Is it true that most vegans are Militant or Aggresive

[Goldsplinter]

Was on a IRC chatroom, and like 2 guys said that most vegans are aggressive/militant.

I said I wasn't aggresive/militant, then one of them said that they would peg me vegan, saying that I have an agressive online personality.

Thoughts.

[Davylp25]

HELL YES! Come to LA! Watch out, it's like a 'religion' where they think their better and are constantly breaking down facts when u didnt even ask for them! YES YES YES! It creates a great polarity however that shows me by their actions of how I never want to be. Dogmatic! So there is a positive@

[JennaBoBenna]

I don't want to stereotype or anything, but I think most vegans are really annoying. Heck, even I was an annoying vegan! But I grew out of it after a month or so. I was part of a veg*n forum for awhile and I just couldn't stand it anymore because of how rude and snooty and hardheaded they were. :(

[sport]

I think that everybody thinks that all vegans are members of PETA and set fire to research labs.

[Goldsplinter]

I think that everybody thinks that all vegans are members of PETA and set fire to research labs.
lol .

[Mookie]

Was on a IRC chatroom, and like 2 guys said that most vegans are aggressive/militant.

I said I wasn't aggresive/militant, then one of them said that they would peg me vegan, saying that I have an agressive online personality.

Thoughts.


You do seem to choose controversial topics for this board.
I saw where atleast one of your posts was deleted.

But overall, I think you are a "good guy".

[dreamrawalwz]

There was a post maybe a month ago about the same thing, but completely opposite...that meat eaters were more aggressive. If you're talking about "i know more than you," then yes some vegans could be aggressive in that sense because they want others to know the health benefits and spread the word, but if you mean just in general, I don't think so.

[Rawkinlocs]

I don't think ALL vegans are, but some definitely are. Can't really lump all together and generalize it, though.

I remember thinking to myself one day if inwardly, do a lot of vegetarians think they are somewhat "better" (for lack of better word) than meat-eaters...do vegans think they are somewhat "better" than vegetarians...do raw fooders think they are somewhat "better" than vegetarians/vegans/cooked eaters and do those raw fooders who eat only fresh, whole fruits and veggies think they are somewhat "better" than everyone else, including raw fooders who eat more fat and recipes, etc.

It was an interesting thought that perhaps, piousness/piety and feeling kinda "puffed up" might evolve like that. For some, I think it is like that..but definitely not all. I know I've met some raw (and cooked) vegans who need to be brought down a peg or two for being a little too "high-minded".

[Mookie]

I don't think ALL vegans are, but some definitely are. Can't really lump all together and generalize it, though.

I remember thinking to myself one day if inwardly, do a lot of vegetarians think they are somewhat "better" (for lack of better word) than meat-eaters...do vegans think they are somewhat "better" than vegetarians...do raw fooders think they are somewhat "better" than vegetarians/vegans/cooked eaters and do those raw fooders who eat only fresh, whole fruits and veggies think they are somewhat "better" than everyone else, including raw fooders who eat more fat and recipes, etc.




Yeah - some do. Definitely. What are those people "airatarians" I think they are far superior to all of us! :)

[dreamrawalwz]

Yeah - some do. Definitely. What are those people "airatarians" I think they are far superior to all of us! :)

hehe, breatharians! :cool:

[Tangerina]

First of all, I have to say I was super pleasantly surprised that all of you are so moderate and understanding of different paths.


hmm.... living in the northwest and going to the colleges I have attended, vegetarianism and veganism are pretty well accepted, which makes them less defensive (which I think is why they get all mean about it) but I have totally experienced these mean vegans.... I have been vegetarian since I was 8 and interested in fasting for the past 3 years and my dad is vegan but really chill and moderate about it (ie he would rather eat the cheese the waiter forgot to tell the chef to hold than cause a fuss and waste food that a lot of resources went into producing and he would eat some fish that a friend caught for a special dinner rather than hold himself apart, but otherwise he tries to make the best choices possible for himself) so I have had time to get used to some people being wierd about my food choices (or fasting) and answering questions but usually it is not an issue. I think sometimes meat eaters are afraid that I am looking down on them by making the choice not to consume meat (just as my friends who smoked weed in highschool felt self concious that I didn't, instead of just seeing it as my personal choice they fewlt it was a judgement) but I honestly think everyone needs to make their own choices and I could care less personally what other people chose to do with their diet, although in the big picture I wish we could all do what is best for the planet. But some people just get so defensive about their life choices, vegans and meat eaters alike. I personally love my dads moderate example and if for some reason fish and chips would make me really happy once in a while, or a friend cooked me a special dinner then what the hell, life is for living and being happy and having experiences. I am beginning to see that raw vegan is the best way for me to live personally, but I just can't embrace it from a militaristic standpoint... I have to have my free will to do what makes me happy at the time. And labels really blow... because if I tell people I am a raw vegan and then they see me eat that occasional fish and chips or a special bithday cake a friend made me, then they think I'm a hypocrite.... but really I am just balancing being happy and healthy in the best way I know how. Militancy and extremeism ( and labels!) in any form (dietary, religious, academic, etc) are so limiting and harmful to yourself and others!

Wow, that turned into a rant.

[adrienne]

tangerina,
that was an awesome post you wrote.
your dad sounds cool, grounded and that he was a great example.
i feel the same way - what if someone sees you eat a _______ and they know you are a raw vegan or vegan, a lot of people can't wait to hang you out to dry! i worked in a restaurant a few years ago and my co-workers knew i didn't eat meat and always called me "the vegetarian" even though i never labeled myself that b/c at the time i was eating fish...so one day our boss bought us pepperoni pizza to eat and i had a piece (b/c, hello, is pepperoni REALLY meat at that point??? okay so these days i would not eat it but back then was another story) and everyone at work was pointing and practically yelling ' you said you were a vegetarian!!!!!!!' etc etc
i think that it is great that some folks CAN have an occasional non-raw item for whatever reason they choose but for me i am so entrenched in a food addiction and raw helps that completely that one thing could set me back. i hope someday that is not true and i can be a bit more loose about it, like your dad...he's my new guru (lol)
i do really agree with you and thanks for your post

[rawnpawgirl]

Wow, you obviously have a great dad! I love his outlook and I totally agree with it! For instance, I have really gone through a lot to quit coffee, but my grandmother who just turned 89, has been a coffee drinker all her life-- and our relationship has been to sit out in her beautiful garden and share a cup of coffee and talk about everything. That was always our thing, our special bonding time.

Now, I see my grandma about once a month. She always says, "oh are you still on THAT DIET?"

I know she thinks I've gone off the deep end and doesn't understand my choice, but I still do say "yes" when she makes coffee and wants to have our special time. She doesn't have that many more years here with me and I would rather bend and ingest coffee or her special birthday cake then make her feel bad, as she loves through food.

I respect your dad and you and everyone who is not so rigid and extreme and then judges others for what they see as shortcomings. It is a very haughty attitude and when I sometimes notice ME doing it, I really gross myself out and try to apologize instantly!

[stiletto]

I think passionate might be a better word.

[Davylp25]

Lol Passionate huh. Well thats a certain way to look at things. However I think society has a weird definition of what PASSION is. To me it's a product of love, not anger, or judgment or needing to prove your point in an aggresive manner. Passionate to me is a lovers embrace, or the way a mother breaks her neck for her child in whatever nourishing way, to me thats passion. It's not yelling or raising your voice,and getting angry and standing on dogmatic throwns handing out unsolicited advice. It's that need to PROVE YOUR RIGHT, BECUZ YOU KNOW AND THEY DONT...That's not passionate, It's egoic, but to disguise it we call it -PASSIONATE. That puts the training wheels on those actions... I dunno, that just doesn't seem right to me 2 call it passionate. It's ANGER. And that's okay. Anger isn't a bad thang, but we in society run away from that word and try to downplay it by calling it passion. It's a form of anger 2 me. I know, because I used to be like that, Always telling PEOPLE what they should know, and do. When they challenge me, we start to raise are voices, It's not passion -it's anger, me deep down wanting to be right, which therefor means Im validated in some way. It's like a hidden co-dependent thang. But we sugarcoat it by saying things like HE'S JUST PASSIONATE, HE JUST WANTS TO HELP PEOPLE. HA! I realize now after stepping back, that that was a illusion. It was egoic, and it was anger. Now Im just a chillen villian who let's my life led, my complexion, my smile, the whites in my eyes, my laughter be my quiet " passionate" expression of what it means to me to be conciously HEALTHY. If they ask me, I will tell them what I do. Only however if they ask. It will be a gentle expression, now Because I love it (RAW), so me explaining it comes across as soft and passionate, not the angry passionate that is deemed to be PASSION in modern sOciety. I 2 was a member of this " PASSIONATE" club.

Sorry to ramble, I just see my own personal growth. My original post was a complete projection onto others of my own hidden subcon- Thank poster. I see how far I have come. Those people who do react like that however, Are going through a journey, They will figure it out when they need to.

[lissomllama]

Um, I'm confused. Aren't we vegan/in support of being vegan, here? Davyl, aren't you vegan? Jennabobenna, aren't you vegan as well? This board is a vegan board as you guys know. We support veganism here.Do you consider yourself violent and aggresive?

Secondly, in answer to the question. It is generally the opposite of that. Meat and dairy consumers are generally more aggressive than vegans. There was a recent thread on this, check it out:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18750&highlight=meat+eaters+aggressive

And, to quote myself, I wrote this about it:

"Meat comes from slaughtered animals and if it is a factory farmed animal, it was done mechanically, without love or neccesity and those animals and abused and diseased so of course, that energy is in the food. Now, people can impart their own loving energy in that food to sort of change things but the source can still remain.

In the body though, inorganic meat has extra hormones and chemicals in it and even if it is natural and organic, it still has un-neaded hormones in it that when ingested, become part of the body and hormones greatly effect emotion and attitude. Dairy products and other animal products carry the same risks. Meat and dairy products are constantly being linked these days to overaggression in people, especially young boys. Children these days are suffering from far more aggresion and hate related conditions and perpetuating these problems as they grow and have children of their own.

I say yes, meat and animal products do create aggresion and death to some degree."

Now, if you are referring to vegans being very passionate (davyl, to be passionate is to be fervent and 'all-for' something. To be very enthusiastic and it can either be a product of love OR anger. And anger is not hate, it is not an absence of love. Passion can be very double-edged) and sometimes getting angry, that is common because we are sick of everyone telliing us how wrong we are. We get tired of all of the constant barage of, quite frankly, stupid questions and moreso, blatant disrespect of our lifestyle. The world caters to meat and dairy consumers and we vegans would like, at the very least, a little recognition and understanding and maybe some research before we are sworn off. I've never heard of a vegan being physically violent (of course I'm sure there are isolated instances though) and when you use the term 'militant' one thinks of the military and I do believe that military is very pro meat/dairy. How can one honestly call a vegan violent when meat eaters are the ones killing and abusing animals?

As far as being a PETA member, I am very proud of it and People may dislike them but they tell and show the truth and just because people don't want to hear it, doesn't mean that PETA is bad. They are a wonderful organization that just wants to help animals and hold people responsible for being abusive toward them. Of course there are some PETA members who have made bad/destructive choices but unfortunately, only the bad stuff gets publicity these days.

[JennaBoBenna]

I don't consider myself vegan anymore, I consider myself a raw foodist. I eat honey, so many vegans wouldn't consider me a vegan anyway.

lissom, I don't think he means aggressive like you said meat-eaters are. In my experience, the veg*ns I've talked to were very rude and wouldn't listen to research I'd done. A girl had posted about feeding soy shakes to her cat or something and I mentioned how dangerous soy is and how it would be healthier for the cat to eat a natural treat like livers or something and I posted a bunch of articles as evidence(of soy being dangerous) and they got all defensive and were like "ZOMG that's just anti-soy propeganda!!" And I was saying how soy wasn't even vegan because of the combines used and such and they were just weren't listening ! :/

[Miss Marie]

I don't think that a lot of people who eat meat are violent or more agressive - I am a very agressive person but I don't think I am better than anyone.

I have talked to many meat eaters about how I believe if you are going to eat the flesh of a living thing it is important for you to experience every part of the animal you eat's life and death from the birth til it is on your plate - that includes the slaughter.

You know what 9 out of 10 people said to me - that they would NEVER want to see that, because if they did have to experience that they would become vegetarians!!!

WTH!?!?! How disrespectful is that?? how can you treat something like it means nothing and show it no respect and live off of its flesh?

When I ate animal products I ALWAYS paid attention to the animals life and death and I always respected them and I never treated them like trash.

These people want to live their whole lives with their eyes and ears covered and just have everything handed to them :( it is very sad :(

[lissomllama]

I don't consider myself vegan anymore, I consider myself a raw foodist. I eat honey, so many vegans wouldn't consider me a vegan anyway.

lissom, I don't think he means aggressive like you said meat-eaters are. In my experience, the veg*ns I've talked to were very rude and wouldn't listen to research I'd done. A girl had posted about feeding soy shakes to her cat or something and I mentioned how dangerous soy is and how it would be healthier for the cat to eat a natural treat like livers or something and I posted a bunch of articles as evidence(of soy being dangerous) and they got all defensive and were like "ZOMG that's just anti-soy propeganda!!" And I was saying how soy wasn't even vegan because of the combines used and such and they were just weren't listening ! :/

Ah, I get where you're coming from. Of course there are always people who ruin it for the rest of the group but I wouldn't say that the vegans here are annoying or aggressive.

Also, I'm a vegan and I am always talking about the detriments of soy. I also disagree with the people who believe that it is ok to feed their pet cats and dogs (natural born carnivores) vegan food when they NEED meat and I really have heard vegans advocating that nonsense so I totally hear you there. But it's dangerous to label vegans as aggressive and militant because not all of us are. I didn't meant to single you out, it was just weird seeing negative talk about vegans, here.

[codajess]

Very few of the people on this forum are vegan. Most follow a raw-vegan diet. There's a difference. People who call themselves vegetarian or vegan, then do non-vegetarian/vegan things make it very hard for those of us who actually are vegetarian or vegan, i.e. "sometimes" eat meat/other animal products.

I also don't think people should call themselves vegan/vegetarian/rawfoodists if they aren't. I think a person who eats raw food most of the time, and cooked some of the time would be considered high-raw. Just like someone who eats mostly vegetarian food but isnt quite vegetarian could be considered high-veg. Calling yourself vegetarian and eating meat defeats the purpose and makes it hard to educate those who don't know what its about. Calling yourself vegan and eating SOME animal products, buying products tested on animals, wearing leather and fur, confuses people who aren't educated on what being vegan truly means. Calling yourself a raw foodist and eating cooked food once a week (or whatever) defeats the purpose of being a raw foodist. High veg? High raw? Sure. Vegetarian/vegan/raw foodist? Not so much.

Anyhoo, I digress...

I don't think vegans as a group are militant. There are people who meet me (i'm only vegetarian) and instantly start defending themselves and their food choices. I don't criticize what other people eat. I wouldn't mention anything about my food if someone else didn't start the conversation with me. Then when I give my reasoning, suddenly I'm the one who's "forcing my views" on the meateaters. I think a lot of vegans put up with this as well. Someone finds out so-and-so is vegan and suddenly it's 20 questions. You answer them and suddenly it turns into a debate which turns into an ethical argument which turns into a holier-than-thou thing. I aspire to become vegan. I think it's great. I do think they have better morals and ethics than I do.

I also think anyone who feels "enlightened" on their way of eating or living, whether it's vegetarian, strict vegetarian, vegan, raw; feels that their way is the "right" way and will maybe feel like they know something the "others" don't.

[juliebove]

I think the problem is that no matter the issue, it is the militant and aggressive types you remember. Why? Because they ARE militant and aggressive! You're probably surrounded by a lot more vegetarians/vegans than you know. Most people don't walk around announcing it.

Being militant and aggressive is a choice that we make, at least partly. I do believe we're all different and we are born with traits specific to us, be they good or bad. We can choose to overcome the bad traits or at least to try to tone them down if we want to.

I used to smoke. When I did smoke I hated those "reformed" smokers who acted holier than though or just plain obnoxious. I told myself that I would never be that way. And I'm not even though I quit smoking. What they do is their choice and thier business. Not my place to comment on it nor do I want to.

[dreamrawalwz]

From personal encounters I've found that raw vegans are more...compassionate, caring, connected with nature, and have a deeper understand of other people. It's hard to explain. Like they can read the emotions of others MUCH better nad have a better understanding than others, probably from the lack of animal products fogging their brains? I think it's because we have our choice of food in common, which is a major part of life.

I have talked to some vegans that are extremely passionate and do think they're better than others, but...it's not that they're better, but that they make better food choices. I'm really passionate about raw and want to probably major in nutrition to teach others about raw.

I would consider myself a raw vegan. I am 100% raw without questionable raw items, nor any animal products (including honey). I just live in a house that has leather couches, but that's not my choice so I consider myself vegan.

[Goldsplinter]

This thread struck a chord in many people.

[Lay-Lay]

I know no vegans (in-person, there is all of you) other then myself (but I guess I am not a true vegan because I do use local honey on special occasions). I do not consider myself aggresive or anything. I don't think pushing my views of this lifestyle on others is appropriate. If someone whats information on vegan or raw I give them some websites to check out to make their own conclusion if its right for them or not, then if they want help I will lend a hand.

[Pailani]

I think that everybody thinks that all vegans are members of PETA and set fire to research labs.

Everybody? LOL! I don't know that everybody thinks that, any more than I think that all vegans are militant.

[Zena]

I was at another forum recently where there was a similar discussion, and it seemed to me that the meat eaters were more agressive than the veg*ns, going on about how "Meat is good for you, strong bones, stick to your ribs, the blood makes it taste better", all sorts of patronizing things while the vegans were calmly defending their choices with facts and figures and then just backed off when the meat eaters refused to take off the blinders.

But now I'M feeling agressive and militant. I love this forum so much, the people here are so wonderful and everybody is usually very happy and loving and carefree, they just pass the feeling onto you... almost nothing here upsets me. Next to nothing. What DOES, however, more than anything else here and many things elsewhere, is when people go off raw to eat meat or fish or eggs or cheese, etc. You eat some rice or beans, no problem, the only thing you're hurting is yourself. But something not vegan, for SOCIAL REASONS, makes no sense. Eating fish or cheese or eggs to please somebody else, to not bother them for other options? I don't buy it. It's an excuse. They eat it to please themselves. They want to. Just for the 'experience'. I really think it is... disgusting. If you honestly believe in the raw, vegan, vegetarian, whatever lifestyle, if you honestly felt empathy towards animals suffering only to be ingested, you WOULD NOT EAT THOSE THINGS. Not for you, not for anybody else. You would happily decline and feel happy that you aren't contributing to misery. :mad: I'm 100% raw, but I am vegan first and foremost. I will be vegan until the day I die, and not 'just dietary'. So I am completely biased. But 'for the experience' of a social situation is just such a COP OUT!

[pinkglttr]

I would say that I am a moderate on this topic. Firstly, I do not support PETA, because of where their money goes. They support the ALF with their funds, who bomb testing labs. I would support PETA, IF they did not support the ALF. I will not put animals before humans in importance, even though I choose not to eat them. If it were between the life of my child or my dog, I would unquestionably choose my child. If my child needs medicine that is found through animal research, so be it, as long as it is done in the most ethical way possible. Anyone who has been through college and been in the pscyh department for any reasonable amount of time will understand the lengths that researchers go to in order to most ethically complete their work. Everything goes through review boards, much is changed in accordance, etc. PETA distances themselves from the ALF in appearance, but their tax returns show otherwise.

I don't mean to upset anyone by saying these things, but they are the truth and PETA has put it out for the world to see, as their records are public.

On the other topic of being superior by being one way or another in dietary restriction, I agree with so many of you who have posted about inquisitions and then subsequent attacks that are uncalled for. The one thing I would like to make apparent is that although I do not support misrepresentation of what one eats/is called... I do think that any restriction is a step in the right direction. Just eating "less meat" is an improvement on the SAD. It's not the ideal, but I would not attack someone for being in the first steps. Not everyone can go hardcore immediately, like quitting smoking. It's not only a habit, it's part of our culture and you can never escape your culture completely. It's not only at the surface.

When a person is attacked for only being a ovo-lacto/vegetarian/vegan, etc... THAT is when they find us to be militant. Reinforce the good, ignore the bad is psychology's basic premise. That is the only way we can be seen as warm and educational and welcoming as a group of people who have some concern about our diets. Otherwise, we are only turning people off who have decided to make improvements.

[rawpriestess]

I think there are aggressive, and militant people in all walks of life,

look at Mother Thereasa, she was certainly both, and yet, I don't see this as a bad thing, simply as a way that they are chosing to express their personal passion.


I'm sure I can be both agressive, and militant in my beliefs, and after all, they are my beliefs, until I change them.

However, I do my best not to be agressive or militant to another being.

Only in my writing. LOL Then it is up to each person, reading, what they choose to believe.

So, if you are reading this, you can vote,
agressive?
militant?
sensative?
passionate?

LOL

or just nuts!!!

[Sharon in Colorado]

Most people who are aggressive, proud, "above others", stubborn and militant don't think or believe they are that way, but you could tell if you feel like everyone has "a problem" with you or what you do, or when it seems that most people don't get along with you.

[Goldsplinter]

Zena not everyone is raw-vegan because they feel bad for the animals.

<.<

I'm not gonna use my time/energy feeling bad for the animals getting slaughtered and what not... it would probably only worsen the problem.

Don't think you should get upset when raw-veganers do eat meat and what not. But it's your choice.

And meat tastes very good.

[rawpriestess]

Well Goldsplinter


your avatar is very agressive, so it indicates to me an agressive nature in there too.

You may choose to look at this, if you are trying to come across NON-agressive.

[Sharon in Colorado]

I agree with RP - that is one bizarre avator. What does it mean Goldsplinter?

[jaurequi]

I agree with SharoninColorado's point to an extent. I have used this to reflect upon my own behaviors during the years of the "Know-it-all 20's" :D

But I do not think this is absolute. Oftentimes, the minority is ahead of the majority. Being alone in one's stance does not mean they are wrong; and so, same for perceptions.

Sometimes the majority doesn't want to learn or accept a truth (such as, say, the facts of factory farming or sentience of fellow earthlings) and therefore demonizes anyone or any belief to the contrary. Going into victim mode is a good way to deflect, as well as a false accusation ("Militant" "aggressive") to place the vegan in the defense position to what is, obviously, straying from the issue.

Calling vegans "militant" may be a defense mechanism (false, though it may be) stemming from guilt, shame, or unwillingness to accept a truth. For some, it would mean a change, one which they are unwilling to make.

Best,

[dreamrawalwz]

Zena not everyone is raw-vegan because they feel bad for the animals.

<.<

I'm not gonna use my time/energy feeling bad for the animals getting slaughtered and what not... it would probably only worsen the problem.

Don't think you should get upset when raw-veganers do eat meat and what not. But it's your choice.

And meat tastes very good.

Um, if raw-vegans ate meat they wouldn't be raw OR vegan so...that defeats the purpose. I think once one becomes raw for a while you get a much deeper connection with nature, including the animals. I don't think I'm wasteing my time or energy feeling sorry for the animals and I know ti's not making the situation worse. If i ate meat, that would be feeding into the industry and making the demand higher so THAT would be making it worse.

Just something i was talking to another person about...think about it. Does anyone who eats meat has it plain!? They douse it with salt, spices, and or gravy and sauses to make it paletable...

[Svadhyaya]

Not all vegans are aggressive and militant, but some sure do come across that way, especially on the internet. Alot of people will be brasher, ruder, more condescending and thoughtless online than they would ever be if they had to look you in the eyes. I stopped frequenting vegan boards along time ago, because I couldn't find one (except vegsource's vegan board, which is rife with popups and seems to screw up my browser) that wasn't elitist and often hateful.

I'm passionate about animal rights, but first and foremost I adhere to the values of ahimsa - doing no harm - and that begins with me - not just concerning my diet, but also concerning how the words I say affect others.

I screw up royally sometimes, because I'm quite an opinionated person and am the queen of biting my tongue, but I sincerely mean no harm. I try hard not to hurt others, and it grieves me to see anyone being less than kind. Sadly, it seems some people just don't carefully weigh their words before unleashing them into the world. But this certainly doesn't only apply to vegans....you'll find nastiness across the whole spectrum of mankind.

[rawfigure]

I think there are aggressive, and militant people in all walks of life,

look at Mother Thereasa, she was certainly both, and yet, I don't see this as a bad thing, simply as a way that they are chosing to express their personal passion.


I'm sure I can be both agressive, and militant in my beliefs, and after all, they are my beliefs, until I change them.

However, I do my best not to be agressive or militant to another being.

Only in my writing. LOL Then it is up to each person, reading, what they choose to believe.

So, if you are reading this, you can vote,
agressive?
militant?
sensative?
passionate?

LOL

or just nuts!!!

RP you always say it well........

I say we are just nuts, and my dh tells me that all the time.

[codajess]

Zena not everyone is raw-vegan because they feel bad for the animals.

<.<

I'm not gonna use my time/energy feeling bad for the animals getting slaughtered and what not... it would probably only worsen the problem.

Don't think you should get upset when raw-veganers do eat meat and what not. But it's your choice.

And meat tastes very good.


Read up on what vegan means. If you're lazy, just click the links in my signature.

[pinkglttr]

It's difficult for everyone to have a label. Many people are not concerned about animals when they go "vegan" yet the label takes on many ethical issues not concerned with eating, such as leather and whatnot. I would like a label for myself, as I am not 100% raw, and vegan in diet (except for honey), but not in action (the cultural rules). I eat one cooked meal a day (such as a baked potato, bean soup, pad thai) but the rest is raw. So, am I vegan? Not necessarily, when referring to the cultural aspect of it. I am just "vegetarian", but so are those who eat cheese, and milk, and eggs... so, hmm... my point?

I think I'm losing it, but what I mean to point out is that there are exceptions to every rule and not everyone fits into a clear cut category. And yes, I do feel like with anything people find their viewpoint superior, and that's not ever good to have a condescending attitude, in my opinion.

[Imagine]

I love everyones opinions, I think sharing them is healthy, we can't all think the same way and shouldn't have to.

I don't like being wedged in, I like free speech, free thought, free ideas.
Getting heated over one opinion vs another is pointless, neither will change their mind. The real point is both parties really just want to be heard, understood and respected although some people are far too angry to know this.

There are a lot of people who say they are all for free speech but they're not. I personally think that is on an emotional level though. They feel more comfortable if they can fit into a security box and everyone else can relate to them. Fear of something different motivates the comments.

I don't like to put a label on myself, I choose not to eat meat and I choose to eat raw food, personally, it makes me feel better emotionally, physically.

There's enough restriction in life already.
In the areas where I have choice, I like to exercise MY choice and do whatever it is that I want, without judgement or critisism.

[stiletto]

[QUOTE=Davylp25]Lol Passionate huh. Well thats a certain way to look at things. However I think society has a weird definition of what PASSION is. To me it's a product of love, not anger, or judgment or needing to prove your point in an aggresive manner. Passionate to me is a lovers embrace, or the way a mother breaks her neck for her child in whatever nourishing way, to me thats passion. It's not yelling or raising your voice,and getting angry and standing on dogmatic throwns handing out unsolicited advice. It's that need to PROVE YOUR RIGHT, BECUZ YOU KNOW AND THEY DONT...That's not passionate, It's egoic, but to disguise it we call it -PASSIONATE. That puts the training wheels on those actions... I dunno, that just doesn't seem right to me 2 call it passionate. It's ANGER. And that's okay. Anger isn't a bad thang, but we in society run away from that word and try to downplay it by calling it passion. It's a form of anger 2 me. I know, because I used to be like that, Always telling PEOPLE what they should know, and do. When they challenge me, we start to raise are voices, It's not passion -it's anger, me deep down wanting to be right, which therefor means Im validated in some way. It's like a hidden co-dependent thang. But we sugarcoat it by saying things like HE'S JUST PASSIONATE, HE JUST WANTS TO HELP PEOPLE. HA!

[stiletto]

Dear Davylp25
Wow, your reply was quite "passionate". Actually, you sound pretty angry. I think you just really believe in what you're saying and I think that's great. Passion doesn't always have to be about love, although it's wonderful when it is. ;)

Let's see.... a few synonyms for passion are: fervor, excitement, enthusiasm, obsession, strong feelings, rage, zeal. The actions one takes when feeling passionate about an issue or person, well, that's not always so wonderful. And that's where your point comes in and makes a lot of sense. But, humans are less than perfect.

Peace,
Stiletto

[codajess]

Humans ARE less than perfect, I agree. And ignorance is bliss. But once someone is enlightened, it seems there should be no excuse.