's scary for people I guess.

On one dating site I know of, there is a "not for me" space and default options. Lots of men include vegans. Whatever. Their loss.

 

[Meyersaurus]

For one thing I think it's easier to just dislike vegans and try to hurt them (mentally) than admit that your own lifestyle is not perfect/ought to change. Many people I know will just come up with stupid jokes or assumptions like "vegan diet is unsustainable because of avocados" or "people should eat meat because our ancestors ate meat or because lions eat meat, too" and if you tell them that meat production is less sustainable than avocados (not to mention that a) not every vegan consumes a lot of avocados and b) our diet does not consist of avocados only) and that our ancestors tortured people and thought the earth was flat (evolution??) they will just shrug and repeat their assumptions at the next occasion. They just don't want to be confronted with the truth.
On the other hand, people often describe vegans as extremists (ironically) and maybe they subconsciously connote veganism with negative extremism consecutively as well. Extremism doesn't exactly say "kind" or "sustainable" but quite the opposite.
Basically just closed-mindedness

Also, I'm sorry that you were insulted like that. Just remember that it is always easy to lash out on the internet when you're protected by the screen of your computer, and that they wouldn't necessarily say something like that in person

 

[Rosco917]

Ha!! If ideological hate is your biggest obstacle you are in very good shape.

IMHO the only times vegan experience any kind of hate is online. Which is super easy to deal with. Ignore it or Turn off the computer.

Even here in this forum sometimes a troll gets in. but I doubt they hate us. They just want to have some fun and think we are easy marks.

IRL, usually the worst we vegans have to deal is confusion or a sort of defensive/aggressiveness.

But it is no surprise that vegans would associate or be associated with the left. Veganism is all about compassion. IMHO the progressive left is way more about compassion. Extending health care is compassionate. Improving education is compassionate. Vegans are pro-animal rights. Democrats are pro-Civil rights, women's rights, voter rights, patient rights. etc.

In an example right out of the headlines is that the Democrats in the House just passed an " Anti Hate resolution" . All the Democrats voted for it. But not all the Republicans.

Oh...just in the name of accuracy, I'm not a liberal or a progressive. I have quite a few conservative points of view in my arsenal of thought. Then again I also have liberal points of view too. I march to my own drummer. That's what I found so annoyingly amusing and yet troubling by the response that I received from this "hater." In his tiny little world being a vegan is being a liberal, and me being a liberal means everything I do, say and think is to be battled against. What a terribly short-sighted game.

How folks can believe that all the talking points of one ideology are impervious to debate, and 100% accurate I have no idea. I like red and blue. Some of what the left says is as ***-backward as some of those on the right.

The person that responded to me with such venom would rather eat old rotting burnt flesh while being properly conservative... than playing the odds, being compassionate and living a longer healthier life.

If you're sitting out there and you think either of these opposing ideologies is 100%. I feel for you.

 

[TofuRobot]

How folks can believe that all the talking points of one ideology are impervious to debate, and 100% accurate I have no idea.

I find this a lot on other topics as well, not just veganism.

 

[Forest Nymph]

Welcome to the Internet?

Yeah it sucks but it's a YouTube comment. I usually ignore comments in reply to my comments on YouTube, unless they're from the person who owns the channel.

There's a huge pool of people on YouTube who are ideologically hateful of vegans, of liberals, of women, of social justice movements, and of course it's all grouped together in a packed entitled "Things Trump Voters Hate."

I mean if someone calls you a christ-hating baby-killer because you're vegan, it's pretty clear though that you're not dealing with someone who is a playing with a full deck, if you catch my drift.

There are worse things. Like people who make money off of alleged "ex-vegan" videos on YouTube. I truly despise that, it's actually harmful in its influence.

 

[Three Chickpeas]

Libertarian here!

Usually those that are on the "left" or "right" are unable to see that people outside of their spectrum. They assume that anyone doesn't have their exact lifestyle, belief, or opinions are "them" and must be hated or ridiculed.

Stay a free-thinker, ignore the trolls, and don't get sucked into the ideological demagoguery.

 

[Sax]

Welcome to the Internet?

Pretty much this. Learn to ignore trolls and jerks. Even if they succeed in getting under your skin don't respond to them.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

People in the US need to learn more respect for each other. I'm taking about left/liberal/democrat vs right/conservative/Republican.

You could have replied and said something like

"Actually I have a lot of respect for the pro life position as well as respect for all beliefs, both religious and non religous."

Then often they will realize they are being a dick and think "OK, maybe I was a bit harsh there, and maybe not all liberals are dicks". And a million little acts like this online will help to bring people together and talk.

 

[betiPT]

YouTube comments are the worst!

Don’t take to heart!

 

[Deleted member 3018]

There are about 1,300,000,000 users on YouTube. All of them have pent-up negative emotions, and most of them, will to lash out to random strangers, from the veil of anonymity.

I wouldn't even consider leaving a comment there, never have and never will. I just assume, that someone would respond in a way, that would leave me feeling anxious, frustrated and confused.

Earthling Ed has multiple Hate Comments videos. Those might make you feel better, since he analyzes the comments with calm logic and humor.

 

[Lou]

The first rule of the internet. Don't read the comments

 

[TofuRobot]

People in the US need to learn more respect for each other. I'm taking about left/liberal/democrat vs right/conservative/Republican.

You could have replied and said something like

"Actually I have a lot of respect for the pro life position as well as respect for all beliefs, both religious and non religous."

Then often they will realize they are being a **** and think "OK, maybe I was a bit harsh there, and maybe not all liberals are dicks". And a million little acts like this online will help to bring people together and talk.

Yeah this doesn't have anything to do with "people in the US." It has everything to do with people social media, YouTube especially.

 

[StrawberryField]

Sorry you had to deal with that. It's very easy for someone with anger issues to vent it out on the internet then in real life.

To this day I still have to deal with the jokes and victimization from my own "liberal" friends about being vegan. They still make jokes because they are uncomfortable with it. I became a vegan not only for health reasons but in this day and age where I feel powerless in helping the environment it's the one thing I can do on a constant basis to help our world.