Genuinely curious, how do vegans think of indigenous diets and their consumption of animals? Many of the critiques I see here apply to industrial consumption of meat.
And how would you respond to the argument that vegans are propagating an unscientific belief in the supercession of nature by humans in a way similar to Christian dominionists, that sees us as unique actors capable of transcending a mutual relationship with nature whereas our inferiors (all other animals that eat animals) are incapable of moral action?
Also I’ve heard people argue that consuming plants also causes them distress and should be avoided. Would you reply to that in any way or is it silly?
Not here to argue, genuinely just want to know how vegans think about these questions. If you want.
The plants thing is entirely silly and based off a headline that says “grass screams when you cut it” and people took that literally. There’s a big difference between “releases chemicals when disturbed” and “exists as a being with ganglia, nerves, a functioning brain, and everything else we understand to facilitate the experience of suffering”. The ions in my phone battery vibrate when its charging, but I don’t say that its excited.
I’ve seen vegans disagree on the matter of indigenous diets. I’m not sure what most agree on, but I can say vegans are way more focused on ending animal-eating in the context of industrialized society.
Not a vegan but we crossed that bridge the moment agriculture was invented. As for animals incapable of moral actions… I have yet to see a vegan seriously propose the end of natural predation. You’re fighting ghosts or I’m misunderstanding.
You can check the r/vegan threads from when that was making the rounds. Plants don’t feel pain. Even if they did, you’d cause more beings pain eating meat cause animals eat plants.
I have yet to see a vegan seriously propose the end of natural predation
This is what they were saying, humans eating animals is natural predation, or at least could be in a deindustrial setting, like wolves eating deer or whatever. Vegans, they were suggesting, believe in a very Eurocentric/Christian way that humans aren’t animals when our engagement with them as predators is as natural as predators eating us. As long as you minimize the industrialized suffering, that is, they were envisioning small holder communal farming and hunting as their counterexample.
We won’t “return to nature” that would be fascist. Humans will not eat “natural” food. Humans eat industrial food. Thinking “but what if they wouldn’t” is fictional.
I think you can agree to the idea that humans are not superior to animals in any meaningful capacity and that, like other animals, have their own novel tendencies (like the ability to create food which has no animal involvement, as some worker ants like those of Harpegnathos saltator can turn into queen ants when there is none can be a novel tendency)
Indigenous people get trotted put in defense against veganism all the time. The defense treats indigeneity like some kind of monolith, it’s very off-putting.
Indigenous people in the US are vegan more often than white people, same with most BIPOC people. I would recommend asking a vegan indigenous person these questions, or even just imagine yourself doing so, and consider whether it comes across as stereotyping.
Anyways, vegans are generally not focused on going after indigenous diets. They’re focused on the vast majority of people who consume animal products because they were simply socialized to do so and never had to question it growing up, but have no sacred attachment to their sloppy joes or slightly more durable shoes or whatever. It’s just food or products consumed out of habit and folks pitch an absolute fit when you point out that, say, it’s a contradiction to say you’re an animal lover because you love your pets but you go absolutely apeshit on someone that asks you to not eat or otherwise consume (entirely as a luxury, a form of entertainment) pigs that are just as smart and cuddly.
Industrialized agriculture produces sufficient vegan food such that animal products are no longer necessary dietarily. Same for materials and other animal products. The question is whether it continues to be acceptable to harm animals because the products have entertainment value.
I think for most people the answer is pretty obviously no, but they reeeeaally don’t want to self-crit, so they fight for a while first.
Yeah it does kinda seem like weaponizing indigenous experiences to defend a boutique consumer choice. I think he aspires to hunter-gathering or considers it to be the superior way for humans to live, which I think contributes to trying this approach.
He also said he would starve to death if the revolution happened and meat was abolished. I guess vegetables are really that bad to some people.
plants can suffer but it’s not an argument against veganism since every animal also eats plants, you are killing more plants (by like 10-100x) by eating meat
![[CW: bestiality] Professional "moral philosopher" ponders whether it's OK to sexually assault animals, featuring AI art](https://hexbear.net/pictrs/image/f26b2dce-7254-4537-acd1-5de623b591e0.png){kind=link}
Genuinely curious, how do vegans think of indigenous diets and their consumption of animals? Many of the critiques I see here apply to industrial consumption of meat.
And how would you respond to the argument that vegans are propagating an unscientific belief in the supercession of nature by humans in a way similar to Christian dominionists, that sees us as unique actors capable of transcending a mutual relationship with nature whereas our inferiors (all other animals that eat animals) are incapable of moral action?
Also I’ve heard people argue that consuming plants also causes them distress and should be avoided. Would you reply to that in any way or is it silly?
Not here to argue, genuinely just want to know how vegans think about these questions. If you want.
The plants thing is entirely silly and based off a headline that says “grass screams when you cut it” and people took that literally. There’s a big difference between “releases chemicals when disturbed” and “exists as a being with ganglia, nerves, a functioning brain, and everything else we understand to facilitate the experience of suffering”. The ions in my phone battery vibrate when its charging, but I don’t say that its excited.
I’ve seen vegans disagree on the matter of indigenous diets. I’m not sure what most agree on, but I can say vegans are way more focused on ending animal-eating in the context of industrialized society.
Not a vegan but we crossed that bridge the moment agriculture was invented. As for animals incapable of moral actions… I have yet to see a vegan seriously propose the end of natural predation. You’re fighting ghosts or I’m misunderstanding.
You can check the r/vegan threads from when that was making the rounds. Plants don’t feel pain. Even if they did, you’d cause more beings pain eating meat cause animals eat plants.
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When the last vegan subthread dies on this website, Yog-Sothoth emerges from their million year slumber to devour our world.
This is what they were saying, humans eating animals is natural predation, or at least could be in a deindustrial setting, like wolves eating deer or whatever. Vegans, they were suggesting, believe in a very Eurocentric/Christian way that humans aren’t animals when our engagement with them as predators is as natural as predators eating us. As long as you minimize the industrialized suffering, that is, they were envisioning small holder communal farming and hunting as their counterexample.
We won’t “return to nature” that would be fascist. Humans will not eat “natural” food. Humans eat industrial food. Thinking “but what if they wouldn’t” is fictional.
Okay, that ship has sailed in other words. I think he would just object, he’s kinda a Graeber guy, but that makes sense to me. Thanks!
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Dunno, I told people I was curious and wasn’t here to argue, I could argue anyway but I’m trying to engage in a way that encourages folks to respond.
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I think you can agree to the idea that humans are not superior to animals in any meaningful capacity and that, like other animals, have their own novel tendencies (like the ability to create food which has no animal involvement, as some worker ants like those of Harpegnathos saltator can turn into queen ants when there is none can be a novel tendency)
Brian Tomasik considers it, but he’s a wingnut. There is very little literature on wild animal suffering.
Indigenous people get trotted put in defense against veganism all the time. The defense treats indigeneity like some kind of monolith, it’s very off-putting.
Indigenous people in the US are vegan more often than white people, same with most BIPOC people. I would recommend asking a vegan indigenous person these questions, or even just imagine yourself doing so, and consider whether it comes across as stereotyping.
Anyways, vegans are generally not focused on going after indigenous diets. They’re focused on the vast majority of people who consume animal products because they were simply socialized to do so and never had to question it growing up, but have no sacred attachment to their sloppy joes or slightly more durable shoes or whatever. It’s just food or products consumed out of habit and folks pitch an absolute fit when you point out that, say, it’s a contradiction to say you’re an animal lover because you love your pets but you go absolutely apeshit on someone that asks you to not eat or otherwise consume (entirely as a luxury, a form of entertainment) pigs that are just as smart and cuddly.
Industrialized agriculture produces sufficient vegan food such that animal products are no longer necessary dietarily. Same for materials and other animal products. The question is whether it continues to be acceptable to harm animals because the products have entertainment value.
I think for most people the answer is pretty obviously no, but they reeeeaally don’t want to self-crit, so they fight for a while first.
Yeah it does kinda seem like weaponizing indigenous experiences to defend a boutique consumer choice. I think he aspires to hunter-gathering or considers it to be the superior way for humans to live, which I think contributes to trying this approach.
He also said he would starve to death if the revolution happened and meat was abolished. I guess vegetables are really that bad to some people.
plants can suffer but it’s not an argument against veganism since every animal also eats plants, you are killing more plants (by like 10-100x) by eating meat