Seen a lot of posts on Lemmy with vegan-adjacent sentiments but the comments are typically very critical of vegan ideas, even when they don’t come from vegans themselves. Why is this topic in particular so polarising on the internet? Especially since unlike politics for example, it seems like people don’t really get upset by it IRL
Because y’all are fuckin annoying. Good for you on not using animal products. I’m glad you have something you care a lot about. I dont need to hear about it every second of the day though. Vegans IRL generally dont preach about it but online people get on their sop boxes more consistently.
I think what you’re experiencing online is a mix of loud minorities1 and online disinhibition2, not an accurate representation of vegans.
1: When there exists a minority in XYZ Group that is “louder” than the majority, causing people to associate XYZ group with the minority. 2: The phenomena of people acting out more violently, frequently, or pushy online when compared to being in-person, primarily due to anonymity
It’s a first world hill to die on, and many of the people who espouse veganism are only able to do so because of their own privilege.
It’s a combination of smugness and “I’m better than you” and the lack of awareness that everyone had and continues to benefit from a world that has always used animal products. The Industrial Revolution basically ran on steam engines and leather belts, for example.
I have absolutely no problem with the idea that using fewer animal products and eating less meat is a good idea. I also recognize that feeding the world’s growing population is probably going to involve insects being more widely used as a food source.
What privilege? Meat is the most expensive food out there. Eating rice and beans isn’t really showing privilege
There’s a ton of vegans who exist without trying to force their way of life on everyone, but the ones who do dominate the conversation and can be off putting.
Just like with everything else that people make into a lifestyle or part of their identity. Most are cool, but there’s always a vocal minority of dillweeds that take it way too seriously or use it to judge others that aren’t part of their pack.
I’m not trying to be combative with this but want you to consider something. If you see the cruelty of factory farms and decide that its unethical to be killing and torturing animals in that way, but nobody else around you seems to care, would that not be a little upsetting? What does it mean to be taking it ‘too seriously’?
This argument is the same one anti-abortionists use.
