Comments on: Vegetarianism Kills Planet! (…but not really…)

By: Ryan Sproull

Ryan Sproull — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 23:24:00 +0000

It's interesting to consider exactly why it's such an attractive assumption to pass on – why the meme is so successful. I think it comes back to what Fiona Macrae wrote before changing (or being told to change) her wording:

Vegetarians are often vegetarian for ethical reasons, so some people who eat meat feel judged by vegetarians and assume that vegetarians think they're better than meat-eaters. You can see a common representation of vegetarianism on Shortland Street at the moment, with the annoying, whiny, manipulative moral-outrage junkie dating Sarah's son, whatshisname.

By: Sam

Sam — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 23:16:08 +0000

Nicely done. Case study: I know several vegetarians, who will occasionally buy "fake meat" soy products; they almost always eat far less of said products than the average carnivore would of actual meat, and usually only to add variety to otherwise complete vegetarian meals.

It's a very attractive assumption for some to pass on, that the vegetarians are wrong and you the meat-eater have got it right. Goes to show also that some people literally cannot conceive of a vegetarian diet that doesn't include exactly identical non-meat substitutes for every meat product that is forgone.