Red meat has a huge carbon footprint because cattle requires a large amount of land and water.
https://sph.tulane.edu/climate-and-food-environmental-impact-beef-consumption
Demand for steaks and burgers is the primary driver of Deforestation:
https://e360.yale.edu/features/marcel-gomes-interview
If you don’t have a car and rarely eat red meat, you are doing GREAT 🙌🙌 🙌
Sure, you can drink tap water instead of plastic water. You can switch to Tea. You can travel by train. You can use Linux instead of Windows AI’s crap. Those are great ideas. But, don’t drive yourself crazy. If you are only an ordinary citizen, remember that perfect is the enemy of good.
I wish vegans and vegetarians would be a bit more willing to promote this viewpoint. It’s insane how many otherwise normal people will refuse a single meat-free meal for no reason other than identity politics.
I’m not vegetarian but it baffles my mind how many people are against not eating meat. Some people seem to have made eating meat their whole personality and it’s insane to me. I don’t always eat meat and actively try to reduce it. Personally I’ve only met vegetarians who encourage this, even if I’m not willing to fully commit. I’m trying to make meat more of a luxury for myself and I think it’d be nice if most people did so. Better for the climate and better for the animals.
Most vegetarians and vegans will be happy about positive changes. They aren’t the loudest ones, however. Similar to feminism, the most radical opinions get much more attention relative to reasonable ones. Especially by those opposed to it.
When I was a meat eater I also saw it as an all-or-nothing choice though, as if I need to fully commit all at once, which was daunting to me. Then I tried to be vegetarian for a week which was surprisingly easy. Then I had a foot in the door, decided to continue, and replaced eggs and milk as well in the following weeks.
Some people might have an easier time replacing single foods, like buying plant-based patties instead of meat ones, or just trying out a few plant-based alternatives, and that’s great too.
I agree. I think that sometimes people avoid vegan/vegetarian options due to negative perception drawn from some prominent activists in the community (not helped when rage-baiters get more views and coverage).
I honestly think I would have become vegan sooner if there were less ‘hardcore’ vegan activists and more empathetic role models.
I fully support people making the public aware of awful conditions in livestock farms and abattoirs (nonviolently), as well as those who encourage alternative options (e.g. nooch is delicious and I wish I knew about it before I became vegan).
The people that dump red dye/fake blood on people, or block streets, or vandalise businesses, aren’t doing the movement any favours IMO. The same with people who disparage others who are making more ethical choices, but not the ones they have made (e.g. consuming less meat instead of no meat in this case).
Attacking a person’s character doesn’t generally work; people just get defensive.
Also we have a generation raised on RATM. “Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me” is also the anthem of conservatives to the left.
I’m no vegetarian at all but I really enjoy vegeterian food. I get some vegeterian people visibily upset that I’m eating “their” food when they know I usually eat meat.
It’s like “either you’re all in with us, or you gtfo”.
That being said, we’re never gonna convince people to try add some vegeterian meals until they become actually affordable. Cooking tasty and filling vegetarian food is difficult and time-consuming, and vegetarian restaurants are just fucking ridiculously expensive.
Unless you’re at a place where you’re literally taking physical food, leaving them none, that’s just moronic
It really depends on where you live. How are vegetables more expensive than meat? I eat meat sparsely because it costs a lot and is annoying to prepare.
Yeah don’t ask me, it’s ridiculous. It’s obviously not about the ingredient costs, it’s all about the fact that the restaurants are imposing grandiose margins because it’s just trendy I guess.
there are definitely places (hello) where anything more fancy than potatoes and peas costs more than (cheap) meat, looking at the veggie and fruit section of a swedish grocery store is depressing
Some perspective is important here. From the point of view of the average person, what a vegan might call the “carnist” worldview, there’s a cultural perception that being vegan is a kind of monolithic puritanical religion. As if to live a life without using animal products is comparable to the self-flagellations of the penitent Christian.
But it has to be recognized, that perception is a stereotype perpetuated from outside perspectives looking in. Inexperience vs experience.
In real life, there is constant disagreement and debate among vegans, so definitely not a monolith. With today’s food options (at least in western countries), there’s nothing puritanical or self-punishing about living a vegan lifestyle - to the point that “junkfood vegan” is a badge of pride from some. At the end of the day we’re just regular people, like everyone else. All we’ve done is decided that other animals should have basic universal rights, and then we try to live in accord with that.
It’s not perfection, it’s a moral baseline.
And it’s worth striving for that baseline, because reducetarianism doesn’t work.