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The hidden biases that drive anti-vegan hatred
- Thread starter Calliegirl
- Start date
I think veg*ns and omnis BOTH do a lot of irritating each other. I can't honestly say that I hate omnis- in fact, I generally love them. But from a young age, I was disturbed by the way most people loved some animals- e.g., pets- but appeared to have almost no real concern for most animals.
I was particularly put off by statements people made that animals were "humanely slaughtered" or that one could genuinely "respect" animals they hunted. It got to the point where I almost trusted animals more than humans!!... Not all the time, of course- I wouldn't try to pet a strange dog who was snarling and baring their teeth at me- but damn!- I felt at least that I could take a dog (and most other animals) at face value.
I dunno... If it's a given that the world isn't going veg anytime soon, I suppose it's better that at least a half-hearted effort is made to make animals' deaths a bit easier. But I can't bring myself to trust such a scheme.
I was particularly put off by statements people made that animals were "humanely slaughtered" or that one could genuinely "respect" animals they hunted. It got to the point where I almost trusted animals more than humans!!... Not all the time, of course- I wouldn't try to pet a strange dog who was snarling and baring their teeth at me- but damn!- I felt at least that I could take a dog (and most other animals) at face value.
I dunno... If it's a given that the world isn't going veg anytime soon, I suppose it's better that at least a half-hearted effort is made to make animals' deaths a bit easier. But I can't bring myself to trust such a scheme.
Dedalus
Mercurial and fleeting
I know I'm late to the party on this one, but had to comment anyway as this is a terrific article that really resonated with me.
I feel as though most of my meat-eating friends, though they respect me, harbor much ill will because of simply having to confront their own conscience when I'm around. This is without me shaming or arguing any points at all. Because I've been vegan for going on 15 years, simply my presence seems to put some of them on edge.
In the case of eating meat, Rothgerber suggests we have a number of strategies – around 15 – which allow us to avoid facing up to the meat paradox. These include pretending that meat has no link to animals, imagining that we eat less of it than we really do, wilful ignorance about how it’s produced – helped by the cartoons of happy farm animals that we’re exposed to from childhood – and only eating meat from animals which are “humanely” farmed.
Unfortunately, most of these are derailed by the presence of vegans.
On a side note, I'm not entirely certain why the author believes it's 'unfortunate' that these strategies are derailed by vegans. This is one of those times where the individuals' conscience is the driver. The fact that a vegan is in the room perhaps puts a spotlight on that. But I still don't know why it would be considered bad (even without saying so, out loud) to highlight that these 'strategies' are in play to soothe the souls of those who participate. Yes, it is and should be uncomfortable. Just like the guy with the squirrel.
Another good clip:
The reputation of vegans probably isn’t helped by the fact that non-meat eaters really do think they’re better than everyone else; vegetarians tend to rate the virtuosity of other vegetarians more highly than that of non-vegetarians. But it’s also true that most of us agree with them – and this is a major source of animosity.
In what other circumstance would agreeing with someone cause you to feel animosity towards them? (I'm sure there are examples, but damn this is odd.)
Lastly:
“There's a lot of research on how we don't like members of groups who are potentially morally inferior, or which society sees as wrong,” says Benoit Monin, a psychologist from Stanford University who was also involved in the study. “But it's intriguing to me that we also reject members of groups who have made laudable choices on purpose.”
No words for that one.
I feel as though most of my meat-eating friends, though they respect me, harbor much ill will because of simply having to confront their own conscience when I'm around. This is without me shaming or arguing any points at all. Because I've been vegan for going on 15 years, simply my presence seems to put some of them on edge.
In the case of eating meat, Rothgerber suggests we have a number of strategies – around 15 – which allow us to avoid facing up to the meat paradox. These include pretending that meat has no link to animals, imagining that we eat less of it than we really do, wilful ignorance about how it’s produced – helped by the cartoons of happy farm animals that we’re exposed to from childhood – and only eating meat from animals which are “humanely” farmed.
Unfortunately, most of these are derailed by the presence of vegans.
On a side note, I'm not entirely certain why the author believes it's 'unfortunate' that these strategies are derailed by vegans. This is one of those times where the individuals' conscience is the driver. The fact that a vegan is in the room perhaps puts a spotlight on that. But I still don't know why it would be considered bad (even without saying so, out loud) to highlight that these 'strategies' are in play to soothe the souls of those who participate. Yes, it is and should be uncomfortable. Just like the guy with the squirrel.
Another good clip:
The reputation of vegans probably isn’t helped by the fact that non-meat eaters really do think they’re better than everyone else; vegetarians tend to rate the virtuosity of other vegetarians more highly than that of non-vegetarians. But it’s also true that most of us agree with them – and this is a major source of animosity.
In what other circumstance would agreeing with someone cause you to feel animosity towards them? (I'm sure there are examples, but damn this is odd.)
Lastly:
“There's a lot of research on how we don't like members of groups who are potentially morally inferior, or which society sees as wrong,” says Benoit Monin, a psychologist from Stanford University who was also involved in the study. “But it's intriguing to me that we also reject members of groups who have made laudable choices on purpose.”
No words for that one.
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