tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5057927270137968293.post5982509557565310185..comments2023-05-03T09:24:55.687-04:00Comments on The Vegan Good Life: On Labels, Sarma Has it RightCatherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06488301404397970300noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5057927270137968293.post-5574807752909293192010-02-03T21:00:21.473-05:002010-02-03T21:00:21.473-05:00You're very welcome Elaine! Sadly, there's...You're very welcome Elaine! Sadly, there's not only a vegan 'label police', but a vegan 'thought police.' roaming on the internet, often unchecked. I encourage independent thinking here. <br /><br />Sadly, people are trying to prey and capitalize on people's emotions. When I started pursuing a vegan path, I was hoping for a warm, welcoming community - not a judgmental, 'my way or the highway' one. The latter attitude will have veg-hopefuls running for the hills. I strive for the former.Catherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06488301404397970300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5057927270137968293.post-79170377279222575362010-02-03T20:29:22.196-05:002010-02-03T20:29:22.196-05:00LOve you blog and appreciate your support of my po...LOve you blog and appreciate your support of my points over at GGA. ElaineElainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02883685141057444220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5057927270137968293.post-72090772757420215922010-01-29T19:32:04.761-05:002010-01-29T19:32:04.761-05:00I gave you a blog award--you should head over to m...I gave you a blog award--you should head over to my site!Catehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16264419866877407201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5057927270137968293.post-10517755027874720852010-01-29T17:01:05.716-05:002010-01-29T17:01:05.716-05:00ConsciouslyFrugal, I'm so glad to hear that so...ConsciouslyFrugal, I'm so glad to hear that someone else loathes PETA for their misogyny and fat-shaming! They don't make me dismiss vegetarianism/veganism as options (though I'm neither--like Chessbuff, I describe myself as "against factory farming"), but when I was vegan a few years ago, people often met that information by talking about PETA. Drove me nuts!Catehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16264419866877407201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5057927270137968293.post-53388684707477929532010-01-29T13:47:15.817-05:002010-01-29T13:47:15.817-05:00Chessbuff--what a fabulous comment! I'm going ...Chessbuff--what a fabulous comment! I'm going to steal your line of "against factory farming." (Um, I'm not a vegetarian, I should add, but I'm open to learning more and reading The Vegan Good Life is part o' that process for me.) I'm not a member of PETA. In fact, I freakin' loathe (deeply, deeply loathe) PETA, particularly because of how they promote misogyny and the marginalization of fat folks. To be honest, PETA is one of the primary reasons I have dismissed vegetarianism and veganism as lifestyle options for years. Unfortunately, I'm not at all alone in that sentiment.<br /><br />Um, how was that for a non-sequitor?!ConsciouslyFrugalhttp://consciouslyfrugal.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5057927270137968293.post-59443726791903791792010-01-29T10:48:16.466-05:002010-01-29T10:48:16.466-05:00Labels tend to put people in molds that, more ofte...Labels tend to put people in molds that, more often than not, aren't a perfect fit. You know how it is, conservative, liberal, pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan, lacto-ovo vegetarian, and so on. I find labeling as a lazy way out of critical thinking, very much like how propaganda seeks to short circuit your reasoning. If you don't fit perfectly, you're a fraud. I've had an easier time by being specific, like " I am against factory farming. " Obviously, this doesn't deny that seafood is still part of my diet. I didn't say I was vegetarian. Another one of these faulty correlations, one that gets my goat, is that I must be a member of PETA if I have compassion for animals, like PETA is the conduit through which all compassion flows.Ted Teodorohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14273585582573372315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5057927270137968293.post-81089127566262839482010-01-29T09:40:38.317-05:002010-01-29T09:40:38.317-05:00Thank you all so much for your supportive comments...Thank you all so much for your supportive comments. <br /><br />I read a criticism of Alicia Silverstone for admitting on Oprah she slips with cheese. The person referred to Alicia as the "poster child for celebrity veganism," and her slip "makes all vegans that stick to their ethical values look wishy washy." I think of a line in Joan Harris' Five Quarters of the Orange, "That's the trouble with heroes. They never quite live up to expectations, do they?" People are looking for perfect role models, but life isn't perfect. <br /><br />To me, she's more relatable, and will draw many more to exploring veganism than the purists who worry about every scoop of sugar or glass of wine. Veganism can feel stifling to most people when we worry about the labels. I think it should be okay for people to talk about the challenges and temptations, and not be discouraged on their path.Catherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06488301404397970300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5057927270137968293.post-24755802089486780432010-01-28T19:17:52.188-05:002010-01-28T19:17:52.188-05:00This is a great post! I really liked where you tal...This is a great post! I really liked where you talked about how you should be able to eat a piece of birthday cake if you want. When I was vegan, I found the absolutism really stifling, to the point where I would turn down altoids (gelatin) even if the other person had no idea they weren't vegan, just so that they couldn't lord it over me if they found out. In hindsight, I wish I'd cared less about other people. At this point in my life I'm a mostly-vegetarian who eats meat occasionally, though I strive for that meat to be humane, as with eggs and dairy. However, I sometimes slip chicken broth into my "vegetarian" soups (though never for vegetarian guests! That would just be mean). Sometimes people really go overboard with the labeling.Catehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16264419866877407201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5057927270137968293.post-79624723095155267822010-01-28T17:31:54.069-05:002010-01-28T17:31:54.069-05:00Thanks for your post! Aren't people bizarre an...Thanks for your post! Aren't people bizarre and fascinating?!! It always astounds me (and breaks my heart a little) when people are more invested in fragmenting than unifying.MaddyGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02276031161382617190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5057927270137968293.post-85287086888568126542010-01-28T15:02:22.444-05:002010-01-28T15:02:22.444-05:00This is purely my theory (and therefore absolute f...This is purely my theory (and therefore absolute fact, of course. ha!), but I believe that folks who embrace fundamentalism in anything are usually covering up for some perceived guilt or shame. The closeted gay man who violently opposes equal rights in marriage. The pastor who rages about the sins of fornication who's sleeping with his secretary. The lesbian who rails about how you're not a "real" lesbian if you ever dated men who sleeps with men regularly (all folks I've known). Blah blah blah.<br /><br />I'm convinced that anytime I see someone railing in a fundamentalist fashion, they're usually just trying to hide shame about something. I try to morph my sense of irritation into compassion. It rarely works.ConsciouslyFrugalhttp://consciouslyfrugal.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com