When Omnivores Say That Vegans care More About Animals

[VeganRachel]

What about when omnivore (or carnivore) humans say, you (vegans) do not care about humans, only about non-human animals?

OKAY, so there are endless criticism of veganism and also excuses and justifications for eating flesh and blood and all land and marine animals.
what do you think, or say, when animal-eating humans say--you only care about those animals (that are eaten), not about humans. And they add,
why don't you care about poverty, rape, homelessness, racism, human rights?.

 

[Lou]

easy.
Is there a limit on compassion. We can care about lots of things. All at the same time.
Do you care about multiple things like "poverty, rape, homelessness, racism, and human rights?"
Why not care about animal rights too.
Also animals rights are the low hanging fruit here. It takes time, effort and money to do anything about those other things. Animal rights - you can just decide not to eat them.

 

[VeganRachel]

easy.
Is there a limit on compassion. We can care about lots of things. All at the same time.
Do you care about multiple things like "poverty, rape, homelessness, racism, and human rights?"
Why not care about animal rights too.
Also animals rights are the low hanging fruit here. It takes time, effort and money to do anything about those other things. Animal rights - you can just decide not to eat them.

Agreed entirely. I think the bottom line is they are looking to find mountains out of molehills and criticize, something.
Eating animlas involves exploitation and slaughter, its' part of the process.

 

[peakvegan]

Just say "Sure, I don't eat humans either!" and move on

 

[VeganRachel]

Just say "Sure, I don't eat humans either!" and move on

Clever

 

[VeganRachel]

Just say "Sure, I don't eat humans either!" and move on

Just my curiosity, are you able to feed your dog vegan food? a balanced mix of vegan food is healthy for dogs...

 

[Lou]

Agreed entirely. I think the bottom line is they are looking to find mountains out of molehills and criticize, something.
Eating animlas involves exploitation and slaughter, its' part of the process.

its maybe more complicated than I stated. And although there may be no limits to our compassion - there are limits to our finances, time, and attention.

It reminds me of when we went to moon and were challenged that there are problems here on earth to solve. I think the simple answer was why can't we do both?

Still veganism is still low hanging fruit.

 

[Andy_T]

I would venture to guess that the people who say that to you typically don’t do much for other humans, either…

 

[VeganRachel]

its maybe more complicated than I stated. And although there may be no limits to our compassion - there are limits to our finances, time, and attention.

It reminds me of when we went to moon and were challenged that there are problems here on earth to solve. I think the simple answer was why can't we do both?

Still veganism is still low hanging fruit.

Well put, not much of a priority with most humans.
ironically, omnivores would not criticize someone who works with the homeless, incarcerated humans, or victims of domestic violence, and tell them they do not care about non-human animals and need to switch their loyalty. Or, tell those who rescue cats, dogs, or horses and say they
don't care about humans. Many truths have been revealed by animal activists doing undercover work in factory farms, organic animal farms,
experimentation labs, and more that have helped humans wake up and make, hopefully, positive changes. Vegans get little credit for what we care
about and reveal, but do often get condemned for it.

 

[Lou]

Yes vegans and veganism are discriminated against.

Part of it is what we call cognitive dissonance. And your original post is just more evidence that this is the issue and a real problem.

There was some poll, (I'm not going to take the time to look it up right now) about how many people donate to animal-type charities. Not just the ASPCA but also things like Wildlife Conservatory, WWW, etc.
the number of people who care about animals (and voter with their wallets) way exceeds the number of vegans.

It blows my mind that people who are concerned about animals don't see anything wrong with eating them.

I volunteered at the local animal shelter for a while, and I wasn't surprised or shocked but no one there but me was vegan.

 

[VeganRachel]

Yes vegans and veganism are discriminated against.

Part of it is what we call cognitive dissonance. And your original post is just more evidence that this is the issue and a real problem.

There was some poll, (I'm not going to take the time to look it up right now) about how many people donate to animal-type charities. Not just the ASPCA but also things like Wildlife Conservatory, WWW, etc.
the number of people who care about animals (and voter with their wallets) way exceeds the number of vegans.

It blows my mind that people who are concerned about animals don't see anything wrong with eating them.

I volunteered at the local animal shelter for a while, and I wasn't surprised or shocked but no one there but me was vegan.

Thank you for sharing that. Cognitive dissonace is a big reality for many.
i invited women in my yoga class to a vegan potluck. Out of about 25 people, 2 said directly they did not want to be at a 'vegan' potluck, and in the end only 5 people attended. two in my class, who attended, were actually vegan. One new woman in the past few months i also found out is vegan, but I would not have known if I had not told her i was vegan. I know that some humans are more open-minded than others, but I was surprised so many seemed afraid to attend.
I have a sweet friend who has donated to peta for years, but she does eat some marine life and is not vegetarian or vegan.
I had a vegan friend up north who would attend the in-person fundraisers for animal shelters. She said all of them had
a barbeque of some kind, with animals products, during the event to raise $ for cat and dog rescues. She said she told them,
don't you think its' ironic that you are cooking animals, yet saving others?.
i have found that humans love the animals that live in their homes, those they touch, cuddle with, nurture, feed, and
even walk. Farm and marine animals however, are distant to us and are seen only as the food on our plates, They are also
part of an addictive habitual diet. I grew up doing that. I wonder if thats' why we can love some humans and hate or discriminate
against others. we see them as distant from us. Strange stuff.

 

[Lou]

was surprised so many seemed afraid to attend.

I know. it's amazing. like they don't they realize they eat "vegan food" every day?

i have found that humans love the animals that live in their homes, those they touch, cuddle with, nurture, feed, and
even walk.

This is the premise of Dr. Melanie Joy's books. Have your read them?

I wonder if thats' why we can love some humans and hate or discriminate
against others. we see them as distant from us. Strange stuff.

Anthropologists have theorized that this might even be based in genetics. Google "Tribalism is Human Nature"
anything not like us is seen as something to be afraid of or hate.

 

[Brian W]

Just say "Sure, I don't eat humans either!" and move on

That's an excellent answer! I hope I remember it if the subject comes up.

 

[Brian W]

I would venture to guess that the people who say that to you typically don’t do much for other humans, either…

That is often so true. I remember the big anarchist/veggie/vego/human rights movement in the eighties. They cared about everything while the fiercest criticizers of vegetarians and vegans didn't exactly strike me as highly charitable people on the whole.

 

[beancounter]

Some vegans leave no room for doubt. I remember several years ago a question was asked either here or on VeggieBoards "If a child and a dog were in a burning building, and you could only save one, which would you choose?".

Quite a few people chose the dog.

An then there is the antics of PETA...

 

[peakvegan]

Just my curiosity, are you able to feed your dog vegan food? a balanced mix of vegan food is healthy for dogs...

yes I believe you are probably right, although the evidence is limited at the moment and I would like to see bigger studies. It's something I would not be opposed to if the circumstances were right. In our case there are several challenges: we take in rescue dogs and constantly have new dogs coming through on their way to forever homes. Most will come from sanctuaries where they have been fed "conventional" kibble and will go on to homes where they will be fed a meat-based diet. Finances are limited due to the number of dogs we tend to have and I need a food that suits the majority at a reasonable budget. Some of our adoptees are older and may have special dietary needs. Lastly, I'm still not wholly comfortable with making this decision for my dogs, who my heart tells me would prefer to eat meat. I think that may be different for a puppy who has never known anything else. However, I would never buy a puppy so I will never find out!

 

[VeganRachel]

its maybe more complicated than I stated. And although there may be no limits to our compassion - there are limits to our finances, time, and attention.

It reminds me of when we went to moon and were challenged that there are problems here on earth to solve. I think the simple answer was why can't we do both?

Still veganism is still low hanging fruit.

Vegans are right now the minority. So animal ag is the high hanging fruit......and gets $38 billion annually in taxpayer support.
see the book "Meatonomics", its. fascinating and disgusting that we all pay for that industry to stay in business, including vegans.